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closeU.S. Nationals: Streaks, 'saves' and fast times
Schumacher, Hight, Connolly, Johnson win on the NHRA's biggest weekend
ThatsRacin.com Report
Monday, Sep. 01, 2008
Tony Schumacher wins Top Fuel at the 54th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Clermont, Indiana on Monday, Sept. 1, 2008. (AP Photo/Auto Imagery, NHRA)
INDIANAPOLIS - Tony Schumacher didn't know what to be happiest about after the National Hot Rod Association's U.S. Nationals, but the driver who's dominating the Top Fuel class in historic fashion wasn't the only one smiling Monday afternoon.
Robert Hight won in Funny Car, "saving" the weekend for John Force Racing. Dave Connolly, driving for the Mooresville, N.C.-based Cagnazzi Racing, won here for the second straight year in Pro Stock. Steve Johnson got his second U.S. Nationals win in three years in Pro Stock motorcycles - but this time he actually got to have a proper celebration.
But the story, as it has been all season, was Schumacher.
"I had to be a machine," said the driver of the U.S. Army-sponsored dragster owned by his father, Don.
Indeed, Tony mowed down his competitors relentlessly, extending his winning streak to a Top Fuel record six straight national events. He's won 24 straight rounds, also a record, having last lost to Rod Fuller at Norwalk, Conn., in the second round.
Those were just two of the records Schumacher matched or set with his third straight victory here and his seventh win in the past nine years at drag racing's biggest event. It was 11th win this year and allowed him to tie Joe Amato for first all-time in Top Fuel with 52 victories.
Schumacher's first chance to break that tie will come in two weeks when the NHRA makes its inaugural visit to the new zMAX Dragway at Concord, N.C., for the Carolina Nationals.
"An awful lot of great things happened today," said Schumacher, who blasted down a hot track at O'Reilly Raceway Park in 3.916 seconds (309.13 mph) in the final against Doug Kalitta, who went down in 4.036 seconds (299.86 mph).
"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."
The upcoming race in the heart of NASCAR country also marks the start of the NHRA's Countdown to One championship playoff, in which Schumacher will seek his fifth straight championship and a sixth overall.
That kind of success has his name coming up in discussions about the all-time best in this sport, something Schumacher said is hard to comprehend. Earlier in the weekend, Schumacher said he found himself standing back to back with the legendary "Big Daddy" Don Garlits for a television interview.
"I said to myself, 'Is this real? You've got to be kidding me," he said.
Hight is the son-in-law of 14-time champion John Force, who failed to qualify for eliminations at this race for a second straight year. Force's three other Funny Cars made the show, though, and Hight kept finding ways to advance until he reached the final against Jack Beckman, who drives for Schumacher Racing.
"On the way to the track this morning, I went by the cemetery to see Eric," Hight said, referring to teammate Eric Medlen, who was killed in a crash during testing in 2007. As Hight drove into the cemetery he saw John Medlen, Eric's father, coming out.
In Monday's second round, Hight paired off against Mike Neff in the Force-owned car that Eric Medlen drove and John Medlen crew chiefs. Hight made his best pass of the day, 4.193 seconds at 288.03 mph, to advance.
He took out points leader Tim Wilkerson in the semifinals and then topped Beckman by running 4.312 (283.85 mph) while Beckman smoked his tires just past half-track.
"When Force came to the end of the track he said, 'You saved me,' " Hight said. "He is not a good spectator. He wants to be in one of these cars so badly."
Connolly knows that feeling. He sat out the first five races this year while team owner Victor Cagnazzi secured a sponsor, but now has three event wins on the season and made it back up to sixth in the standings to qualify for the Countdown.
"To win Indy once is incredible, but to win it back to back is unbelievable," said Connolly, who outran Larry Morgan in the final. Connolly's time was 6.743 seconds (206.04 mph) to a 6.797 (at 204.70 mph) for Morgan.
Johnson won the U.S. Nationals in 2005, but only after the NHRA reviewed replays when Matt Smith was declared the winner at the finish line.
"When we won this race the first time we didn't get any love," said Johnson, who learned about the reversal a day later via a telephone call. He more than made up for it this time, climbing a fence at the top end of the track in the style of Helio Castroneves and Tony Stewart after running 7.034 seconds (189.79 mph) on his Suzuki to edge Andrew Hines' 7.063 seconds (187.63 mph) in the final.
Johnson, who is an avowed NASCAR fan, said he can't wait to show fans in the Carolinas what they've been missing.
"When we get down there to Charlotte," he said, "we are going to rock their world with cars going 300 mph and knuckleheads like me running almost 200 mph on these bikes."