U.S. Army NHRA Racing AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals Friday Qualifying Report
The U.S. Army duo of Tony “The Sarge” Schumacher and Antron Brown clocked the third- and seventh-fastest runs of the opening day of 
qualifying Friday for this weekend’s AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Illinois.
Schumacher, the current NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship points leader, collected another pair of bonus points for driving his U.S. Army Dragster for Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) to the third-fastest run of both qualifying sessions today. Showing that only the strongest wear the colors of the Army, and how the Army NHRA partnership provides Americans a platform to experience the speed, power, teamwork and technology that drives that strength, Schumacher closed the day with a run of 3.780 seconds at 326.16 mph after an opening-session run of 3.840 seconds at 321.88 mph.
“Honestly, I don’t mind qualifying third right now,” said Schumacher, who opened the six-event Countdown with back-to-back event titles last weekend at the Texas Motorplex in Ennis, including the completion of the previous weekend’s rainout of the opening Countdown event in Charlotte. “Third is a good spot, all things considered, and we got down the track both runs. We were consistent today after coming off a hugely emotional weekend last week. But it’s that mental, emotional and physical strength like no other displayed by our Soldiers that is inspiring us, as always, and plays a huge part in our drive to be successful. We were third today, and we know we’ve got to go faster because we want to keep winning. On one hand, that No. 1 (qualifying) spot hasn’t exactly been good to anyone in a long time, but it is (bonus) points. Little points here and little points there, that’s how we can keep our lead. We added a couple of qualifying points today, but a few people behind us got a little closer to us. We’ve got to continue being a machine. We’ve got to keep doing our job. All things considered, I’m happy. We want to make sure the runs we have tomorrow are good ones because the conditions should be like what we’ll have to race on Sunday. We just need to keep doing what we’re doing. We have a good car. I think we just need to keep the pressure on ourselves. It’s up to everybody else to try and catch us. There’s nothing to be gained by looking over your shoulder.”
Brown and his Matco Tools/U.S. Army Dragster for DSR opened the day with a run of 3.870 seconds at 316.60 mph that was ninth-fastest in the opening session. He closed the day with a run of 3.796 seconds at 318.62 mph that was seventh-best on the day.
“It was a good day, a really good day,” said Brown, who is seeking his fourth career Gateway event title and third in a row. “Consistent, good quality runs down the track for two sessions. We’re just excited. We’re just ready to get going. This is one of our favorite places to be. The track out there, obviously, is really good. So, tomorrow we’re looking forward to getting two more good, quality runs and get ready for race day. We’re just amped up, souped up – we’re just looking to go out there and have some fun right now.”
Top Fuel qualifying continues Saturday with third- and fourth-round sessions set for 3 and 5:30 p.m. EDT. ESPN2’s delayed qualifying broadcast is set for 3:30 a.m. EDT Sunday and will be rebroadcast at 3 p.m. Elimination rounds begin at noon Sunday with ESPN2’s three hours of delayed coverage set for 4 p.m.
