Schumacher Gives Mopar Third Consecutive Top Fuel Victory to Start 2017 at NHRA Gatornationals

Gainesville, FL – The streak continues. A Mopar-powered Top Fuel dragster raced to the winner’s circle for the third consecutive NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event to start 2017, as eight-time champion Tony Schumacher won the prestigious NHRA Gatornationals for the fifth time in his career.

The win is Schumacher’s 83rd overall. His Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) U.S. Army Top Fuel Dragster defeated Antron Brown from the left lane in the final round with a pass of 3.703 seconds at 329.26 mph after a reaction time of .066. Brown turned in a lap of 3.764 seconds at 322.65 mph paired with a .034 reaction time to keep the race in doubt until Schumacher turned on the win light. Schumacher started from the No. 1 position after setting an elapsed-time track record during round two of qualifying on Friday with a pass of 3.682 seconds at 328.22 mph.

Schumacher defeated Smax Smith in the first round and took down Clay Millican in the second to set up a showdown with Steve Torrence in the semifinals. Torrence overpowered the track and slowed, allowing Schumacher to reach the final round.

Meanwhile, two Mopar HEMI®-powered Dodge Charger R/T Funny Cars advanced to the semifinals. Matt Hagan, already a two-time race winner in 2017, defeated Dave Richards in the first round to earn the right to face his DSR teammate Ron Capps in the second. Hagan beat Capps for the third time this season after the 2016 Funny Car champion was disqualified for a wild ride in which he crossed the center line. Hagan went on to face young driver Jonnie Lindberg, where he smoked the tires mid-track.

Tommy Johnson Jr. bested Cruz Pedregon in the first round in his Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger R/T, then defeated fellow Dodge driver Jim Campbell in the second round even as he struggled to find traction. Johnson ultimately lost to eventual event winner John Force after smoking his tires again. Fellow DSR teammate Jack Beckman just edged Tim Wilkerson in round one, before being bested by John Force after Beckman’s Infinite Hero Dodge Charger R/T went up in smoke during the second round of eliminations.

Papa John’s Pizza/Mopar Pennzoil Top Fuel driver Leah Pritchett’s bid to become the first Top Fuel driver to start a season with three consecutive wins in the class was ended by veteran Doug Kalitta. Pritchett lost to Kalitta by just .0007 seconds on a holeshot in the second round. A mechanical issue forced Scott Palmer to shut off at the starting line in the first round, where Pritchett began her day from the No. 7 qualifier position. It was the first time this season that Pritchett hadn’t qualified in the top spot.