JOLIET, Ill. – Seven-time NHRA Top Fuel world champion Tony Schumacher owns 67 Wally trophies, the most of any driver in that category in NHRA history. However, at the moment, none of them are pewter.
As part of NHRA's 60th anniversary celebration, special limited edition Wally trophies are being presented to all Full Throttle Series winners at each of the 22 races during the 2011 season. These trophies feature a pewter finish and provide drivers with just a bit of extra incentive to try to add one to the trophy case.
So far, Schumacher and his U.S. Army dragster team hasn't had any luck acquiring one for their vast collection. He will try once again as a fan-favorite at the O'Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals, July 7-10 at Route 66 Raceway, near Chicago. Larry Dixon (Top Fuel), Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Mike Edwards (Pro Stock) and LE Tonglet (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are defending winners of the NHRA Full Throttle Series event which will be televised on ESPN2 HD.
"Those pewter Wallys are looking cool on everyone else's shelf," Schumacher said. "But I've got a shelf, too, and I need to fill it again."
With runner-up finishes at Gainesville and Atlanta and a trio of semifinal finishes and No. 1 qualifying performances highlighting his 2011 scorecard, Schumacher feels confident that his U.S. Army team is on the verge of making it to the winner's circle.
"Once we start putting up the kind of numbers we want, we're going to start piling up the final rounds and wins," Schumacher said. "We're just about there. I feel we're very close to knocking the door down. Mike Green (crew chief) is working extremely hard to get the Army car running in perfect form. And I have the utmost confidence it will happen."
A resident of Lake Forest, Ill., Schumacher is a three-time winner at Route 66 Raceway, his last win coming there in 2008. He says he always feeds off the good vibes produced by a strong contingent of local supporters, including family and friends.
"It's going to be a home game for me," Schumacher said. "That would be a great time to get our first victory of the year. My U.S. Army team will rebound just fine. Like Brigadier General William Rapp said, it's about teamwork; it's about perseverance; and it's about dedication. That is what we are all about."
In order to grab that first victory, Schumacher will need to consistently outrun a host of talented drivers, including Funny Car driver turned dragster pilot Del Worsham, who leads the point standings with four victories aboard his Al-Anabi Racing dragster, defending world champ and race winner Dixon, Antron Brown, red-hot Spencer Massey, Doug Kalitta, Brandon Bernstein and Morgan Lucas.
"The competition is very tight at the moment," he said. "It only takes one good race and you can suddenly be at or near the top of the pack. I suspect we are going to see this kind of action right up to and through the Countdown (playoffs)."
In Funny Car, series points leader Mike Neff has won three races while serving as both driver and crew chief for the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang. His teammate, Robert Hight, is a four-time winner this season in the Auto Club Mustang, while former drag racing instructor Jack Beckman has scored two victories in his Aaron's/Valvoline Dodge Charger. Veteran drivers Cruz Pedregon and Ron Capps have been to final rounds this season but are still looking for their first wins. Others to watch include defending event winner Hagan in his DieHard Dodge Charger, Houston winner Jeff Arend and Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Shelby Mustang driver Bob Tasca.
Jason Line is atop the series standings in Pro Stock with three victories in his Summit Racing Pontiac GXP. Defending event winner Edwards is always a threat at Route 66 in his Penhall/Interstate Batteries GXP. Erica Enders, who posted a runner-up finish here in 2005, has been knocking on the door to winner's circle in her ZaZa Energy Chevy Cobalt in her quest to become the first female Pro Stock winner in NHRA history. National record holder Rodger Brogdon, talented rookie Vincent Nobile, who won at Norwalk, Ohio two weeks ago, four-time world champ Greg Anderson, who has never won at Chicago, and Team Mopar's Allen Johnson, are all among the leaders in the 200-mph factory hot rod category.
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Eddie Krawiec's two victories aboard his Screamin' Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson lead the two-wheel category. A host of talented riders are among the pre-race favorites, including defending race winner Tonglet, Karen Stoffer, Andrew Hines, Matt Smith, Hector Arana Sr., Jerry Savoie, Michael Phillips, Jim Underdahl, Hector Arana Jr. and Steve Johnson.
* SCHEDULE: Full Throttle Drag Racing Series qualifying sessions are scheduled for 4 and 7 p.m. on Friday, July 8 and Saturday, July 9. Final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, July 10.
* TICKETS: Tickets are available for the O'Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals. Please call Route 66 Raceway at (815) 727-RACE or visit www.route66raceway.com.
* ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two hours of qualifying coverage at 9:30 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, July 9. ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise three hours of eliminations coverage beginning at 9 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, July 10.
* LUCAS OIL SERIES: The O'Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals also will feature competition in eight categories in the NHRA Lucas Oil Series, where the future stars of the NHRA Full Throttle Series are born. Lucas Oil Series qualifying begins at 9 a.m. on July 7. Lucas Oil Series eliminations begin at 9 a.m. on July 8 and continue through July 10.
* ON THE WEB: Get live timing, scoring, multimedia and the latest news updates from every NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event on the Internet at www.nhra.com. Visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
