U.S. Army Teammates Aiming for Chicago Swagger in 16th annual O’Reilly Route 66 Nationals

JOLIET, IL – It happened in a matter of seconds. So fast, it didn’t seem possible. Monday night Chicago, site of this weekend’s 16th annual O’Reilly Route 66 Nationals at Route 66 Raceway in suburban Joliet, witnessed a miraculous change of fortune in just over 17 seconds by its Blackhawks, leading to a Stanley Cup final-clinching victory over the Boston Bruins.

The U.S. Army drag racing tandem of Tony “The Sarge” Schumacher and Antron Brown, who reflect the U.S. Army Soldiers every time they strap into their 10,000-horsepower Top Fuel Dragsters by possessing mental, emotional and physical strength like no other, will try to match the resiliency the Chicago hockey team displayed in the final moments of game six. If either driver can make four passes down the track Sunday, each less than four seconds, less than 17 seconds may be just enough time to change their fortune in the 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series championship outlook.

Both Schumacher and Brown are seeking a spark as the 2013 season reaches its midway point in the 24-event campaign. Each started the season on a direct mission to hoist the championship hardware with a pair of wins in the first seven races. Schumacher won two of the first four while Brown scored at the third and seventh events. Both drivers are hoping to capture some of the Chicago magic this weekend and pull even with Shawn Langdon, who leads the series with three event titles.

It’s a homecoming weekend for Schumacher, who is a Chicago native and follows the mold of so many from the area with his “Chicago Tough” spirit. The seven-time Top Fuel world champion earned every stripe along the way with a never-give-up work ethic that landed him in a Top Fuel ride after deciding to follow in the footsteps of his father Don, another Chicago drag racing legend. He can still remember the famous radio ads for U.S. 30 Dragway – ‘Sunday, Sunday, Sunday’ – and the days when drag racing icons would stop in and visit his dad’s shop and share stories of life in the fast lane at dragstrips across the country. He’s worn the Army colors with pride and passion for 13 seasons and knows that every member of his Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) team is vital to the success of the mission.

Since 1998, Chicago has hosted the NHRA at Route 66 Raceway, and Schumacher has qualified for all 20 events. He has been victorious three times (2003, 2005 and 2008) and a win this weekend would tie him with Kenny Bernstein for most Top Fuel victories at the track. “The Sarge” has reached the final on five occasions and has earned the No. 1 qualifier spot in seven events, including last year when he established a track record aboard the U.S. Army Top Fuel Dragster with a pass of 3.763 seconds. Schumacher enters the weekend second in the standings, trailing leader Langdon by 43 markers.

While members of the Blackhawks were skating around Monday night with the 35-pound Stanley Cup lifted to the heavens, Brown, driver of the Matco Tools/U.S. Army Top Fuel Dragster, was recalling just how light his 22.65-pound championship “Wally” felt last year moments after being crowned 2012 Top Fuel world champion. The march to his first NHRA championship was filled with numerous signposts, including a dominant weekend at Route 66 Raceway last June. The former 100-meter U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier made the second-best pass in qualifying before dismantling the competition during eliminations en route to his first Top Fuel triumph in the Chicagoland area and third career victory at Route 66 after collecting Pro Stock Motorcycle wins at the facility in 2000 and 2001.

Last year’s triumph also started a run of three wins in four events, which helped secure his spot in NHRA’s Countdown playoffs. Brown currently ranks fourth in the standings and comes to Chicago hoping to end a run of four consecutive first-round defeats. A second consecutive deep run through the ladder in Chicago could go a long way toward the team’s goal of reclaiming its championship form of 2012. Previous results would suggest chances are in favor of a turnaround this weekend. In his first five Top Fuel events at Route 66, Brown has qualified in the top-three four times and twice has reached the final – 2009 and 2012.

TONY “THE SARGE” SCHUMACHER, driver of the U.S. Army Top Fuel Dragster:

You’ve mentioned your love for sports and Chicago teams. Seeing the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup had to be a thrill and reminded you of some of your incredible finishes to claim championships?

“I enjoy the big moments. Monday night was certainly a really big moment and, for them to win it like that, was incredible. I have always thought of our U.S. Army team as a ‘big moment team,’ as well. The track record is there and, honestly, the reason I look forward to those big moments is because my nine guys are capable of succeeding in those moments. Whether it was having to set a world record on the final run to win a championship or put together a run of round wins with all the pressure on the line. Those are the moments that make sports so exciting. Who doesn’t want to be the guy at the plate in the bottom of the ninth? It’s what it’s all about, where you have to work so hard and need a miracle at the end. No one has ever come from ahead. Coming from behind is the greatest challenge. When you are behind, you can see it. It’s difficult, but it’s obtainable. That’s when you look at your team and say this is amazing. These guys are amazing and capable of this moment.”

Route 66 Raceway is one of the premiere facilities in the country. How much do you enjoy competing there?

“I love it. They built a state-of-the-art stadium dragstrip in one of the biggest sports towns there is. It’s great to be so close to home and race at such a good track. There is some rich history in Chicago for drag racing and we want to continue that tradition. We’d like to have a little better record there than we do. We’ve done fine qualifying, and we’re happy that we’ve won three events there, but this is my home track and we should have more wins than that. It would be nice to put together some strong qualifying runs early in the weekend and come out Sunday and be around until the end. Give those Chicago fans a Chicago driver in the final and that’ll be an exciting weekend.”

ANTRON BROWN, driver of the Matco Tools/U.S. Army Top Fuel Dragster:

After a solid start, the team is mired in a first-round slump. How do you get things turned around?

“We just have to look to the next race. What’s done is done. It’s behind you. You can’t focus on that because it’s in the past. You have to focus on what happened and why, and learn from that and grow from that. Going through these struggles, we’ve learned things we never thought about. We’ve been reminded how close you are to the edge when you’re trying to get down the racetrack. We’ve been on the opposite side of that, and we’ll pull it back a little bit and creep up on it. That’s our game plan going to Chicago. We have to go from A to B on the first run. We have to look at the little things so they don’t bite us.”

Heading back to Chicago, where you won last year and have been fast every time you’ve raced at Route 66 in a Top Fuel Dragster, that has to give you optimism. Your thoughts?

“The Chicago track always has been good to me. We’re motivated and pumped up to get there and get after it. We’ve got a test session planned for Wednesday in Indy to shake down another car. We’re just staying positive, and we’re ready to put in the work that’s needed to get four good qualifying sessions in Route 66. It’s an incredible facility and by making those later qualifying runs, you get twice as many opportunities to make it into the top half of the field. That’s kind of our first goal – get back into the top half and then see what we can do on Sunday. It’s going to be exciting. I’m sure all of Chicago is feeling pretty good right now. We’re hoping to feel that good at the end of the weekend.”