DRIVER
TONY SCHUMACHER: "The Sarge"
No one in NHRA Top Fuel history has accomplished what Tony "The Sarge" Schumacher has behind the wheel of his U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster. Schumacher owns seven world titles, 67 career wins, 110 final round appearances and 67 career poles. He has compiled the most wins among Top Fuel drivers and ranks fifth on the all-time pro victories list behind John Force, Warren Johnson, Bob Glidden and Kenny Bernstein. The 2011 season only added to his great accomplishments by finishing in the top five in points for the 10th straight season and qualifying for every race, bringing his qualifying streak to 200; second on the NHRA active driver list.
Schumacher continues to demonstrate the mental, emotional and physical strengths of our Army Strong Soldiers, similar to his championship run in 2009. Working with an entirely new race crew, "The Sarge" piloted the U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster to his sixth consecutive Top Fuel crown. He also captured the prestigious U.S. Nationals for the eighth time in his career tying "Big Daddy" Don Garlits for the most all-time Top Fuel wins at that event.
Tony’s 2008 season was one for the NHRA record books as well. With the U.S. Army colors adorning his Top Fuel dragster, Schumacher secured his Top Fuel-record sixth career world title, and became the winningest driver in Top Fuel history with his 53rd career win at ZMax raceway in Charlotte, N.C. During his record-setting season, he also set marks for most consecutive Top Fuel victories in a single season (7) and most consecutive round wins (31).
"The Sarge" made NHRA U.S Army racing history in 2007 when he rallied from 67 points down in the standings to earn his fourth straight world championship. His 2007 title tied him with Don "The Snake" Prudhomme for most consecutive titles with the U.S. Army as his sponsor. Another dramatic comeback came during Schumacher’s 2006 world championship win. Tony grabbed the 2006 crown with a victory during the final round at the last race of the year, while setting a national elapsed-time record for the quarter-mile (4.428-seconds) in the process. It was the biggest comeback in NHRA history. The stunning comeback win came on the heels of back-to-back world championship seasons for Schumacher and the U.S. Army Top Fuel racing team in 2004-2005.
After watching his father, Don "The Shoe" Schumacher, dominate the NHRA Funny Car class in the 1970s, it was only a matter of time before a young Tony Schumacher began his drag racing career. While Tony turned professional in 1996, it was three years later when the California native had his coming-out party driving for his dad’s newly formed Top Fuel team. In his first full NHRA season, he captured his first world championship, and set the foundation for a historic career in racing.
Born on December 25, 1969, Schumacher lives in the Chicago suburbs with his wife, Cara; two sons, Anthony and Michael; and daughter, Jacqueline.
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- NHRA Video Blog 1 - Army Racing Team
- NHRA Video Blog 2 - Army Racing Team
- NHRA Video Blog 3 - Army Racing Team
- NHRA Video Blog 4 - Army Racing Team
- NHRA Video Blog 5 - Army Racing Team
- NHRA Video Blog 6 - Army Racing Team
NHRA VIDEO BLOG 4
Army Racing Team
Announcer: We're here with Tony Schumacher at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis. Tony you've had great success here at ORP and the U.S. Nationals specifically 7-time winner going for your 8th win trying to tie Don Garlits for the most Top Fuel wins in the U.S. Nationals history. Tell us about your feelings going into this race.
Tony: Just a I think any kind of lucky track where you perform well at, when you just can't wait to get back to it. I think you know it's the last race before the countdown we've pretty much have set where we are on the points going into the final 6-races. So actually just show up and trying to win that's a great thing just show up kind of remember when you were young and how you used to get into a race car go out and try to perform. Its what our team is really good at. This is the dominate track for us we got good data from testing here and you know we've won it seven times, but I've been in the finals here nine times including the 1st race I was ever at. One week after I licensed in 1996, so if everyone has their tracks this is mine hope to go out and tie big daddy Don Garlits record with 8 wins.
More importantly, just go out and win this race again. Its the toughest, the toughest race of the year because most cars show-up with the best parts and pieces willing to sacrifice everything to get the win and if anyone tells you that winning is not important they've never won.
Announcer: Now we've talked about you know winning here at Indy, but this is gonna be the seed that's planted for the countdown to one playoff what start in two-weeks from today, two-weeks from this week-end in Charlotte. Obviously you want to run well, try to gain some momentum going in, going into the post season.
Tony: Absolutely, you want to run well in every race, but all testing is finish right here. We're not testing anymore we're pulling out every piece and part we have, everything we've tested since Denver is on in this race car to win this race to get the motion going in the right direction before we get into Charlotte, it exactly right. No type of playing around anymore all we get is the more shortcut this is it. This is where the hard work and the determination is suppose to pay off right now.
Announcer: Now you started this at this race, the beginning of a new season for the Youth and Education Services Program better known as the YES Program. Much of students join you on Friday us about your involvement with the YES program and how beneficial that is to the U.S. Army and to the motor sports world actually.
Tony: I think it's beneficial to the motor sports world and to the Army hopefully it's as beneficial to the kids that what they're bringing them out for just to give them a little bit of insight. You know when I was sixteen I can't honestly tell you that I ever spent anytime thinking about what my ultimate goals were. To think that's what we're out there doing I'm not telling them ???look you got to be a soldier', ???I'm telling try to plan what you're going to be' so you don't wake up ten-years from now and being stuck with whatever's left. I think it's a pretty simple task we've invited them out, we show them how, I think a lot of people go, oh it's a day off from school. No, it's a day in a different school, we are teaching them here, we're trying to present them with opportunities to show them the different jobs that motor sports can offer, that the Army can offer. It's fairly unique for teachers you know to bring kids out to actual race to show them the behind the scenes, the different jobs, give them a little hope, at sixteen, seventeen, eighteen years old little insight maybe let them see something that they might want to be so that they can have a goal because until you have that goal because until you have that goal its hard to work toward it.