Tony Schumacher Bows Out Early in Phoenix

CHANDLER, AZ – Tony Schumacher and the SCAG Power Equipment Top Fuel team had an early day at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park after tire smoke ended the eight-time world champion’s race day in the first round of eliminations Sunday morning. Schumacher still leaves the final running of the NHRA Arizona Nationals as the winningest Top Fuel driver at the historic facility.

Schumacher, a five-time winner of the Arizona Nationals, made his best run of the weekend in the third qualifying session on Saturday. Racing in front of a sold-out crowd for the second consecutive race, he laid down a 3.762-second pass at 330.07 MPH to put him in the No. 10 spot going into race day.

“We have had so much success at this track and I hope to God that this isn’t the last time we race here,” said Schumacher, who was the first NHRA driver to eclipse the 330-mph barrier (330.23-mph) during the 1999 Phoenix event. “We’ve seen it in the past where we hear that a track is going away and then it gets added back to the schedule for whatever reason. The crowd was just fantastic this weekend, the people have been great, and winning here five times brings a lot of good memories back. This is truly a dynamite place to come and race. We come here early in the year and the conditions are so good.”

Sunday’s first-round match with Justin Ashley was billed as NHRA’s Top Fuel Marquee Matchup. Schumacher went into the race undefeated against Ashley in their four prior meetings, but Ashley got the win this time. He got a slight starting line advantage, then Schumacher’s tiger-striped SCAG Power Equipment machine started to lose traction just before the halftrack mark.

“We love racing, but man, these SCAG dealers and distributors that come out and spend their weekends with us make this so fun,” Schumacher said. “The people who show up and support us are truly a blessing. I’m looking forward to getting to Pomona, but I hope we come back here. With the first-round loss, there is definitely some unfinished business in the desert.”

Schumacher and the SCAG Power Equipment team will get back on track in just a few days when the 2023 NHRA Camping World Series season continues March 30-April 2 at the NHRA Winternationals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Pomona, Calif.

Qualified: No. 10 (3.762 E.T. at 330.07 MPH)

Elimination Round Results:
E1: 4.879 E.T. at 160.33 MPH defeated by Justin Ashley 3.741 E.T. at 329.67 MPH