Why This Mustang Ditched Bracket Racing for Drag-and-Drive
The great thing about the automotive hobby is there are tons of avenues to enjoy your ride. Everything from drag racing and circle / road course racing, to car shows, cruises and even rally.
Of course, drag-and-drive combines the drag racing and street driving into a different type of proving ground, and for Ray Hagemann, it was just the impression he needed to make the switch.
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“I used to bracket race, and there was a complete lack of camaraderie among the racers on your average Sunday,” said Ray. “Everybody stuck to themselves and it seemed very cliquey. Plus one bad light and you were out for the day and you spent most of your Sunday to get a handful of passes.”
It was 2019 when Ray ventured into the drag-and-drive world at Hot Rod Drag Week, and it didn’t take him long to feel accepted.
“I knew I was in the right place at the very first event I went to, because I was standing around like I didn't know what I was doing (because I had no idea what I was doing) and a group of people came up to me and invited me to follow them on the drive and hang out with them for the week,” he said.
“On every event since I have met and made new friends and hung out with some of the most interesting people I've ever met in my life.”
At his first drag-and-drive, Ray not only took the leap of faith into a whole new arena of the automotive hobby, but did so without his normal car.
“My first event I competed in my ‘plan c’ car, which was very uncompetitive and finished last in class, but it finished,” Ray admitted. “My current car is not competitive in the class, but improvements are being made to hopefully put me in the top five in the class by the end of this year, or the beginning of next year.”
Ray current ride is a 1969 Ford Mustang carrying the nickname ‘T-Rex’ and competes in the Street Race Big Block NA (Naturally Aspirated) category on Hot Rod Drag Week.
He was part of the Street Race 275 class at the 2024 edition of Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive, where the Mustang clocked a fistful of 12-second runs, the best being a 12.15 at 110 mph on day three at Gainesville Raceway.
Powered by a 466 cubic inch 385-series big block Ford and utilizing a C6 3-speed automatic transmission, the short block and transmission haven’t been separated since Ray bought the Mustang in 1986.
“Despite the lack of competitiveness of my personal cars, I have finished every event that I have entered, and I feel that that is as much of an accomplishment as being competitive in a class,” Ray stated. “The car I co-piloted has been competitive on most of the events.
“It is entered and has podiumed at one event last year. I could write a book on the issues we had to overcome both with my own car and with the group of cars that I run with. All of those issues have been part of what brings me back to the event because overcoming them is what gives you a sense of accomplishment in finishing an event.
“I did Sick Week this year because I have always wanted to enter my own car in the event. The past two years I haven't been able to, and had to go as a co-pilot.”
He plans to do the Midwest Drags, as well as Hot Rod Drag Week this year.
“There is a drag-and-drive event that scheduled to be held in New York state in August and I may make that my fourth event for the year,” Ray continued. “Being that the event is only about three days, I think I can fit that one in with no problem.”
“I now do every single other event with (that original group of people I met in 2109) and they are some of my closest friends,” he said. “The camaraderie and cooperation of the other participants in these events is something I've never seen anywhere else.
“I had heard the term ‘Drag Week people are the best people’ before and I didn't understand what it meant, but now I do. I also like the fact that one bad run doesn't ruin your entire race. You can go back for another shot at the apple, and if your car breaks you have a chance to fix it. You're allowed to overcome adversity and not succumb to it.”
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of BME Photography and Ray Hagemann.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com