Ultimately, Matt Hagan wanted to win a 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Series nitro Funny Car world championship.

That wasn’t possible since legendary driver John Force clinched his 16th world title at the Las Vegas Nationals on Oct. 27.

Hagan did get a slight measure of satisfaction Sunday, however, beating Force in the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, Calif.

Ultimately, Matt Hagan wanted to win a 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Series nitro Funny Car world championship.

That wasn’t possible since legendary driver John Force clinched his 16th world title at the Las Vegas Nationals on Oct. 27.

Hagan did get a slight measure of satisfaction Sunday, however, beating Force in the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, Calif.

Hagan clocked a 4.018-second elapsed time to edge Force’s 4.057-second lap.

“I just want to say thank you to all of our fans who have been supporting us all year long,” said Hagan, the 2011 nitro Funny Car world champ, who drives for Don Schumacher Racing. “I have only been out here five years and I’ve just been able to battle it out three out of the last five years in championship hunts. We wanted to finish strong for our guys. Honestly it is about winning the championship, and if we couldn’t pull down that No. 1 spot we wanted to pull down the No. 2 because it is extra bonus money for our guys.”

This was Hagan’s class-high fifth win of the season and 10th of his career. Hagan finished second in the points – 140 behind Force. Hagan also finished second in the points in 2010 and 2013.

Hagan won at Pomona with assistant crew chief Mike Knudsen calling the shots. Knudsen was filling in for Dickie Venables, who missed the race while recovering from a surgical procedure.

“I’m on Cloud Nine,” Hagan said. “Our assistant crew chief filled some big shoes. Dickie Venables was sick this weekend and Mike Knudsen has never tuned a race car before and he had to jump in. This guy just did a phenomenal job. It just shows you how smart people your organization puts around you are. It has been great. My guys have worked so hard and I’m so proud of them. I wish we could have won the championship, but that goes to John this year. I’m just going to come back and fight for it next year.”

With Venables on the sidelines, Hagan still had plenty of confidence.

“Dickie has done such a good job training these boys and he is a good leader,” Hagan said. “He takes the time to sit down and explain stuff to these guys.”

Although Hagan was the last remaining DSR Funny Car in Pomona on Sunday, that was the last thing on his mind.

“I think about turning the win light on up there and just wanting to kill the guy beside me on the tree,” Hagan said. “Just crush him and make him look like he didn’t even show up. That’s just my mentality up there. My season has been phenomenal; how can you be upset about five race wins? Don Schumacher loves our sport and he loves what we are doing out here. Without him I think our sport would suffer.”

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