Schumacher swipes second straight win

04/05/2009

U.S. Army Top Fuel pilot Tony “The Sarge” Schumacher captured his second straight victory of the season here Sunday in the SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

After beating Brandon Bernstein in the finals with a 3.874-second pass at 311.77 mph, Schumacher assumed control of the Top Fuel points lead.

“Our Army Strong Soldiers operate using a team concept and so do we,” said the six-time world champion. “This was a total team effort, I will guarantee you that. Mike Green (his crew chief) and the boys were flawless all day. You can’t imagine how proud I am of each and every one of them.”

For the Chicago-area resident, it was his 58th career win in 90 final round appearances. It was also his sixth career win at The Strip.

“Needless to say, I don’t mind racing out here given the success that I’ve had over the years,” he said. “It’s a great facility with a great racing surface.”

On the way to his confrontation with Bernstein, Schumacher pushed aside the likes of Terry Haddock, Cory McClenathan and Shawn Langdon. The win over Haddock was particularly noteworthy since it set a Top Fuel record for most consecutive races without a first round loss – 31. The previous mark was held by Larry Dixon.

“To be honest, I wasn’t even aware of that,” offered Schumacher. “I’m just happy about getting another trophy for the team and our Soldiers. In the end, that is what’s most important.”

Schumacher and his Army crew will now take a weekend off before heading to Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Ga., April 16-19, for the tradition-rich Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals.

“Man, we’d love to go down there and get another one,” he said. “For sure, winning never gets old.”