US Army Racing
U.S. Army Racing Trio Eyes Big NHRA Southern Nationals Weekend in Atlanta
COMMERCE, GA – When the topic of Atlanta comes up for discussion, the U.S. Army Racing trio of Tony “The 
Sarge” Schumacher, Antron Brown and Leah Pritchett all raise their eyebrows like they’ve got something important to say.
They’ll all have their chance to speak this weekend as the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series makes its way to the home of Coca-Cola for the 38th annual NHRA Southern Nationals powered by Mello Yello at Atlanta Dragway.
The statement Schumacher, driver of the U.S. Army Dragster for Don Schumacher Racing (DSR), wants to make is: “Finally.” The track located about an hour northeast of Georgia’s capital city is the only current track on the NHRA schedule where he’s yet to score a victory.
For Brown, it’s more of an “I’m coming home” sentiment since Atlanta Dragway feels like a second home for the New Jersey native. He is the winningest driver in Top Fuel at the track with four victories, and he’d love nothing more than to grab his initial win of 2018 in the Matco Tools/U.S. Army Dragster for DSR Sunday and continue the home cooking.
U.S. Army NHRA Racing NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at Charlotte Final Qualifying Report
The U.S. Army driver trio of Tony “The Sarge” Schumacher, Antron Brown and Leah Pritchett locked down the Nos. 
2, 3 and 14 spots on the ladder Saturday for Sunday’s elimination rounds of this weekend’s NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series ninth annual Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway near Charlotte, North Carolina.
Schumacher and his U.S. Army Dragster team for Don Schumacher Racing (DSR), seeking to earn their initial triumph of 2018 and first Four-Wide Nationals victory this weekend, maintained the second position following runs of 8.692 seconds at 78.82 mph and 3.896 seconds at 313.44 mph Saturday. The eight-time Top Fuel world champion will stand on his Friday night run of 3.692 seconds at 331.61 mph and post his fifth consecutive top-four qualifying effort. Schumacher, a finalist in the two most recent NHRA Four-Wide events, is joined by No. 7 qualifier Clay Millican, No. 10 Dominick Lagana and No. 15 Pritchett in his opening-round quad Sunday.
“We weren’t as good today as we wanted to be, but we also know we aren’t going to race in those conditions tomorrow,” Schumacher said. “We were off in both runs today. Putting a cylinder out at the hit didn’t help our chances of getting better. The U.S. Army car was so fast earlier today and I’m guessing here, but maybe we backed it down a little too much. The result was it putting a hole out at the step and just sliding down the track. We are learning with every pass and that’s a big deal. We’re probably looking at the best conditions of the weekend tomorrow and that’s where the U.S. Army guys are at their best.”
U.S. Army NHRA Racing NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at Charlotte Friday Qualifying Report
The U.S. Army Racing trio of Tony “The Sarge” Schumacher, Antron Brown and Leah Pritchett are second, third and 
15th on the provisional ladder, respectively, after the opening two rounds of qualifying Friday for this weekend’s NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway near Charlotte, North Carolina.
Schumacher and his U.S. Army Dragster team for Don Schumacher Racing (DSR), seeking to earn a first Four-Wide Nationals triumph this weekend, posted a pair of impressive qualifying runs starting with his first pass of 3.746 seconds at 327.35 mph, and he closed the day with a lightning-fast run of 3.692 seconds at 331.61 mph. The eight-time Top Fuel world champion was second in both sessions trailing Steve Torrence in the first and reigning NHRA Top Fuel world champion Brittany Force in the second. He earned four qualifying points and pulled ahead of Torrence in the championship standings heading into Saturday’s qualifying sessions.
“We’ve got a really good U.S. Army machine right now,” Schumacher said. “That was an outstanding race with Brittany (Force) tonight. We just keep chipping away with those qualifying points. Getting four (points) today was big. The car is going down the race track right now. We started with a really good run in the sun and followed it up with another good one tonight. I’m excited. This car is bad to the bone. The U.S. Army guys are working hard to put me in the fastest machine out here and the car just gets better with each run. We’ll come out here tomorrow and try to go faster than everyone else and get points every time.”
