Even in the years that have offered a Top Fuel Shootout bonus race, Tony Schumacher hasn’t gotten two trophies at a single event, let alone two Wally statues.

But the U.S. Army Dragster driver added the unique and prestigious honor to his long list Sunday at the Texas Motorplex with his 3.891-second, 318.62-mph victory over top qualifier JR Todd in the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals.

Even in the years that have offered a Top Fuel Shootout bonus race, Tony Schumacher hasn’t gotten two trophies at a single event, let alone two Wally statues.

But the U.S. Army Dragster driver added the unique and prestigious honor to his long list Sunday at the Texas Motorplex with his 3.891-second, 318.62-mph victory over top qualifier JR Todd in the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals.

After winning Saturday’s delayed final from Charlotte on this track at Ennis, south of Dallas, Schumacher became the first driver to claim two pro national-event victories in one weekend – within 24 hours, even.

“We’ve won two races in 24 hours,” Schumacher said as he sported his new cowboy hat that the winners of this race are awarded. “It’s an unbelievable situation. I won the race, went and had dinner, went to bed, got up, came out here and won another race.”

That they were Countdown to the Championship races – the first two in a run of six – made it more memorable. That it gave him a 106-point lead as the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series moves later this week to St. Louis made it phenomenal.

“This ranks right at the top, right at the top," Schumacher said from the winners circle under a scorching heat symbolic of his momentum. "I don't know that it has ever been done before. I don't know that anyone has ever had the opportunity. I don't think we've ever seen anything like this where you've actually had to dig that deep, that many times in a row.”

His two newest trophies – Nos. 75 and 76, from his new home track – will go to his new home near Austin. They’ll sit on the shelf beside the first one he ever earned, which also came at this facility in 1999. To make room for them, he’ll have to slide over the ones he also earned here in 2004, 2005, 2009, and 2010. His seven turns in property owner Billy Meyer’s winners circle are the most among all Top Fuel drivers.

And of his latest headwear he said, “It represents a win, man. They don’t give ‘em away.” He didn’t give anything away, either, in this 20th winning weekend with Mike Green as his crew chief.

It wasn’t lost on Schumacher the significance of striking early in the Countdown.

"We are going right to St. Louis and then right to Reading (Pa.), it's brutal.

“It’s just brutal pressure,” he said "We're in the points lead and we have to stay ahead," he said after acing his fourth final this season and 129th of his career. “Going in with this much momentum will place the pressure on other people. Some will be able to handle it. Some won’t.” He said it’s critical “to be able to calm down and stage these cars, to stay calm and cool when everything is completely un-calm and uncool, being able to contain it during mass hysteria is how you win these championships.”

Schumacher would know. He’s going after his eighth series crown. And he recognizes what a feat it is to have a five-round advantage on his closest competition two races into the playoffs. He said he didn’t expect to find himself in this superior of a catbird seat: “Absolutely not – too many good cars.”

Despite a relentless schedule of four races in as many weekends to begin the Countdown, Schumacher said he really doesn’t want to take time off.

“There's no time for a break, no time for rest. But with that being said, with the fantastic momentum that we have going right now, I don't want a break.

"I want to dominate. I want to leave Reading with a couple-hundred-point lead and go to Vegas and close the deal before we get to Pomona for the last race. That's how we roll. We have a team absolutely capable of doing that right now," he said.

Another Texan, Steve Torrence, of Kilgore, has improved from fifth to second, leapfrogging regular-season leader Doug Kalitta by a single point. Todd has moved from the 10th and final Countdown slot to fourth, 128 off Schumacher’s pace.

Don Schumacher Racing, which has had double-up weekends in Top Fuel and Funny Car many times, earned three of the four available nitro-class victories this weekend, including Matt Hagan’s Funny Car title Saturday for the Charlotte race in the Rocky Boots/Freightliner/Mopar Dodge Charger.

Schumacher eliminated Leah Pritchett, Bob Vandergriff, and Troy Buff, another home-state racer from near Houston who reached his second semifinal of the year.

Todd covered the 1,000-foot course at 4.134 seconds at 251.49 mph in the Optima Batteries Dragster. He defeated Shawn Langdon in the semifinals and before that Morgan Lucas and Spencer Massey to make his second final-round appearance this year and 10th of his career.

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