Volume X, Issue 9, Page 55

Martin Chronicles:

The Fighting Illini Guy

I gotta say, I’m real late on this one. Tony Schumacher has been an accomplished fact for quite a while: the best Top Fuel racer of this decade and, as sacrilegious as it sounds, equal to the best in NHRA history. Yet if you’ve read any of my borderline psychotic drivel, you would hardly know he existed. A nod here and there, you know, “Schumacher won Top Fuel again with a steady job behind the wheel, and greatly aided and abetted by tuning wizard Alan Johnson”, and then on to other things. If anyone’s been taken for granted in this sport, it’s Schumacher. At least by me.... Click here for more from Chris Martin

Words by Susan Wade - Photos by Rich Singer and Ron Lewis - 9/15/2008

CONCORD, N.C. -- While retired Top Fuel legend Joe Amato was tidying his Scranton, Pa.-area home for a visit this Thursday by First Lady Laura Bush, Tony Schumacher was
trashing his career-victories record.

Amato had tickets for the National Hot Rod Association's inaugural Carolinas Nationals at sparkling new zMax Dragway but stayed home to prepare for a GOP campaign fundraiser, saying, "There's life after racing!"

When he learned that Schumacher earned his 53rd victory -- and seventh consecutive, 12th of the year -- he said by telephone Sunday evening, "He's got the record. More power to him. It's hard to keep records in this day and age. There's more racing -- it's a whole different world today.

"There's no sadness. It is what it is," Amato said. "What's sad is that the other guys have to race against him. He runs right over everybody. They're just dominating.

"I wouldn't say we dominated. I think of all the times I lost by something dumb happening,"
he said. "But he drives the car well. He doesn't make mistakes. They don't have a monkey driving the car."

 

Joining Schumacher in the winners circle were teammate Jack Beckman (Funny Car), as well as first-time winner Justin Humphreys (Pro Stock) and Steve Johnson (Pro Stock Motorcycle), who jumped from eighth place to second in his class standings. (Ron Lewis photo)
Tony Schumacher is determined to win. (Rich Singer photo)

 

"I am blessed to drive that race car," Schumacher said of the U.S. Army Dragster. "It's going to hit me later. I'm very aware of it. It's not something that comes overnight. I know what a great team we have, and I know what it took to do it. And I know what a great driver Joe Amato is."

The reigning Top Fuel champion, who has lost just seven elimination rounds in 19 races, extended his class-record round-win streak to 28 and his season total to 60. That's one shy of Kenny Bernstein's standard. Schumacher also made his 14th final-round appearance of the season, tying Larry Dixon's 2002 mark for most in a single campaign. He and Beckman gave Don Schumacher Racing its 19th double victory and ran the organization's winning total to 118 since 1998.

Schumacher tightened his grip on the restructured points lineup in this first race in the six-stage Countdown to the Championship. He has a 46-point lead on Anton Brown, the driver he defeated in Sunday's final round.