Championship Drag Racing

CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals
Pomona, CA
(February 10-13)

EVENT HOME
   Tickets
   Event schedule
   Results
   Star Tracks
   Audio Broadcast
   Photo Galleries
   Video highlights
   Entry List

Driver Profile

Tony Schumacher U.S. Army dragster

Pomona, Saturday:  Tony "The Sarge" Schumacher swiped the number one qualifying position for Sunday's CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals here at Pomona Raceway.

The pilot of the U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster posted a blistering 4.447-second pass at 326.79 mph in the final qualifying session to solidify his hold on the top spot in the 16-car field.

"That was such a great run," said Schumacher. "I actually may have slowed the car down a bit by pulling the parachutes too early because my visor was fogging up and I couldn't see. But, we'll use this and try to build on it for race day."

Schumacher, who claimed his first pole since the Seattle race last year, will face 16th-place qualifier, Andrew Cowin, in the first round of eliminations beginning at 11 a.m. PT.

"This is the quickest Top Fuel field in NHRA history, so there aren't any pushovers in this group," added the Chicago native. "We have to be ready for Cowin. They're going to come at us strong - you can bet on that."

Led by crew chief Alan Johnson, Schumacher progressively improved over three qualifying sessions. His first pass on Saturday produced a 4.452-second trip at 334.65 mph.

 "Even though you don't gain any points, we still have a shot at the NHRA national speed record if we can go 331.30 mph or better some time on Sunday," he said. "Of course, the ultimate objective is to win the race. It really doesn't matter the route we take to get there."

The 2004 NHRA Top Fuel world champion will be looking to take his second straight Winternationals title.

"That would be a nice accomplishment," offered Schumacher.

E-mail this article   Print this article