DSR teams relish in winning performances in boss’s hometown; Johnson, Make-A-Wish team goes 3.999 to earn Funny Car pole

JOLIET, IL – A year ago at the Route 66 NHRA Nationals near Chicago it was about as good as it can get for Don Schumacher Racing, the largest traveling motorsports organization in the country hopes to repeat that success on Sunday in championship eliminations of the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series events.

At the 2013 event, DSR’s Tony Schumacher and the U.S. Army team won the Top Fuel title while Matt Hagan’s Mopar Express Lane/Rocky Boots Dodge Charger R/T won the Funny Car Wally trophy.

Best of all for DSR owner Don Schumacher, the Joliet track is the closest to his Chicago-area home and his Schumacher Electric Corp. world headquarters.

That would be the best way to complete the first half of the 24-race Mello Yello schedule as the series races next weekend at Norwalk, Ohio, to conclude a stretch of four events in four weekends from Bristol, Tenn., to Epping, N.H. before arriving at Route 66 Dragway at Joliet, Ill.

And Tommy Johnson Jr. and the Terry Chandler funded Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger R/T helped DSR earn another pole when the team led by crew chief John Collins to crack the four-second barrier at Route 66 Dragway when he was clocked at 3.999 seconds and 317.19 mph to earn the No. 1 qualifying position. It is the fourth No. 1 qualifier of the season for the seven DSR teams. Tommy is the tenth driver to join the three-second Funny Car club.

DSR, which owns 11 NHRA world championships and 228 event titles, will start eliminations on its hottest streak of the year. Last Sunday, the organization “doubled-up” in the New England Nationals when Schumacher won the Top Fuel title and Ron Capps won Funny Car for NAPA AUTO PARTS for his first trophy this season and DSR’s 39th since 2003.

It also was the second straight Funny Car event title for DSR.

The organization is in good position for a solid Sunday after one of its best collective qualifying efforts of the season.

Schumacher earned the No. 2 qualifying spot while Brown is seeded third and Massey seventh.