U.S. Army Racing: NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at Charlotte Preview – Schumacher, Brown, Pritchett
CONCORD, NC – The battle rages on this weekend for the U.S. Army Racing contingent of Tony “The Sarge” 
Schumacher, Antron Brown and Leah Pritchett in their pursuit of Top Fuel excellence in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. The ninth annual NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway near Charlotte, North Carolina is the sixth of 24 national events on the 2018 schedule and one ranked near the top for sensory overload.
In a sport known for intense, 300-mph battles, the Four-Wide Nationals has become a fan favorite each spring as competitors line up side-by-side-by-side-by-side and generate a total of 44,000 horsepower per quad when they launch from the starting line for their targeted sub-four-second qualifying runs Friday and Saturday and three elimination rounds Sunday. That’s approximately 15,000 more horsepower than the combined field of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series machines that will take the green flag for the Coca-Cola 600 next month at the adjacent Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Schumacher, the most decorated driver in Top Fuel history, continues to chase his elusive first victory in four-wide competition. The eight-time Top Fuel world champion and driver of the U.S. Army Dragster for Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) won the first-ever NHRA event at zMAX when it was still conducted under the standard two-wide format back in September 2008 and is a three-time runner-up in the Charlotte four-wide event.
Semi-Sweet Results for Schumacher, Pritchett
Brown Drops First-Round Matchup at Houston’s NHRA Spring Nationals
Tire-smoking semifinal-round runs thwarted a promising bid by Tony “The Sarge” Schumacher and Leah Pritchett’s 
to make it an all-U.S. Army final Sunday at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Spring Nationals at Royal Purple Raceway in the Houston suburb of Baytown, Texas.
It was a disappointing end to the weekend for both U.S. Army Top Fuel competitors – particularly for Pritchett, who was looking to win this event for the second year in a row and was this weekend’s No. 1 qualifier with a head-turning, track-record run late Saturday.
The shining light for Schumacher, a two-time Houston winner who was looking to reach his third final round in the season’s first five events, was leaving town with a share of the Top Fuel points lead after Pritchett disposed of Steve Torrence, the outright points leader entering the weekend, in today’s second round.
From his No. 3 spot on the elimination ladder after laying down the best four Top Fuel qualifying runs Friday and Saturday, “The Sarge” and his U.S. Army Dragster for Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) matched his best qualifying run of 3.703 seconds at 325.85 mph in beating No. 14 qualifier Bill Litton in today’s first round in unseasonably cool conditions. He then beat a tire-smoking Clay Millican in the second round with another stout run of 3.737 seconds at 317.64 mph in slightly warmer conditions. In the semifinal round, Schumacher jumped to an early advantage over Brittany Force but then began hazing the tires and had to pedal it to the finish line, reach there in 5.074 seconds at 148.97 mph while Force had a clean run of 3.766 seconds at 299.80 mph and then went on to win the event.
U.S. Army NHRA Racing NHRA Spring Nationals at Houston Final Qualifying Report
It was an action-packed final day of NHRA Spring Nationals qualifying Saturday for the U.S. Army Top Fuel driver 
trio of Tony “The Sarge” Schumacher, Antron Brown and Leah Pritchett, all of whom locked down top-five positions on the elimination ladder with Pritchett leading the way in the No. 1 spot after a track-record run at Royal Purple Raceway in the Houston suburb of Baytown, Texas.
Schumacher, driver of the U.S. Army Dragster for Don Schumacher Racing (DSR), was the most consistent Top Fuel performer over the weekend’s four qualifying sessions, including a pair of stout runs of 3.703 seconds at 319.75 mph and 3.713 seconds at 320.97 mph today. The first improved upon his best Friday run of 3.711 seconds at 322.73 mph, but Pritchett was able to leapfrog past him and knocking him down a spot to No. 3 in the qualifying order. Still, it was was fourth consecutive top-four qualifying effort, which includes No. 1s at Phoenix and Las Vegas. Schumacher will face No. 14 qualifier William Litton in Sunday’s opening round of eliminations.
U.S. Army NHRA Racing NHRA Spring Nationals at Houston Friday Qualifying Report
The U.S. Army driver trio of Tony “The Sarge” Schumacher, Antron Brown and Leah Pritchett are second, fourth and 
11th on the provisional ladder, respectively, after the opening two rounds of qualifying Friday for this weekend’s NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series 31st annual NHRA Spring Nationals at Royal Purple Raceway in the Houston suburb of Baytown, Texas.
