Leafing through the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series media guide, it’s impossible to miss Tony Schumacher’s pages and the 14 different milestones that comprise his 2008 season highlights.
Schumacher had a season for the ages, winning his fifth straight Top Fuel championship and his sixth overall, becoming the all-time Top Fuel leader in victories and in short, just kicking everyone else’s tail.
So what’s he doing fourth in the Top Fuel points standings, 79 behind leader Antron Brown? That’s the big question heading into the 40th annual Gatornationals that get under way with Top Fuel and Funny Car qualifying at 12:30 today at Gainesville Raceway. Action continues with second-round qualifying on Saturday and eliminations begin at 11 a.m. Sunday.
“We’ve been running pretty well, but there’s room for improvement,” Schumacher said in a news release. “Hopefully, this weekend we’ll break out in a big way.”
Speaking of breaking out, Schumacher’s Don Schumacher Racing teammate and Funny Car pilot Ron Capps is having a remarkable early season. Capps is undefeated after two events — Pomona and Phoenix — and has a 97-point lead in the standings.
Naturally he’s hoping to avoid a repeat this season but it’s way too early to be worrying about all that. For now, Capps and crew chief Ed “Ace” McCulloch are taking things one race at a time, beginning with the Gators.
“It’s kind of neat to approach this year with such single-mindedness,” Capps said in his team’s news release. “When I say that I mean approaching every run literally like it’s the last run we’re going to make. That, so far, has really paid off.”
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