because you want to SEE it

Schumacher Puts Toyota On Pole At NHRA Midwest Nationals; DeJoria Drives Camry To Second in Funny Car

MADISON, IL – Tony Schumacher ran a blistering 3.680-second pass at a track record 332.93 mph to win the Top Fuel pole position for Sunday’s NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway in suburban St. Louis.

Schumacher’s pole-winning time was a whopping .035-seconds quicker than the next quickest pass of the day. It marks his 88th career number one qualifier and his first since returning to the seat of a Top Fuel car at Indianapolis in July and his first with Toyota sponsorship. He will open eliminations up against Kebin Kinsley.

“It was a strange day all together,” said Schumacher, the all-time leader in Top Fuel wins. “We were in the car, did the burnout and backed up and then got shut off because of rain. I talked to Mike (Green) after we re-warmed it up and we knew we’d be out first and we didn’t think the conditions would be any better. Then you go out and run a great number like that and it tends to set off the crew chiefs in the back and they start turning screws and knobs. It was a great run. I probably drove it further than I should have. It was by far not a straight run. For Sandvik, Okuma and Toyota and our ‘new’ old team, they did a heck of a job.  We’re proud to go into race day number one. Great job by the whole team. We have a good car. We needed to get down the track. Now we have data and we’ll be racing in similar conditions. We’re going to try and win this race.”

Just two positions behind Schumacher was teammate Antron Brown who placed third with a 3.720-second pass. It’s the second consecutive race that Brown has qualified third, his two best qualifying efforts of the season.  He will square off with Justin Ashley in round one.

“The track conditions were definitely tricky out there,” Brown said. “It was cold. The conditions are rough out there, but we’ve been working hard for all the people who support us like Matco Tools, Global Electronic Technology and Toyota, and we’re very happy with the direction we’re heading. We’re making progress each and every run, and to qualify in the top three is another statement. We have to keep pushing. We only got one qualifying pass and tomorrow will be tricky. We’re looking forward to improving – that’s the game plan.”

Doug Kalitta overcame a quick rattle and pedal to run a 3.913, good for fifth, while Shawn Langdon ran a 5.993 to place 12th. The two Kalitta Motorsports teammates will square off against one another in the opening round tomorrow.

In Funny Car, Alexis DeJoria registered her top qualifying effort of the season with a second-place showing with 3.929-second pass in her ROKiT Toyota Camry. It’s the second consecutive race that she’s qualified in the top five and sets up a first-round match with Dale Creasy.

J.R. Todd struggled to make a clean pass down the track in the cool conditions after a lengthy rain delay with a 5.801-second run, but it was still good enough to put him in the top half of the field in the seventh position. He will take on Tim Wilkerson in Sunday’s opening round. Today’s NHRA qualifying can be seen on FS1 beginning at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, with Mello Yello Drag Racing Series eliminations immediately following live on FS1 beginning at 2:30 p.m. (ET).

Share
  • MBE Button 290x
Team/Series News
Follow Us On Facebook
Facebook Pagelike Widget