Testing, testing, testing... DSR teams atop leader board but that's not what matters

January 18

JUPITER, Fla. (Jan. 18, 2012) - Valvoline NextGEN Funny Car driver Jack Beckman best summed up the purpose of testing this week at Palm Beach International Raceway.

"They don't give you points or a trophy for how well you do in testing.

"We're here to try new parts and new combinations to sort out what will work when we get to Pomona."

Since before the end of last year's NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing season, technicians and crew chiefs at the sprawling Don Schumacher Racing headquarters in Brownsburg, Ind., have been developing new parts and ways to go quicker and faster.

Judging from Wednesday's results of closed testing at the South Florida speed complex that included other top NHRA teams, DSR is close to where it wants all seven of its teams to be when points and trophies are awarded at the NHRA Winternationals season-opener on Feb. 9-12 in Pomona, Calif.

Tony Schumacher was quickest among Top Fuel dragsters with his final run of 3.761 seconds at 324.28 mph in the U.S. Army rail that featured a fully enclosed and experimental driver's pod.

The seven-time NHRA world champion was more pleased with the success of the new capsule than his car's speed and time.

"It's safer. That's what matters most," Schumacher said. "This capsule would be available to any team that wants to use one. It's not about a performance advantage, it's about keeping the driver safer."

In Funny Car, Beckman's header pipes sent flames high in the evening sky above the roof line of his Dodge Charger R/T when his last run produced the day's best time of 4.073 seconds at 311.49 in the category.

"You have to be wise in testing because it's so expensive," Beckman said. "But everything (crew chief Rahn Tobler) and the team did paid off with that last run."

Team owner Don Schumacher, who resides about 30 minutes from the track, didn't miss a run and was very pleased with the first two of five testing days. And that was before "Sarge" unloaded his big run near the end of the day.

"Very happy. Very happy," Don said as he stood in the staging lanes.

"Our program is not to come down here and run big elapsed times and big speeds. We came to learn what will work and what won't when the season starts.

"I agree with Tony that the most impressive aspect of what we've accomplished so far has been how well the driver's compartment has worked with Army dragster.

"It's all been really good."

Closed testing continues today. The week culminates Friday and Saturday nights with the PRO Winter Warm-Up at PBIR when spectators will get to experience a preview of the coming 2012 drag racing season.

Here's how other DSR drivers did Wednesday:

Johnny Gray, Service Central Dodge

Best run: 4.084 seconds, 312.06 mph

"We did that with a brand new chassis," said Gray, who was the hottest Funny Car driver over the last six events of 2011.

"We brought the car we finished with last year, but it's wrapped up in plastic in the top of the trailer."

Ron Capps/NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge

Best run: 4.10, 306 mph

"That was a great run for us," Capps said, adding the team didn't make a run on Tuesday because he was in Charlotte, N.C., filming NAPA AUTO PARTS television commercials.

"Our guys had to stand around yesterday and watch the other teams run."

Matt Hagan, Aaron's Dream Machine Dodge

Best run: 4.140 seconds, 307.44 mph

"We're trying new things and not that worried about making a full pull. We went 4.14 (Tuesday night) and clicked it off at 900 feet. It might have been a 4.06.

Spencer Massey/FRAM Top Fuel Dragster

3.802 seconds, 322.81 mph

"While we're trying some new things I've been working on my driving; keeping it in the groove. You forget how rusty you can get.

"It was a little warm (Wednesday) and tough on me, but it mainly was tough on the crew guys."

Antron Brown/Matco Tools Top Fuel Dragster

3.814 mph, 321.58 mph

"It's been great," Brown said of changes made by crew chiefs Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald.

"It's so helpful to make so many back-to-back runs in preseason testing that I can work on my driving to keep the car on a tight rope."

About Don Schumacher Racing

Don Schumacher Racing, headquartered in Brownsburg, Ind., consists of seven professional NHRA teams: in Top Fuel, the U.S. Army dragster driven by seven-time world champion Tony Schumacher, the FRAM/Prestone dragster of Spencer Massey and the Matco Tools dragster of Antron Brown; and in Funny Car, 2011 NHRA Funny Car champion Matt Hagan in the Aaron's Dream Machine/Mopar Dodge Charger R/T, Valvoline NextGen Dodge piloted by Jack Beckman, the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge of Ron Capps and the Service Central Dodge of Johnny Gray. DSR has won 174 NHRA national event titles and nine world championships.