Photo: NHRA.com

Sears, Roebuck, and Co.’s iconic Diehard brand and Don Schumacher Raving have announced a primary sponsorship agreement for the Dodge Charger Nitro Funny Car driven by sophomore sensation Matt Hagan in the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.  The Diehard brand has been a part of Sears since 1967, and will promote its line of battery chargers and portable power inverters on the 23-race 2010 campaign. Shelor.com Motor Mile will continue its involvement with Hagan as an associate sponsor.  “We at DSR are proud to welcome DieHard into our family of outstanding supporters of our team,” said Schumacher, DSR team owner. “The brand has been synonymous with automobile racing for 43 years, and we expect to continue to add to DieHard’s long list of racing accomplishments during the 2010 NHRA season.”

“The agreement between DieHard, one of the most trusted names in the automotive industry, and Don Schumacher Racing is a perfect match,” said Erik Rosenstrauch, general manager of DieHard brand business unit, “Our involvement with one of the premier racing teams in NHRA further enables us to drive our business and engage consumers about the excitement behind DieHard.”

“Wow,” said 27-year-old Hagan, in his second year with DSR and no longer a rookie after his first full NHRA season in which he landed in two final rounds in 2009 and qualified No. 1 twice. “It’s awesome to have DieHard on the side of the Funny Car I’ll be driving for DSR in 2010. They’ve been around longer than I have and their racing reputation speaks for itself. I’ll do all I can to maintain their outstanding racing tradition this season.”

Crew chief Tommy Delago, who has worked with many of the top teams in the NHRA during his career, will again turn the wrenches on the Diehard Dodge in pursuit of the NHRA Full Throttle Championship.  Hagan, in his rookie season on the NHRA tour, garnered two top qualifying positions and appeared in final rounds at the spring event in Las Vegas and the inaugural Carolinas Nationals in Concord, NC. Prior to joining the DSR stable of nitro teams in 2009, he competed on the IHRA trail and selected NHRA national events, along with a successful tenure in the Pro Modified ranks.