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POMONA, Calif. --
Hagan, who also won the 2011 world title with DSR, ended his weekend by beating John Force for the NHRA AAA Auto Club Finals title at Pomona, Calif. "The championship was really what we were after," said Hagan, who clinched the championship in the semifinals when he and Force won. "The race win was the icing on the cake, but it solidified that we had a great race car. "To be the best you have to beat the best and everyone says he is the best and we beat him. It was nice to finish it out strong." It was the second consecutive year Hagan beat Force for the title of at the season finale, but this year he was able to celebrate victory with Venables. A year ago, Venables was at home near Indianapolis recovering from emergency surgery and assistant Michael Knudsen led the team to the winner's circle. On Saturday night, DSR teammate Tony Schumacher and the U.S. Army team won their eighth Top Fuel world championship. DSR now owns 13 world championship trophies and 240 NHRA event titles, which is the most by any team in the sport. "It's just a great, great feeling to go out and succeed at what you put your heart and your efforts into," said team owner Don Schumacher. "I go 'wow' all the time with what these guys do out here. They amaze me with the hard work and the effort that they put in. I have to say, I try to put everything into that I can. Everybody on my team expects to go out here and win." Midway through the season, it would have been hard to predict that DSR would finish the season with two championships, 21 event titles and five Top Fuel and three Funny Car titles in the six-race Countdown to the Championship playoff that closed the 24-race season. When the Countdown began, Tony Schumacher was ranked fourth and Hagan seventh. But Army crew chief Mike Green with assistant Neal Strausbaugh, and Venables with Knudsen and the Mopar/Rocky team took some lumps in first half of the season plotting success in the telltale Countdown. And Hagan's devotion to driving is one factor that propelled his team to such a strong finished. "Matt is driven, he works at being the best you can be out there," Schumacher said. "His team, and he himself, has driven him to be what he is today. You all see the physical side of it, but I see the mental side of it. He is one of the best out here to say the least. "(But) not one of us can do this by ourselves. It takes a team. Dickie Venables, all of the guys over there, they just did a great job." Hagan was a bit surprise by the dramatic end to the season. "It's not about how you start but how you finish," he said. "I just can't believe that it all came together in such a fairytale way. It's just an awesome deal to win the championship and then also win the race. This Countdown format is crazy. You have to be strong in the Countdown and have some good races then rest takes care of itself. "
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