Schumacher, Hagan give DSR delayed Carolina “double-up;” Racing resumes Sunday with NHRA FallNationals in Texas

ENNIS, TX – Tony Schumacher and Matt Hagan gave Don Schumacher Racing its second “double-up” of the year and 41st since 2003 when they won their respective NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event titles Saturday in the rain-delayed conclusion of the Carolina Nationals that began last Sunday near Charlotte and concluded during qualifying of the FallNationals at the Texas Motorplex near Dallas.

Schumacher and his U.S. Army team led by crew chief Mike Green and assistant Neal Strausbaugh also won its 75th event title and took over the Top Fuel dragster championship points lead when they defeated DSR teammate Spencer Massey in the delayed semifinals.

“It couldn’t have come at a better time,” Schumacher said. “This is the first race of the Countdown even though we had to move it to Dallas. It really doesn’t matter, it was just harder to keep yourself up for it. It’s a difficult thing to do, you run first round at a racetrack and then you have to wait a week to run the next round. In reality, fantastic timing.

“We took over the point lead. I don’t even know where we are but we’re in the lead. If we can maintain and stay ahead of these guys for five more races. I think we have the car, I don’t think, I know we have the car capable of doing it. We’ll have to see what happens but we will definitely be there to force the issue.

“We have a great car. We went down the track faster than anybody, we know how to get down the track. The key is to go back, get some rest, get up in the morning and do the same exact thing that we did today.”

Hagan and the Rocky Boots/Mopar Dodge Charger R/T capitalized on a redlight by veteran John Force in the championship round to post their second win of the season and moved from seventh to third in the six-event Countdown to the Championship playoff and is 52 out of first place heading Sunday’s regularly scheduled eliminations of the FallNationals.

“(Force) was so, so early. I was either dead late or he was really early,” said Hagan, who won his second title of the season. “I feel pretty confident in my lights out there so I didn’t think I was late, I just thought he was early.

“John is a great racer and I’m glad we have a little rivalry. We need that out here in our sport. We can’t be all kissy-kissy. He’s the man to beat and he’s proven it all year long. They’ve been very dominant but with this Countdown it gives us another shot to come out here and take over.”

One round of eliminations was completed last Sunday before NHRA officials postponed completion of the Carolina Nationals after it rained in the afternoon. The final two rounds of eliminations were held concurrently with Saturday’s two qualifying sessions and a third run, which did not count toward qualifying, pitted Schumacher against Khalid alBalooshi for the Carolina Nationals title.

It’s the first time the Army team has been atop the points standings since after the event in Chicago last year and ends a streak of 31 events when the seven-time champions were not the No. 1 team in Top Fuel.

With the Carolina Nationals finally in the books, the focus turns exclusively to Sunday’s NHRA FallNationals.

Schumacher, the holder of nearly every record in the Top Fuel category, and Hagan, the 2011 NHRA Funny Car world champion, could do something he has never done: win two NHRA event titles in the same weekend.

Schumacher is the top seed among DSR dragsters and will start from the No. 6 position. Teammates Massey (Red Fuel Powered by Schumacher) and Antron Brown (Matco Tools) qualified eighth and 13th, respectively.

In Funny Car, Ron Capps (NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger R/T) advanced to the quarterfinals of the Carolina Nationals and is the top qualified DSR Dodge Charger R/T with Tommy Johnson Jr. (Make-A-Wish Foundation) right behind in fourth. Hagan, who will drive the Freightliner Dodge on Sunday, is seeded sixth and Jack Beckman (Infinite Hero Foundation/Valvoline) team eighth.