Schumacher Sweeps Up At U.S. Nationals

There was a lot of racing action worth taking note of this past long weekend at the U.S. Nationals, but despite that there was only one name on everybody’s lips: Schumacher. The 39-year-old drag racer simply blew fans away with his performance as he swept in and set even more records.

Despite suffering the negative effects of having his U.S. Army-sponsored dragster not functioning up to standard at the start of the weekend, Tony Schumacher managed to pull ahead of the competition yet again in the big race on Monday, September 1. The 54th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals were held at the O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis and it was one exciting weekend. By the time the race ended on Monday, Schumacher had not only claimed the winner’s trophy, but he set a new record by winning 24 straight elimination rounds. He drove furiously, mowing down his competitors and pushing his way to the head of the pack. The win also extended his winning streak to six consecutive national event wins – a new Top Fuel record. This was his eleventh win of the, a new class record, and his seventh victory at the U.S. Nationals in nine years. The mean machine is now tied with Joe Amato, with 52 victories for first all-time in Top Fuel. If his luck continues he may pass Amato in two weeks time when he races at the Carolina Nationals in Concord.

When asked about his success on the track this past weekend, Schumacher said: “An awful lot of great things happened today. To do all of that on the same day you win at Indy, it’s hard to figure out what you’re smiling about most.” And he certainly was smiling. And who could blame him? That kind of success is part luck, part hard work and he’s proved that he’s earned every bit of it. In the final race against Doug Kalitta, Schumacher flew down the hot track in 3.916 seconds, leaving Kalitta to choke on his fumes and finish in 4.036 seconds. Schumacher now faces the Countdown to One championship playoff in which he will be trying to take his fifth straight championship. The upcoming weeks will no doubt be exciting for Schumacher and his fans alike.