The driver of the Shelor.com Dodge Funny Car Matt Hagan has been up to his elbows in babies lately – baby cows or calves, if you will. However, the most important baby to Hagan is the baby girl Rachel, his wife, is carrying, which is now two weeks late in arrival.

Last weekend in Concord, NC, Hagan was ready to make the quick trip home on a moment's notice. This weekend, the NHRA tour is in Texas and Hagan is keeping tabs via his cell phone and text messages.

There would be no rushing home from Texas. If Rachel went into labor, Hagan was prepared to rely again on the cell phone and text messages.

“She’s miserable and we’re ready for the baby to come out,” Hagan said. “The most important thing is that they are both happy and we went to the doctor the other day and everything is on course.”

Throughout the baby watch Hagan has keep a cell phone in his firesuit to get the instant updates.

It didn’t matter if he was in the lanes or in the car, he wanted to be notified, although he wasn’t about to answer a cell phone while commandeering an 8,000 horse nitro race car.

“We have an agreement that if she goes into labor that someone’s going to text my phone and the labor process can take hours or days,” Hagan said. “I just don’t want there to be any complications and obviously that plays in the back of your mind when you are out there racing.”

Hagan know that his job is to race and win races, but clearly understands his main priority is husband and father.

“I was there for my first child and I’d like to be there for this one,” said Hagan, of their son Colby Matthew born in 2006 when he raced in the Pro Modified division. “Come Monday, hell or high water, we are going to have a baby.”

Doctors plan to induce labor on Monday, and with his first round loss to Jack Beckman in Dallas, Hagan should be there in time.

Advertisement