Tony Schumacher got a slice of race history, John Force got just what he needed and Tony Pedregon got mad Monday on an entertaining final day of the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at O’Reilly Raceway Park.
Schumacher tied NHRA legend “Big Daddy” Don Garlits’ record of eight Top Fuel wins in the 55th running of drag racing’s biggest event. He beat longtime rival Larry Dixon in the final to take home the $100,000 top prize for the fourth year in a row and seventh time in eight years.
He said this one, for a number of reasons, belongs “right at the top.”
“To come out victorious and have your name mentioned with Don Garlits is just awesome,” said Schumacher, whose 3.861-second run left a tire-smoking Dixon well behind. “This is a very special moment for all of us.”
But instead of celebrating, Force was fuming afterward. A verbal exchange with Tony Pedregon in which Force had to be restrained overshadowed his daughter beating Hight in the final to become the first woman to win a U.S. Nationals title in Funny Car.
In the semifinals, with Hight needing to beat Force to knock Cruz Pedregon out of the 10th spot in the Countdown, Force smoked his tires midway through the run as Hight pulled away. After Tony Pedregon lost to Force Hood in the second semifinal, he walked past Force and accused him of losing on purpose.
“I saw the ladder. I knew if Force raced Robert what would happen,” Tony Pedregon said. “I raced with John for eight years. I know what they do. I made some comments and it got a little exciting there. But I didn’t say anything that wasn’t true. Indianapolis Star
“That race was predetermined,” team owner Don Schumacher said. “I couldn’t find anybody on the starting line that I could give 100 to 1 odds to that they would take John Force. It was very obvious — look at his reaction time. It disappoints me for the fans and disappoints me for the sport.”
“For a team owner to make a call and say I gotta allow my driver to win, I disagree with that. It’s that simple,” Tony Pedregon said.
Force, when asked in the postrace press conference if the Hight race was predetermined, offered this:
“I can’t help it that it came up that way, I don’t set the field. I do what I do. I’ve heard so many things like ...’ John was late on the line.’ We both went up there, the only thing we said to each other was, ‘OK, Robert, let’s not screw this up and have some stupid red light and we both look like we did something stupid, let’s put them in dead shallow and go.’ That throws you off, I hate doing that, Robert said ‘it screws me up,’ but we did it, and it throws us both off.
“You ain’t ever make the world happy, I know that and I’ll go down the road and hope my sponsors understand that I’m doing what I do. But to have a guy call me a name and a cheat, like he thinks he knows, and say it in front of cameras and everybody, you’ve got no right. You can go to court over that stuff. That’s that and I’ll try to go the high road again.”
“I think Force calculated the risks; it was more important for him to have that Auto Club car have a chance at the championship,” Beckman said. “My heart goes out to Cruz; that’s a bitter pill to swallow, knowing the guy behind you has to win one round to get into the Countdown and he’s racing his boss. That’s a very difficult position to be in.”
Force said Cruz Pedregon shook his hand at the far end, a gesture he appreciated. Tony Pedregon’s reaction was much different, and doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon. FoxSports
