U.S. Army NHRA Racing 28th Annual NHRA Northwest Nationals Friday Qualifying Report

The first day of qualifying ended with a flourish for the U.S. Army duo of Tony “The Sarge” Schumacher and Antron Brown as they snatched the second and fourth positions, respectively, in the provisional qualifying order Friday for this weekend’s 28th annual NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways in Kent, Washington.

After a more than 30-minute delay to wait on the setting sun to duck behind the tall pine trees behind the finish line, Schumacher and Brown ripped off among the fastest runs of their careers at this scenic dragstrip some 40 minutes south of Seattle in the day’s second qualifying session.

Schumacher and the U.S. Army Dragster for Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) crossed the line in 3.761 seconds at 320.74 mph, good for second-fastest on the day and surpassed only by the track-record run of 3.751 seconds at 327.19 mph set earlier in the session by Dave Connolly. Connolly’s elapsed time beat Shawn Langdon’s previous track-record of 3.765 seconds set in 2013, and his miles per hour beat Schumacher’s previous speed record of 322.19 mph set in 2010.

“It wasn’t No. 1, but it’s good enough – it was a great run,” said Schumacher, who is vying for his fourth event title of the season this weekend and the fifth of his career at Pacific Raceways. “I’ve got to thank the NHRA for letting us just sit. Man, that sun was brutal. I know the fans don’t want to see a bunch of drivers who can’t see down the racetrack. That sun out here has always been that way. It’s difficult at that time of the evening. So, thanks for letting us take a little break. It’s unfortunate that some of the cars had to run before that, but for the Army car and team, I think we got a little bit of a break because of it.”

Schumacher, who was the No. 1 qualifier here last year for the third time in his career, opened the day with another solid effort – 3.948 seconds at 303.71 mph despite dropping a cylinder early. It was good for third-fastest of the weekend’s first qualifying session.

Brown and his Matco Tools/U.S. Army Dragster for DSR opened the day with a tire-smoking run of 4.190 seconds at 207.91 mph that was still fifth-best in the session. He closed the day with a run of 3.772 seconds at 314.39 mph that put him fourth on the provisional timesheet. A 2009 event titlist at Pacific Raceways, Brown advanced to the Top Fuel final here a year ago from the No. 12 qualifying position, eliminating Schumacher in the semifinals but coming up just short against Doug Kalitta in the final.

ESPN2’s two-hour qualifying show is set for 11 p.m. EDT Saturday. Elimination rounds begin at 2 p.m. Sunday with ESPN2 providing three hours of delayed coverage beginning at 9 p.m.