Schumacher grabs victory
Posted on Monday, September 29, 2008
MEMPHIS — If anyone was going to challenge Tony Schumacher for the NHRA top fuel world championship, his competitors knew they needed to start knocking him out of some events, the earlier the better.
Sorry, folks.
A week after failing to win for the first time since July, Schumacher returned to victory lane Sunday at the 21 st annual O’Reilly Mid-South Nationals at Memphis Motorsports Park.
“No slump yet,” Schumacher said, laughing. “We wanted to end that before it got started.”
Schumacher lost in the final round last week at Ennis, Texas, ending his record streak of seven consecutive victories that included a record of 31 round victories in a row. But he returned to his winning ways in Memphis, turning in a run of 3. 880 seconds at 309. 91 mph in the final to defeat Doug Herbert (3. 979 at 295. 85 ).
“We’ve always ran well at Memphis,” said Schumacher, who took his 13 th victory in 21 events this year and the 55 th of his career. “We’ve won here, and we’ve crashed spectacularly here.
“ It was a high-performance day. Everyone ran well. But our guys answered the challenge like they have all year.”
No other driver ranked in the top four of top fuel points advanced past the second round. As a result, Schumacher extended his points lead to 166 points and appears headed to his fifth consecutive world title and sixth overall.
“We want to leave nothing on the table,” he said. “Our lead is nine rounds with 12 rounds left to run, which is great. But if we can’t close the deal, we don’t deserve it.”
It was another short day for Rogers’ Rod Fuller in top fuel. Fuller lost in the first round for the second event in a row, falling to Schumacher. After near-identical reaction times, Fuller pulled in front and continued to lead at half-track. But Schumacher drove around him on the top end of the track and won in 3. 880 seconds at 310. 63 mph to Fuller’s 3. 897 at 304. 94.
“One of my fellow competitors said they should call me ‘Cold Rod’ instead of ‘ Hot Rod, ’” said Fuller, who has not advanced past the second round since July. “And I don’t really have an answer for it. We need to start winning rounds.”
Craig Treble, formerly of Hensley, won his 12 th career national event during a strange day in pro stock motorcycle.
First, top qualifier Chip Ellis red-lighted against No. 16 qualifier G. T. Tonglet in the first round. No. 12 qualifier Angie McBride advanced in the first two rounds after consecutive red-light starts by championship contender Steve Johnson and three-time world champion Andrew Hines.
But after defeating Michael Phillips in Round 1, Treble thumped Tonglet and McBride to reach his 26 th career final round. In the final, he faced Eddie Krawiec, who advanced by virtue of points leader’s Matt Smith’s red light in the semifinals.
But Krawiec broke shortly after the start, and Treble cruised to the victory with a run of 6. 985 seconds, his fastest of the event.
After several years scrambling in the privateer ranks, Treble is now riding for Don Schumacher Racing, one of the top teams in the sport.
“We’re making crazy horsepower right now,” Treble said. “I don’t know where that nine-eight came in the final. But that is what this team does.”
Treble is signed with Don Schumacher through the end of the season, and he said he hopes to negotiate a extension through next season.
In funny car, points leader Tim Wilkerson won impressively, defeating John Force Racing teammates in the final three rounds. He downed 14-time world champion John Force in the second round (4. 231 to 4. 405 ), Robert Hight in the semifinals (4. 168 to 4. 208 ) and Ashley Force in the final (4. 166 to 4. 183 ).
In the pro stock final, Mike Edwards took his second victory of the season and 15 th of his career when Jason Line’s Pontiac darted toward the center line at the launch, forcing the 2006 world champion to lift.
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