Schumacher, U.S. Army team hold No. 3 spot at Gateway, Johnson, Make-A-Wish Dodge are quickest DSR Funny Car

MADISON, IL – Tony Schumacher and the U.S. Army team continued its torrid pace Friday night by earning the No. 3 provisional qualifying spot for this weekend’s NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park near St. Louis.

The seven-time world champion led by crew chief Mike Green produced a time of 3.780 seconds at the day’s top speed of 326.16 mph as the team heads to Saturday’s final two qualifying sessions before the following day’s championship eliminations.

The Midwest Nationals marks the midpoint of the six-race Countdown to the Championship playoff in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series and Schumacher will start his second race as the Top Fuel points leader.

DSR is trying to repeat what it did in Texas a week ago when Schumacher and Matt Hagan, who is qualified sixth in the Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T, won their respective titles last Saturday in the delayed Carolina Nationals that had started the week before near Charlotte. It marked the third time this year and 41st time since 2003 that DSR swept the nitro categories at the same event.

The next day in the FallNationals at the Texas Motorplex Schumacher repeated and won the Top Fuel title to extend his record for Top Fuel Wally trophies to 76 and gave DSR its 16th victory of the season and 235th all time.

In Funny Car at Gateway, Tommy Johnson Jr. (Make-A-Wish) leads the four DSR Dodge Charger R/T Funny Cars with a run of 4.053 seconds at 315.78 mph produced in the night session with a tune-up by crew chief John Collins.

Close behind are Hagan and Jack Beckman (Valvoline SynPower), sixth and seventh respectively, while Ron Capps (NAPA AUTO PARTS) is 10th.