U.S. Army NHRA Racing Top Fuel drivers Tony “The Sarge” Schumacher and Antron Brown solidified their starting spots for Sunday's NHRA Arizona Nationals

February 18

After recording two error-free runs on Friday, Schumacher directed his U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster to another pair of clean laps and, in the process, remained second in the order going into round two of the 23-race NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.

The Chicago-area resident, who is seeking his first win since the 2010 fall Las Vegas race, set up a first-round meeting with 15th-place qualifier Mike Strasburg beginning at 11 a.m. MST.

“We definitely took care of business in qualifying, but now it’s time to have a perfect race day,” Schumacher said. “We’re thirsting for a victory and, rest assured, we’ll be shooting for just that on Sunday. We don’t want to accept anything less. I think it’s just a question of breaking the ice and then we’ll be on our way.”

Schumacher is also hoping he can take over the Top Fuel class lead for career wins at Firebird. With three Arizona Nationals trophies in his possession, he’s tied with Larry Dixon and Cory McClenathan on the list.

“That really hasn’t been on my radar screen,” Schumacher said. “We just want to see the win light go on four times tomorrow. Everything else is secondary at the moment.”

While Schumacher remained firmly tucked in behind pole-winner Shawn Langdon, Brown, in his Matco Tools/U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster, was climbing the ladder.

In the fourth qualifying session, Brown laid down an impressive 3.796-second run at 320.36 mph, which moved him from ninth to fifth in the lineup.

The New Jersey native will confront 12th-place qualifier Terry McMillen in the opening round of final eliminations.

“That was a great way to finish up qualifying – being the quickest of the session,” Brown said. “We had been trying to get a good handle on this racetrack and finally it happened. Now, we can go into Sunday with a positive, upbeat feeling. We’ll just go out and approach things like we always do. It will be a one-round-at-a-time deal starting with McMillen.”

Brown will be seeking his second win at Firebird in three seasons. Last year, he beat Schumacher in the semifinals before losing to Dixon in the final.

“Maybe this place owes me one,” Brown said with a chuckle. “Seriously, it’s a new season and you can’t take anyone for granted. Otherwise, you’ll be packing up early and heading back to Indianapolis (home of Don Schumacher Racing) in a real hurry.”