Tony Schumacher and the U.S. Army team won their sixth straight and seventh overall NHRA Full Throttle Series championship by only two points, the narrowest margin in NHRA history.

“This trophy will go to Fort Hood; I don’t think there’s any question in the world where it belongs,” said ‘The Sarge’, alluding to the recent shootings at the Texas Army base. “We’ll present it to the family, the friends, everyone at that base.”

After the round, Dixon said about working with Al-Anabi Racing, “You know Alan (Johnson) hires all these people from the bottom up to do their job and he expects excellence out of everybody and he doesn’t micro-manage.

“I love that I got the opportunity to go to work there; I’m thrilled about that, but I have mixed emotions of why I have an opportunity to drive that car, because I am around Everett and Agnes, Pam and Alan (Johnson). On their (NHRA) hard cards they’ve got pictures of Blaine (Johnson). I mean Blaine was my friend and if he were here it would be his car and he’d be driving it and I’d be racing him and trying to beat him. It’s never been presented to me in quite that fashion, but it’s Blaine’s car and I’m filling in for him.”

Ron Capps (James Drew photo)

In the Funny Car semifinals, Ashley Force Hood in the right lane squared off with Ron Capps’ NAPA-sponsored Mopar. With newly crowned champion Robert Hight out of the picture Ashley and Mike Neff still hold up the Force Racing banner. Capps smoked the hides at about 400 feet as Ashley headed to the finish line running 4.133/307.09 to Capps’ slowing 4.775.

Tim Wilkerson’s crewmen pushed his Mustang through the water for his burnout against JFR Mustang driver Mike Neff.
Once again the Pomona left lane bit, this time taking out Wilk with Neff crossing the finish line at 4.197/291.32 a time that gave lane choice to Force-Hood in the all-Force Racing final round.

In the Pro Stock semifinal, with the grandstand aisles filled with nitro fans heading to the bathrooms and concession stands, arch rivals Mike Edwards and Greg Anderson did their burnouts and put the Goodyears into the pre-stage beam. Anderson had lane choice thanks to his 6.575 in round two. 

(James Drew photo)

At the green, Edwards launched hard and then wiggled off the line. His 6.669/196.27 lost to Anderson’s Summit Racing-sponsored Pontiac’s 6.576/210.70.