Schumacher sets NHRA Top Fuel records at Mac Tools U.S. Nationals

Published 4:21 pm Monday, September 1, 2008

CLERMONT, Ind. – Five-time champion Tony Schumacher capped off a historic performance at the 54th Mac Tools U.S. Nationals Monday with his decisive final-round win over longtime foe Doug Kalitta.

Schumacher set NHRA Top Fuel records for wins in a row (6) and wins in a season (11) and he tied Joe Amato for most wins all-time in Top Fuel (52). It was also his seventh Mac Tools U.S. Nationals win and third in a row.

“We want people to remember this is one of the greatest teams ever,” said Schumacher, who felt the pressure to perform. “You get to the finals and you’re down to one round, you’re one four-second push of the throttle away from setting all those records, one shot to do it … it’s very intense. We had to stay focused. We had to stay a machine.”

The other winners at the world’s most prestigious drag race, the 18th of 18 regular season races in the NHRA POWERade Series, were Robert Hight (Funny Car), Dave Connolly (Pro Stock) and Steve Johnson (Pro Stock Motorcycle).

Meanwhile, the playoff picture was settled this weekend with the last spot coming down to a winner-take-all, heads-up race between Karen Stoffer and Hector Arana and it was Stoffer who prevailed on a holeshot. The other spot in play on Monday went to Pro Stock’s Ron Krisher, who punched his ticket when Warren Johnson lost in the first round to Dave Connolly.

And with the regular season complete now, the NHRA POWERade Series will begin the turn for home with the start of the six-race Countdown to 1 playoff at the brand new zMax Dragway @ Concord, site of the Sept. 11-14 Carolinas Nationals.

With all of the pressure on Schumacher and the U.S. Army team to deliver one more time, he steered the Alan Johnson-tuned machine to a 3.916 at 309.13 in the final round, good enough to achieve the record-breaking win going away against Kalitta’s Mac Tools dragster (4.036 at 299.86).

“I don’t think it’s all set in just yet. Today was so special,” Schumacher said. “It’s going to go on the trophy case as one of the most special ones ever.”

Kalitta was looking for his first win of the year to extend his streak of consecutive seasons with at least one win to 11, but he came up just short. It is the fourth longest active streak in NHRA history — behind John Force’s 22, Kurt Johnson’s 14 and Angelle Sampey’s 12 — and Kalitta will have six races left to keep it alive.

In Funny Car, Hight and the Auto Club Ford Mustang team were a bright spot on an otherwise dreary weekend for John Force Racing – John Force DNQ’d, Ashley Force lost in the first round and Mike Neff lost in the quarterfinals – by edging past Jack Beckman’s Valvoline/MTS Dodge Charger R/T team, 4.312 at 283.85 to 4.438 at 254.04, in the Funny Car final.

“After first round (his fifth straight pass including qualifying where he spun his wheels), I wouldn’t have bet on my team for anything,” said Hight, who became the first Funny Car driver in 30 years to reach three straight final rounds at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. “This wasn’t one of the prettiest wins, but I’m definitely not going to give it back to anybody,”

Beckman, meanwhile, continued his onslaught on the Funny Car class with his third final round in a row and fourth in the last six races to move all the way up from 13th place before the Western Swing to sixth place now (a span of six races), including moving up from ninth to sixth at this the final regular season race.

In Pro Stock, Connolly ended Warren Johnson’s playoff bid in the first round and he ended Kurt Johnson’s bid to clinch the No. 1 seed – and the 20-point bonus – in the semis en route to his third win of the season and second straight Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. He powered the Charter Communications Chevy Cobalt to a 6.743 at 206.04 in the final to speed past Larry Morgan’s 6.797 at 204.70.

“To win one Indy is incredible … to win it twice in a row, I’m just speechless,” said Connolly, who moved around Mike Edwards with his win to finish the regular season in sixth place. When the points reset, he will begin the playoffs 70 points behind Greg Anderson.

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Steve Johnson won for the first time in three years, dating back to the 2005 Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, and for the fourth time overall in his career.

Johnson steered his Snap-on Tools Suzuki around Andrew Hines’ Screamin’ Eagle Vance &Hines Harley-Davidson, 7.034 at 189.79 to 7.063 at 187.63. Hines actually got the jump on Johnson, 0.009 to Johnson’s 0.030, but Johnson rode around the three-time POWERade Series world champion.

“We had a good horse and in my entire racing career I’ve never had the horse that’s the big horse…I heard (track announcer Bob Frey) say ‘He ran him down’ and it was (crew chief Mark Peiser). Mark has a little understanding,” Johnson said.

The climactic Pro Stock Motorcycle race was won at the starting line with Stoffer getting a .037 jump on Arana’s .061 to make her 7.019 stand up against Arana’s 7.017.

