Aaron's has extended its partnership with Don Schumacher Racing through the 2012 season and will be the primary sponsor for NHRA Funny Car champion Matt Hagan's Dodge Charger R/T.

Aaron's will be the primary sponsor for Hagan in 13 NHRA national events and primary sponsor on Antron Brown's Top Fuel dragster for four events during the 23-event NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing season.

"It's really exciting to kick off the season as the champion with Aaron's on our car," Hagan said. "They have the 'Lucky Dog' and I sure hope he brings me some luck."

DSR will sport Aaron's colors for 17 events, which is two more than last year. In 2011, Aaron's debut drag racing season produced five NHRA event titles when Aaron's split time between Jack Beckman's Funny Car and Brown's Top Fueler. Beckman won three titles for Aaron's, and Brown won twice while they combined to reach the championship round eight times.

Aaron's has extended its partnership with Don Schumacher Racing through the 2012 season and will be the primary sponsor for NHRA Funny Car champion Matt Hagan's Dodge Charger R/T.

Aaron's will be the primary sponsor for Hagan in 13 NHRA national events and primary sponsor on Antron Brown's Top Fuel dragster for four events during the 23-event NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing season.

"It's really exciting to kick off the season as the champion with Aaron's on our car," Hagan said. "They have the 'Lucky Dog' and I sure hope he brings me some luck."

DSR will sport Aaron's colors for 17 events, which is two more than last year. In 2011, Aaron's debut drag racing season produced five NHRA event titles when Aaron's split time between Jack Beckman's Funny Car and Brown's Top Fueler. Beckman won three titles for Aaron's, and Brown won twice while they combined to reach the championship round eight times.

"We enjoyed amazing success with our DSR partnership in our first year working together," said Ken Butler, Aaron's Chief Operating Officer."We came so close to winning the Funny Car championship with Jack and the Top Fuel championship with Antron, and are really looking forward to what 2012 will bring us."

DSR owner Don Schumacher decided to move Aaron's from Beckman to Hagan.

"It was strictly my decision," Schumacher said of the move to pair Aaron's with Hagan after DieHard moved from primary to an associate sponsorship role on Hagan's car.

Other associate sponsors for Hagan's Charger will be Mopar and Freightliner.

Beckman, who placed second to Hagan in the 2011 championship race, will display sponsorship from Valvoline NextGen this year on his Dodge Charger R/T.

"There are wonderful people at Aaron's, and I'm glad they're still with DSR," Beckman said. "Don is brilliant with how he runs the biggest team on the NHRA tour and has been able to sustain it out here for a decade and win nine championships. He does the right thing for our sponsors and marketing partners."

Hagan, 29, was selected to the 2011 All-American First Team by members of the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association and honored Jan. 8 at its annual banquet at the Crown Plaza in Indianapolis.

Brown was a second-team selection. Among others on the All-American team are Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards of NASCAR, and Dario Franchitti and Will Power of IndyCar.
 
Hagan won two national events, was runner-up twice and won three poles last year in his third full-time season with DSR when he became the second youngest driver to win the coveted championship.

He also drove the Tommy DeLago-tuned Funny Car to an NHRA record 3.995-second pass to become the first Funny Car to crack the 4-second barrier over 1,000 feet in Concord, N.C. His top speed of 322 mph that September weekend also is the fastest ever by a Funny Car at that distance.

Hagan's relationship with Aaron's started with the last two races of the past season when his Charger's quarter panel was adorned with the logo for Aaron's Inc.'s RIMCO Custom Wheels Tires Accessories and More.

Hagan and other members of the Don Schumacher Racing organization will begin 2012 by testing Jan. 17-21 at Palm Beach International Raceway in Jupiter, Fla. in preparation for the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season-opener Feb. 9-12 in Pomona, Calif.