SCHUMACHER'S DEJA VU EXPERIENCE
Stop us if you’ve heard
this scenario before. Tony Schumacher enters the final race of the season
trailing in the points and has to win the event to claim the championship.
Blame it on Schumacher for
making it look easy last season by not only winning the event but in also
setting the new elapsed time record.
Standing in his way this
time was Bob Vandergriff, a 12-time runner-up in final round matches.
Schumacher certainly had
the pressure on his shoulders considering he’d lost two out of three matches in
2007 to Vandergriff. The one bright spot is the final round in
That, and a championship on the line, was all Schumacher needed. He clinched the title with the convincing victory over Vandergriff and edged Hot Rod Fuller by 19 points.
Stop us if you’ve heard
this scenario before. Tony Schumacher enters the final race of the season
trailing in the points and has to win the event to claim the championship.
Blame it on Schumacher for
making it look easy last season by not only winning the event but in also
setting the new elapsed time record.
Standing in his way this
time was Bob Vandergriff, a 12-time runner-up in final round matches.
Schumacher certainly had
the pressure on his shoulders considering he’d lost two out of three matches in
2007 to Vandergriff. The one bright spot is the final round in
That, and a championship
on the line, was all Schumacher needed. He clinched the title with the
convincing victory over Vandergriff and edged Hot Rod Fuller by 19 points.
“After second round, ‘I
said this was déjà vu because my knees were shaking,” Schumacher said. “My guys
are so good at crunch time when they absolutely have to do it.”
Schumacher credited the
new championship format for allowing him to test for certain conditions,
specifically today’s championship run.
“We tested motors and we
tested parts,” Schumacher said. “The stuff that went on those cars we felt were
perfect. Parts and pieces break and that testing time will enable you to
eliminate those parts. It’s a blessing for us.”
Making his fourth
consecutive triumph even sweeter was that he did it on his dad, drag racing
legend Don Schumacher’s birthday.
“That was huge,”
Schumacher said. “I hope in 15 years or so that my kids feel the same way about
me. He gives us the best.”
Saturday evening Mr.
Schumacher asked his son out to dinner. He declined because he wanted to
retreat to his bus and relax for Sunday’s challenge.
“I went back to my bus and
had six