Monday at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis

Top Fuel

1. Tony Schumacher. 2. Doug Kalitta. 3. Antron Brown. 4. Cory McClenathan. 5. Larry Dixon. 6. Hillary Will. 7. Doug Herbert. 8. Brandon Bernstein. 9. Troy Buff. 10. Rod Fuller. 11. Steve Torrence. 12. Bob Vandergriff. 13. David Grubnic. 14. J.R. Todd. 15. Clay Millican. 16. Pat Dakin.

Funny Car

1. Robert Hight, Ford Mustang. 2. Jack Beckman. 3. Tim Wilkerson. 4. Melanie Troxel. 5. Gary Densham. 6. Mike Neff. 7. Tony Pedregon. 8. Cruz Pedregon. 9. Del Worsham. 10. Matt Hagan. 11. Frank Hawley. 12. Ashley Force. 13. Jim Head. 14. Ron Capps. 15. Bob Tasca III. 16. Tony Bartone.

Pro Stock

1. Dave Connolly, Chevy Cobalt. 2. Larry Morgan. 3. Kurt Johnson. 4. Mike Edwards. 5. Jeg Coughlin. 6. Greg Anderson. 7. Allen Johnson. 8. Rickie Jones. 9. Jason Line. 10. Richie Stevens. 11. Ron Krisher. 12. Vinnie Deceglie. 13. Steve Spiess. 14. Steve Schmidt. 15. Warren Johnson. 16. Justin Humphreys.

Pro Stock MotorcycleM

1. Steve Johnson, Suzuki. 2. Andrew Hines. 3. Craig Treble. 4. Mike Berry. 5. Angie McBride. 6. Matt Guidera. 7. Karen Stoffer. 8. Matt Smith. 9. Chris Rivas. 10. Hector Arana. 11. Eddie Krawiec. 12. Peggy Llewellyn. 13. Chip Ellis. 14. Angelle Sampey. 15. Michael Phillips. 16. Joe DeSantis.

Finals

Top Fuel

Tony Schumacher, 3.916 seconds, 309.13 mph def. Doug Kalitta, 4.036 seconds, 299.86 mph.

Funny Car

Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 4.312, 283.85 def. Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger, 4.438, 254.04.

Pro Stock

Dave Connolly, Chevy Cobalt, 6.743, 206.04 def. Larry Morgan, Dodge Stratus, 6.797, 204.70.

Pro Stock Motorcycle

Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.034, 189.79 def. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.063, 187.63.

Top Alcohol Dragster

Bill Reichert, 5.581, 257.04 def. Duane Shields, 6.091, 231.48.

Top Alcohol Funny Car

Von Smith, Ford Mustang, 6.038, 245.63 def. Roger Bateman, Mustang, 6.329, 252.00.

Competition Eliminator

Doug Engels, Dragster, 7.394, 172.59 def. Adam Hickey, Chevy Cobalt, 8.295, 158.73.

Super Stock

Bob Dennis, Oldsmobile Calais, 10.886, 119.35 def. Mark Nowicki, Dodge Avenger, 10.238, 127.76.

Stock Eliminator

Mitch Truman, Chevy Nova, 11.685, 103.28 def. David Buckner, Plymouth Duster, 11.087, 117.48.

Super Comp

Steve Cohen, Dragster, 8.915, 153.63 def. Dave Klomps, Dragster, 8.951, 157.78.

Super Gas

Mike Ruff, Chevy Nova, 9.937, 142.13 def. Jeff Cheney, Chevy Camaro, 9.910, 156.10.

Point Standings

Top Fuel

1. Tony Schumacher, 1,764. 2. Antron Brown, 1,197. 3. Larry Dixon, 1,140. 4. Cory McClenathan, 1,096. 5. Rod Fuller, 1,046. 6. Brandon Bernstein, 1,029. 7. Hillary Will, 963. 8. Doug Herbert, 896. 9. Doug Kalitta, 824. 10. David Grubnic, 768.

Funny Car

1. Tim Wilkerson, 1,261. 2. Tony Pedregon, 1,124. 3. Robert Hight, 1,114. 4. Cruz Pedregon, 1,015. 5. Ashley Force, 955. 6. Jack Beckman, 928. 7. Gary Densham, 915. 8. John Force, 881. 9. Ron Capps, 872. 10. Mike Neff, 851.

Pro Stock

1. Greg Anderson, 1,275. 2. Kurt Johnson, 1,259. 3. Jeg Coughlin, 1,184. 4. Jason Line, 1,126. 5. Allen Johnson, 1,066. 6. Dave Connolly, 980. 7. Mike Edwards, 942. 8. V. Gaines, 874. 9. Ron Krisher, 828. 10. Greg Stanfield, 780.

Pro Stock Motorcycle

1. Matt Smith, 980. 2. Andrew Hines, 945. 3. Chip Ellis, 807. 4. Angelle Sampey, 702. 5. Chris Rivas, 697. 6. Matt Guidera, 677. 7. Eddie Krawiec, 676. 8. Steve Johnson, 655. 9. Craig Treble, 626. 10. Karen Stoffer, 538.