Tony Schumacher Struggles to Harness Power in Route 66 Nationals Return

JOLIET, IL – Tony Schumacher is leaving a meaningful weekend back at Route 66 Raceway knowing his SCAG Power Equipment Top Fuel dragster is making strong power. Unfortunately, though, the JCM Racing driver couldn’t harness the power and turn it into a first-round win Sunday morning at the Route 66 NHRA Nationals.

Schumacher’s troubles started in qualifying, where he struggled to get down the track in the first two sessions. During the third and final round, Schumacher stepped up to a 3.793-second E.T. at 328.94 MPH to move from No. 18 into the field in the No. 15 spot.

Racing on a hot, challenging track surface on Sunday morning, Schumacher again ran into traction issues in his first-round matchup with Austin Prock. The seven-time Chicago low qualifier pedaled when he lost traction, but he couldn’t recover in time to catch Prock, who led from start to finish.

“The conditions were hotter today than we’ve seen all weekend, and we’ve got a lot of power right now,” said Schumacher, a class-best five-time Top Fuel winner at Route 66 Raceway. “We’re going to have to go to Indy and test because this is a new level of power that we’ve got to get worked into this tune-up. I know the (crew) guys, they’re all hurt, man. They work so darn hard on this stuff.”

Schumacher noted the positives of the weekend, including the opportunity to spend time with employees and customers from SCAG Power Equipment. Located in Mayville, Wisconsin, SCAG brought out several hundred employees to cheer on the contingent of SCAG-backed drivers competing in the NHRA Camping World Series.

It was also a homecoming of sorts for Schumacher, who grew up in the Chicagoland area but now lives in Austin, Texas. This weekend’s Route 66 Nationals was the first time he had raced at Route 66 Raceway since 2018.

“With the SCAG group coming out of Mayville, there were so many people here with us,” Schumacher said. “It was an awesome weekend. Everyone had a great time. We just need to put some rounds under our belt. We’re getting smoked early too many times and we’ve got to get this problem fixed.”

Schumacher and the SCAG Power Equipment team will have a weekend off from competition before the next stop on the 2023 NHRA Camping World tour, the NHRA New England Nationals, June 2-4, at New England Dragway in Epping, N.H.

Qualified: No. 15 (3.793 E.T. at 328.94 MPH)

Elimination Round Results:
E1: 4.298 E.T. at 194.49 MPH defeated by Austin Prock 3.721 E.T. at 332.34 MPH