U.S. Army Racing Has No Margin for Error in Second Half of NHRA Countdown

CONCORD, NC – Just over a month ago, the U.S. Army Racing trio of Tony “The Sarge” Schumacher, Antron Brown and Leah Pritchett had visions of becoming the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series champion. With a plan of attack in place, all three entered the six-event Countdown to the Championship playoffs confident in their chances to seize the opportunity. Unfortunately, last season’s Top Fuel runner-up Steve Torrence has had other ideas in the first three playoff events.

Torrence has a commanding lead in the standings after posting 12 consecutive round wins and grabbing three consecutive event titles, the first with a final-round victory over Schumacher in the playoff opener in Reading, Pennsylvania. And he hasn’t slowed down since. With three events remaining in the Countdown, Clay Millican is trying to keep himself within a puncher’s chance and trails by 103 markers. Schumacher finds himself 165 points back while Pritchett and Brown trail by 224 and 247 points, respectively, entering this weekend’s 11th annual NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway near Charlotte, North Carolina.

The battle within the battle may be which of the U.S. Army trio can secure the final position on the so-called “podium” at season’s end. With a sizeable distance both ahead and behind them in the standings, it’s looking like whoever can finish the strongest will have the best opportunity to finish third in the championship.

Schumacher has made a career out of stepping up in the biggest moments. The eight-time Top Fuel world champion and his U.S. Army Dragster team for Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) would like nothing more than to begin another miracle run this weekend at zMAX. He christened the state-of-the-art facility in September 2008 by becoming the first Top Fuel driver to hoist a Wally trophy there. That triumph came during a career year for “The Sarge,” which included 15 wins. His Charlotte victory was part of a streak of seven consecutive event titles. The victory also was historic in that it pushed Schumacher past Joe Amato for the most wins ever in the Top Fuel class. That was career win number 53 and, earlier this year, he earned his 84th victory on Father’s Day at Bristol (Tenn.) Dragway. Despite a run to the Reading final in this year’s Countdown opener, Schumacher hasn’t been able to make the impact he was hoping to in the first three playoff events, but the U.S. Army team still has a fighting chance to get itself back in the race with a victory and some help.

Brown, driver of the Matco Tools/U.S. Army Dragster for DSR, is the winningest Top Fuel driver at zMAX Dragway with five wins and desperately needs to breakthrough this weekend. The three-time Top Fuel world champion has been defeated by Schumacher in two of the first three playoff events and been stopped in the second round the last two. Brown was the last driver to win the first three Top Fuel events in the Countdown back in 2015 and that started with his fourth career Charlotte win. He won 14 consecutive rounds to start the Countdown en route to earning his second world championship.

Pritchett will be making her fourth career Top Fuel appearance at Charlotte in her Papa John’s Pizza/Fireade/U.S. Army Dragster for DSR. She comes in with some championship swagger after securing the Factory Stock Showdown title last Sunday at the Texas Motorplex near Dallas. In the last two Countdown events, she has the opportunity to take down Torrence at St. Louis and Millican at Texas but couldn’t capitalize. This weekend will be her fourth run at Countdown triumph in Charlotte. In 2015, she raced her way into the semifinals before being defeated by J.R. Todd.

Qualifying for the NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway begins Friday with sessions at 3:30 and 6 p.m. EDT and continues Saturday at 1:30 and 4 p.m. Eliminations are set for Sunday at noon with FS1 providing three hours of live coverage beginning at 2 p.m.

TONY “THE SARGE” SCHUMACHER, driver of the U.S. Army Top Fuel Dragster for Don Schumacher Racing

Previously, the fall event at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte kicked off the NHRA’s Countdown to the Championship playoffs. This year, the event is the fourth of six playoff events. How does that change your game plan for the weekend?

“The biggest difference is the position we are in. Before, you came to Charlotte right from the U.S. Nationals, an event we’ve had a ton of success at, and you know there are six races to decide a championship. This year, the Countdown is halfway over and we certainly had visions of being in a different position coming into Charlotte for the second half of the Countdown. I’ve been fortunate in my career to be part of some incredibly big moments and incredible comebacks. We are down to 12 rounds and, realistically, all we can do is go win this weekend. I really feel like we have figured out two dramatic issues with our U.S. Army car. And that should enable us to run at the level we need to run at. We may have figured them out too late to win the championship, but I know this team will go out make those guys ahead of us earn everything they get.”

A lot has changed in the sport since zMAX opened in the fall of 2008. What are some of your best memories of racing in Charlotte?

“Charlotte will always have a special place for me. Bruton Smith and his staff built an incredible facility and we love coming to race here. I guess one of my best memories is winning that first race back in 2008 and passing Joe Amato for the most wins in Top Fuel. At the time, you are just thinking about winning the next race but, later on, you kind of look back and see just how important those milestones are. We only have a couple of races left in our partnership with the U.S. Army and I know all of us would be incredibly honored to to get another win for the U.S. Army here in Charlotte this weekend.”

ANTRON BROWN, driver of the Matco Tools ‘Tools for the Cause’/U.S. Army Top Fuel Dragster for Don Schumacher Racing

This year’s Countdown has been challenging for you and your Matco Tools/U.S. Army team, but Charlotte has been good to you in the past. What’s the key to adding another Charlotte win this weekend?

“The key in Charlotte will be to start off strong in the first round of qualifying. That’s what sets up the whole race weekend. If you start off with a good first-round qualifying run, then you can build off that and get better every run. For us, we’ve been missing that. If you start behind the eight ball, then you go out Friday night and you can’t do what you want to do. You can’t cue it up and go for that number-one spot. You’re forced to focus on just getting a good quality run that can put you in the top half of the field. If you can get that quality run in the first round, then the whole team can get in sync moving forward instead of playing catch-up, and that’s what wins you races like we did in Seattle.”

LEAH PRITCHETT, driver of the Papa John’s Pizza/Fireade/U.S. Army Top Fuel Dragster for Don Schumacher Racing

You entered this year’s playoffs with an eye on not only one championship, but two. After last weekend’s triumph in the Factory Stock Showdown, do you feel that championship will boost your opportunities in Top Fuel competition?

“Perspective is everything. The opportunity to be in contention for two world championships at the same time during crunch time is a limited rare segment in life that I will never forget, always cherish and, most importantly, take note of everything that took place leading up to it with both teams. It feels so incredibly great for the Factory Stock Showdown team and Mopar, but you have to check it because we are not done, yet. I’d like to think I did a good job of balancing the two teams throughout the year. Even with the Factory Stock championship holding weight at one race, I didn’t feel it was any heavier or took away from Top Fuel because each one of these Countdown races carries championship-caliber weight. We are physically halfway through the Countdown, but not technically, given Pomona allocating points-and-a-half. I hear and see the changes, upgrades, and strategy, which is why I know, although it’s a tough feat, we’re definitely not counting ourselves out, and neither should anyone else. As long as there is a chance, there is a way, and we will endlessly pursue it. It is incredible to have one championship locked up, but that momentum is not stopping there. It is just impeccable timing for it to jump tracks and infuse itself into TF4. Todd (Okuhara, crew chief) and Joe (Barlam, assistant crew chief) are championship leaders and I am looking forward to the power we can put down this weekend, and tunnel-visioning my focus solely on this team.”