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NORWALK, Ohio (June 26, 2022) – At the NHRA Norwalk Nationals, Tony Schumacher and the Scag Power Equipment Top Fuel team qualified 14th out of a stacked 21-car field. While they would have preferred a higher starting position, they felt confident going into race day after closing out qualifying with a solid 3.847 E.T. in the final session.
 
Schumacher drew eventual race winner Mike Salinas as his round-one opponent and his quick reflexes gave him the immediate advantage off of the starting line, but Salinas was able to pull ahead near the eighth-mile marker when Schumacher’s machine pitched a blower belt. He still made a good run, and despite powering to his weekend-best pass of 3.794 seconds, the eight-time Top Fuel world champ found himself on the bad side of a good drag race.
 
“If I had long enough hair, I’d pull it out, because that run was outstanding,” said a frustrated Schumacher following his round-one contest. “We ran 2.90 to halftrack. We were winning that race until the belt came off. It didn’t have a cylinder out, it was going dead straight, and we had the race won. It’s heartbreak. It’s hard because we really had that one. We did a great job and gave Salinas his money’s worth. We gave him a good, solid race. Unfortunately for us, he made it down the track. There weren’t a lot of side-by-side close races out there like ours in round one today. We’re going to pack it up, front-half the car during this two week break, and then head to Denver, one of my favorite tracks on the circuit.”
 
In Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown Series competition, Mark Pawuk kicked off his race weekend by announcing he had reunited with longtime sponsor Summit Racing Equipment, his primary backer during much of his former Pro Stock career.
 
At his hometown track, Pawuk, a native of Akron, Ohio, defeated Scott Libersher and Jesse Alexandra to advance to the semifinals and move up from 10th to seventh in the point standings. The Factory Stock class rejoins the NHRA tour at the U.S. Nationals during Labor Day weekend in Indianapolis.
 
TONY SCHUMACHER
Driver of the Scag Power Equipment Top Fuel Dragster

Qualified: No. 14 (3.847 E.T. at 319.37 MPH)
 
Elimination Round Results:
E1: 3.794 E.T. at 294.82 MPH defeated by Mike Salinas 3.758 E.T. at 328.06 MPH
 
NHRA Camping World Series Top Fuel Point Standings (Unofficial):

Qualified: No. 10 (7.884 E.T. at 176.40 MPH)
 
Elimination Round Results:
E1: 7.901 E.T. at 178.40 MPH defeated by Ricky Hord 7.882 E.T. at 174.50 MPH 

Qualified: No. 3 (7.836 E.T. at 179.88 MPH)
 
Elimination Round Results:
E1: 7.897 E.T. at 175.34 MPH defeated Scott Libersher 7.939 E.T. at 169.34 MPH
E2: 7.909 E.T. at 176.07 MPH defeated Jesse Alexandra 11.037 E.T. at 106.60 MPH
E3: 7.900 E.T. at 177.28 MPH defeated by David Barton 7.870 E.T. at 174.68 MPH 

Qualified: No. 12 (7.907 E.T. at 175.71 MPH)

Elimination Round Results:
E1: 8.233 E.T. at 151.20 MPH defeated by David Janac 7.867 E.T. at 176.21 MPH