K&N Filters Winternationals
Pomona
(Feb. 6-9)
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Tony Schumacher U.S. Army Top Fueler |
Reports: Sunday Saturday Friday Thursday Pre-race |
Pomona, Sunday: Tony "The Sarge" Schumacher exited the K&N Filters NHRA Winternationals in the second round Sunday at Pomona Raceway.
Schumacher, who drives the Don Schumacher Racing/United States Army Top Fuel dragster, lost a match up with defending NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Top Fuel champion, Larry Dixon, despite a clean 4.62-second pass at 315.64 mph.
"This isn't the way we wanted to start the season," said a disappointed Schumacher afterwards. "Needless to say, we wanted to set the tone for the season with a win. We just didn't get it done this time around. We have a long season ahead, so there's no reason to get totally crazed over this result."
The 1999 Top Fuel champ managed to dispose of 11th-place qualifier Rhonda Hartman-Smith in the first round of eliminations, but he couldn't take out Dixon.
"Given the fact he had run in the low 4.5-second range pretty much all weekend, we knew we had to step it up from the first round," added Schumacher. "Unfortunately, we did not improve enough. We'll get it right in two weeks."
The NHRA tour moves to Phoenix, Feb.20-23, for the Checker Schuck's Kragen Nationals at Firebird Raceway. Schumacher is the defending event champion.
"For sure, we have run well there, so we can head over there with some confidence," offered Schumacher. "However, before we get to Phoenix, we need to really look at this weekend's performance and evaluate what went wrong. Not challenging for wins and not being at the top of the point standings is unacceptable. We need to rise to the occasion. I'm confident that will happen. This team is very talented and quite capable."
Pomona, Saturday: It wasn't the kind of day Tony "The Sarge" Schumacher preferred, but it was far from a disappointment at the same time.
The pilot of the Don Schumacher Racing/United States Army Top Fuel dragster lost in the semifinals of the Budweiser Shootout here Saturday at Pomona Raceway, but the process of gathering valuable data for Sunday's K&N Filters NHRA Winternationals was completed.
"Naturally, we wanted to win the Shootout, but we still ran well and put ourselves in a solid position for tomorrow," said Schumacher after dropping a close race to rookie Brandon Bernstein. "Now, we can look forward to Sunday."
Schumacher, who ended up as the sixth-place qualifier, will face 11th-place qualifier, Rhonda Hartman-Smith, in the first round of eliminations.
"As usual, we all start from scratch, sort to speak, with eliminations," said the Chicago native. "Nobody can take anything for granted. We'll take them one at a time starting with Rhonda and, hopefully, we'll be the last one standing at day's end."
Schumacher, who has an 8-7 mark against Hartman-Smith over his career, will be attempting to drum up the kind of consistency he flashed in the first three runs of the weekend.
"We recorded three straight 4.593-second passes, which was phenomenal," said Schumacher. "It will take that kind of effort on Sunday to win the event. We'll be ready to roll."
The race with Bernstein was somewhat of a downer for the Army team given the fact Schumacher had almost a car's length lead until the blower belt came off at around the 1,000-foot mark on the track.
"Honestly, I thought we had it won until we lost the belt," he said. "But, it is what it is and you can't change the outcome. Like I said, we'll come out swinging for the fences on Sunday."
Pomona, Friday: It was Thursday all over again for Tony Schumacher here Friday at Pomona Raceway.
The driver of the Don Schumacher Racing/U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster posted another 4.593-second pass, at 313 mph, to grab the fourth starting position after two rounds of qualifying for the K&N Filters NHRA Winternationals.
"I was hoping we would step it up a bit today, but duplicating our run from yesterday is not so bad either," said the 1999 Top Fuel world champion. "At least, we're showing the consistency that I've been talking about for weeks."
Schumacher will have two more shots at qualifying on Saturday when he competes in the Budweiser Shootout for Top Fuel cars. As the fourth seed, he'll face fifth-seeded, Cory McClenathan, in the first round.
"The goals are real clear for tomorrow – improve our position in the starting order, while winning the Bud Shootout," Schumacher said. "We'd like to fill our pockets with Budweiser's money and also take a bunch of momentum into Sunday's eliminations."
To date, Schumacher's best career starting spot at Pomona has been second, which he's done twice.
Pomona, Thursday: Tony "The Sarge" Schumacher wanted to make a statement here Thursday at Pomona Raceway during first round qualifying for the K&N Filters NHRA Winternationals.
"We wanted to come out of the box in grand style," said the driver of the United States Army/Don Schumacher Racing Top Fuel dragster.
Grand style is exactly what Schumacher got after posting a 4.593-second pass at 315.19 mph that landed him in the second spot in the Top Fuel order entering Friday's action.
"I'm really pumped about this first pass," he said. "Now, we have something to build on."
The Army team has another qualifying run tomorrow, followed by the Budweiser Shootout on Saturday, which also counts as qualifying.
"Wes Cerny (the new crew chief for the Army dragster) has done a terrific job in getting the car to leave better," said Schumacher. "We need to establish consistency if we're going to contend for the championship. That's what we're striving to do early on. I definitely believe we're heading in the right direction."
Pomona, pre-race: Tony "The Sarge" Schumacher is ready. The start of the 2003 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series season can't come quick enough for the driver of the United States Army Top Fuel dragster.
"I can't wait," said the former 1999 Top Fuel world champion as he awaited this weekend's K&N Filters Winternationals here at Pomona Raceway. "I always get a little antsy after pre-season testing and as we get closer to the first race. I'm looking forward to making that first official pass of the year."
The Chicago-area native enters the new season coming off a third-place finish in the 2002 Top Fuel driver's standings. He's looking to climb the ladder even more this time around.
"We, obviously, want to get to the top," he said. "There's no reason why we can't do it. We have a great team in place and a new crew chief who is considered one of the best in the business."
Wes Cerny, who handled the tuning chores for Cory McClenathan in '02, takes over for Dan Olson as the crew chief for the Army dragster. The 59-year-old Fallbrook, Calif. resident has worked with a prominent group of owners and drivers over the years including McClenathan, Kenny Bernstein, Don "The Snake" Prudhomme, Larry Dixon, Cruz Pedregon, Joe Gibbs and Scotty Cannon.
"Wes knows how to win races," said Schumacher. "He's clearly a valued addition to the Army team."
Olson will remain an integral part of the Army team, acting as an advisor for all four of Don Schumacher Racing's cars.
In addition to the excitement a season opener brings for Schumacher, he will also have the opportunity to compete in the 18th annual Budweiser Shootout on Saturday, Feb. 8, at the oldest venue on the NHRA circuit.
The event, which pits the top eight qualifiers from 2002, was postponed from last November. Schumacher will square off with McClenathan in the first round, which is slated for a 12 noon PST start.
"That will certainly add to the weekend, for sure," said Schumacher. "We'd love to start the season with a win in the Bud Shootout, then win the event the next day. Talk about getting off on the right foot."
Should a driver win the Bud Shootout and Sunday's eliminations, he or she will collect the $50,000 double-up bonus offered by the NHRA, bringing the potential earnings for that driver to more than $200,000 for the weekend.
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