U.S. Army Teammates Look to Close First Half Strong in Norwalk
NORWALK, OH – The road to earning a NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series championship has a lot of peaks and 
valleys. The key is to be peaking at just the right time. The U.S. Army Racing drivers Tony “The Sarge” Schumacher and Antron Brown have guided their teams to championship runs in each of the past three campaigns and both know things change quickly in the ultra-competitive Top Fuel class. The big picture remains in focus as the tandem heads into this weekend’s 11th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio.
The event marks the halfway point in the 24-race marathon and provides an opportunity for momentum building heading into the pivotal six-race stretch where drivers battle for positions in the NHRA’s six-race playoff that will determine the 2017 champion.
Schumacher, the eight-time Top Fuel world champion, continues to chase history aboard the U.S. Army Dragster for Don Schumacher Racing (DSR). Earlier this season, he became the all-time winningest Top Fuel driver in Gatornationals history with his victory in March. The win gave him 83 triumphs in his illustrious career and that win has been the highlight to date in a season that has included three top qualifying honors and four appearances in the finals.
“The Sarge” and his U.S. Army team led by crew chief Mike Green and assistant Phil Shuler will begin their quest for a second victory of the season from the fourth position in the championship standings. Schumacher, who also has earned 83 career poles, will be vying for his first top qualifying honor at Norwalk when qualifying begins with a pair of sessions Friday evening. He won the inaugural NHRA event at Norwalk in 2007 and is one of nine drivers to have scored a victory at the first-rate motorsports complex in northern Ohio. Since 2010, he has qualified second three times and inside the top-seven six consecutive years and reached semifinal round four times. Last year, Schumacher qualified sixth and advanced to the second round.
For Brown, this weekend’s mantra will be to “Take back Norwalk.” It was in the 2014 when the driver of the Matco Tools/U.S. Army Dragster for DSR ventured to the facility coming off a Chicago victory and he made it back-to-back wins by defeating a stout list of drivers including last week’s Bristol winner Clay Millican, current points leader Steve Torrence, Schumacher, and Shawn Langdon to score his only career Top Fuel triumph in Ohio.
Brown enters the weekend third in the championship standings with victories at Las Vegas and Topeka, and five finals appearances through the first 11 events. Last season, he qualified second at Norwalk, before losing to Langdon in the second round. He is coming off a similar result last week in the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol (Tenn.) Dragway where he was knocked in round two by Langdon.
Qualifying for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals begins Friday evening with FS1 providing delayed coverage at 10:30 p.m. EDT Friday and delayed coverage of Saturday’s final qualifying sessions will air at 10 a.m. Sunday. Eliminations begin at 11 a.m. Sunday and FS1’s same-day-delayed coverage of the action is set to air at 6 p.m.
TONY “THE SARGE” SCHUMACHER, driver of the U.S. Army Top Fuel Dragster for Don Schumacher Racing
The U.S. Army team has a set a goal each year of battling for the championship and being in position to win it. The Summit Nationals represent the halfway point of the campaign. What’s your evaluation of the first half of the season?
“I’ve learned that in NHRA drag racing you have to continue building to reach the your ultimate destination. Yes, winning championships is our goal every year. And we’ve been able to accomplish that goal in a variety of ways over the years with the U.S. Army car. It’s about performing when the stakes are the highest and when it’s all on the line. That’s the sign a championship team. Come up big when it absolutely has to happen. We’re halfway through the season and we’ve had some good moments and ones that have been frustrating. We got off to a great start. I’m proud of the job (crew chief) Mike (Green), (assistant crew chief) Phil (Shuler) and all the U.S. Army guys. We continue to work on ways to improve. I’ve said it many times that we want to be peaking at the right time and that starts in Indy and goes right through the Countdown. You can break the season down into quarters and we’re finishing up the second one. We got a win and made the finals in half of the races in the first quarter, so I’d grade that to be an A. This is the last race of the second quarter and if we can win at Norwalk that might bump us to a B. I talk to kids all the time about studying and preparation. You have to get good grades through the process to reach your goals. We’re doing the preparation and studying now and hopefully, when it’s final exam time when we have to deliver that A+ performance we’ll be prepared to do so.”
When you won the first race at Summit Racing Park in 2007, you and the Army team were nearly unstoppable. In the last 10 years, the Top Fuel class has become extremely competitive and parity has become the norm. There has been is a new winner in nine of the first 10 events at Norwalk and only Larry Dixon has won more than once. Is there something about the track that equalizes the field?
“I think it’s the result of a number of things, but first off Norwalk is a tremendous facility. Things have changed a lot in the sport since 2007, but the facility continues to be top notch. There was a time when the U.S. Army car was far superior to the field, but that was quite a few years ago. Teams got better. Drivers got better. And winning has become harder and harder. This year through 11 races, we have two drivers with three wins each, Antron has two wins, Brittany (Force) has a win and Clay (Millican) just got the first win of his career last weekend. It’s tough out here and that’s what makes you continue to work. You are constantly trying to find ways to go faster and stay ahead of the competition. I’m proud to be part of DSR. We have six wins when you combine me, Antron and Leah Pritchett. I know each week to win that I’m going to have to deal with one of my teammates if I’m going to have a chance to win. It makes the sport succeed. I talk about wanting to put on a show for the fans where they are saying after its over that they feel like got to experience and incredible race. That keeps them coming back. It’s going to be a packed house this weekend and we’re going to do everything we can to be in position to make a lot of runs in the U.S. Army car Sunday.”
ANTRON BROWN, driver of the Matco Tools/U.S. Army Top Fuel Dragster for Don Schumacher Racing
This week’s event in Norwalk not only closes out the first half of the season, but also four consecutive weekends of racing. Are these the stretches in a season when you can separate yourself from the other teams?
“Four races in four weeks is tough on everyone. You have a couple of big runs like this throughout the season and that prepares you for the end. It’s a battle each and every week for the top spot in the standings. Last week we had it, this week we don’t. But we’re close. We’re digging. We just have to keep our heads down and keep pushing. The Matco Tools/U.S. Army boys were able to get back to the shop this week and I know they’ll be ready Friday in Norwalk. The competition out here is just so tough. I say that every year and it keeps getting tougher. This weekend we close out four in a row and my guys just want to end it on a high note. Getting the win would be incredible but we just need to take it one round at a time and race the racetrack. When it’s all said and done, we’ll head back to Indy and start working on Chicago and the swing out west. It’s a grind, but champions must overcome and adapt to whatever challenge they are faced with.”
Every stop on the 24-race NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series is unique. What stands out about racing at Norwalk?
“Norwalk is a big race for a lot of reasons. It’s home for our primary sponsor Matco Tools, and it’s home for Brian Corradi, one of my crew chiefs. Those two factors make it a big race for me. The Bader family does a tremendous job with the track and they always have incredible crowds. That just adds to the experience. I know it has a special feel for me and my team. We’re ready to get over there and see what we can do.”
