Tony Schumacher, driver of the U.S. Army dragster for Don Schumacher Racing, earned a runner-up finish in the first event of the 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, the NHRA Winternationals, last weekend. This weekend, heading to Firebird International Raceway near Phoenix for the NHRA Arizona Nationals, Schumacher hopes to improve one last week’s finish and up his win total at the track to four.
“We ran 330 mph for the first time there (Phoenix), and we’ve won there a lot,” said Schumacher. “We perform good there for the U.S. Army. I really enjoy going there. For one reason, it’s early in the year and the weather is wonderful and better in February than where I live near Chicago, where it’s 10 degrees. The fans are phenomenal and the fans have always been really good to us in Phoenix.”
At last year’s event, Schumacher finished runner-up to his teammate and eventual 2012 Top Fuel champ Antron Brown. This year, Schumacher wants the win and the championship.
“I’m ready to do it all over again and win another championship,” said Schumacher. “We’ve had so many blessed moments. Those moments are a gift, and that’s what anyone dreams about who has ever been on the starting line. That is the lesson that we learned again last year and we’ll be able to build from and can expect to have much better days this coming season.”
Schumacher will have to hold off Brown, another DSR teammate in Spencer Massey, the Al-Anabi Racing team of Winternationals winner Shawn Langdon and Khalid alBalooshi, plus Doug Kalitta and Brandon Bernstein, both of whom have wins at Firebird International Raceway.
Follow the action leading up to the NHRA Arizona Nationals at www.nhra.com.
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