Schumacher and his U.S. Army Dragster team for Don Schumacher Racing (DSR), who won this event in 2005 and 2009, was one of the few car-and-driver combinations to make two solid runs the recently repaved dragstrip on both his qualifying attempts today. He opened with a run of 3.777 seconds at 318.99 mph that was second-best for the first session, but the blower on the U.S. Army car’s engine erupted when he lifted at the finish line. Schumacher came back with a run of 3.711 seconds at 322.73 mph in his nighttime run in prime conditions and held onto the No. 2 spot on the provisional ladder.
“I wouldn’t want to race against me after a day like we had today and, quite frankly, the kind of season we’ve had so far,” said Schumacher, who is coming off his second final-round appearance in the season’s opening four events two weekends ago at Las Vegas. “The track is not that tight down track, yet. So, Mike (Neff, crew chief) said we need to get the car hauling the mail early, try to get it moving quick early, because you have got to have momentum when you get down to the last part of the run. It’ll get better and better as it fills in during the weekend.
U.S. Army Trio Heads to Houston on Cusp of Season’s First Event Title
BAYTOWN, TX – It’s been 12 seasons since the U.S. Army arrived at Royal Purple Raceway outside Houston for the 
annual NHRA Spring Nationals winless on the year – and it’s only been the case just three times in the Army’s previous 17 full seasons of NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series competition.
But, Houston, we certainly do not have a problem as the U.S. Army trio of Tony “The Sarge” Schumacher, Antron Brown and Leah Pritchett hit town for this weekend’s 31st annual Spring Nationals each seemingly on the cusp of his or her maiden victory of 2018.
Momentum abounds in the U.S. Army camp as Schumacher and Brown hold down the second and third positions in the Top Fuel standings having exhibited flashes of brilliance in their opening four events this season, and Pritchett holds the distinction of being the most recent Spring Nationals event titlist.
Schumacher, the record eight-time world champion and driver of the U.S. Army Dragster for Don Schumacher Racing (DSR), has reached the final round of eliminations twice in four events this year in search of his record 84th career win, and he’s already recorded his record 85th and 86th career No. 1 qualifying efforts this season. Only a pair of uncharacteristic mechanical malfunctions have kept him from hoisting Wally trophies at the season-opening event at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, California and the most recent tour stop racing four-wide for the first time at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway two weekends ago.
Solid U.S. Army Effort at Las Vegas
Tony “The Sarge” Schumacher’s bid to win his first career event title in four-wide competition came up just short for 
the second time in a row when his U.S. Army Dragster for Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) was nipped at the finish by Steve Torrence in Sunday’s final round of the first-ever NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Fellow U.S. Army drivers and DSR teammates Antron Brown and Leah Pritchett put in solid efforts with their respective teams, as well, with Brown and his Matco Tools/U.S. Army Dragster locking down fourth place in the winner-take-all final won by Steve Torrence, while Pritchett’s Papa John’s Pizza/U.S. Army Dragster not able to recover traction after smoking the tires early in the second round.
For Schumacher, it was the 66th runner-up finish of his record eight-time-championship career. He also was runner-up to Torrence in the final round of last year’s eighth annual NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway near Charlotte. The series returns to four-wide competition for the ninth time next month at Charlotte.
U.S. Army NHRA Racing NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at Las Vegas Final Qualifying Report
The U.S. Army driver trio of Tony “The Sarge” Schumacher, Antron Brown and Leah Pritchett locked down the Nos. 
1, 2 and 7 spots on the ladder Saturday for Sunday’s elimination rounds of this weekend’s NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series inaugural Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Schumacher and his U.S. Army Dragster team for Don Schumacher Racing (DSR), seeking to up his track record of eight career event titles here this weekend, upped his career record of No. 1 qualifying positions to 86 with his run of 3.765 seconds at 328.46 mph in today’s final qualifying session. It was the eight-time Top Fuel world champion’s 11th career No. 1 at the Las Vegas track, his second in a row here, and his first in four-wide competition, which debuted at zMAX Dragway near Charlotte, North Carolina in 2010 and is taking place at this track for the first time this weekend. He opened today’s qualifying with a solid run of 3.790 seconds at 316.08 mph that also bettered his provisional No. 4 effort from Friday night.
