JOHNSON GRADE FOR ARMY TEAM: "A"
Wed, 2009-10-07 21:28
For the first time this season, Top Fuel team owner Alan Johnson gave high marks to the 
overhauled U.S. Army team.
It is the team he left last November but remains linked to for his guidance in five of Tony Schumacher's six championships. The soldier-sponsored team is marching on toward a seventh series title with an entire new crew -- his seasoned troops followed General Johnson to the Al-Anabi Racing team with driver Larry Dixon.
Johnson indicated the Army team is building on his five years of performance development at Don Schumacher Racing and isn't squandering any of the advantages.
It is the team he left last November but remains linked to for his guidance in five of Tony Schumacher's six championships. The soldier-sponsored team is marching on toward a seventh series title with an entire new crew -- his seasoned troops followed General Johnson to the Al-Anabi Racing team with driver Larry Dixon.
Johnson indicated the Army team is building on his five years of performance development at Don Schumacher Racing and isn't squandering any of the advantages.
"Maybe it took five years to get there, but you can screw it up in five races. But they've maintained it. It's still a competitive car," Johnson said. "And I know they've changed a few things over there that's probably made it even a little bit better. So I'd have to give them an A."
He said he recommended Green to replace him "because he'd be the natural fit, because he's already been there and learned how we did things. He was able to learn our whole thought behind how we ran the car."
Schumacher, who took the move as a challenge to himself, said after his runner-up finish at Memphis, "I wouldn't trade Mike and the guys for anyone. They have done an outstanding job from Day One . . .with the weight of the world sitting on their shoulders. You can't imagine how much they want to bring home another title for the U.S. Army. Every weekend they're inspired by the Army Strong Soldiers in our pit area."
Although Johnson's own driver, two-time Top Fuel champion Dixon, led the Memphis field and is just 54 points off Schumacher's pace in the standings, Johnson said for his Al-Anabi team, this season "has been a struggle.
"It's difficult to start a whole new team and build a car that was as consistent as the one that took us five years to get it where it was. But we're gradually, methodically, figuring it out, and it's running pretty good right now," he said.
It is. Dixon, who has reached at least the semifinals in 11 of 21 races this season, has done so at four of the last six events.
Schumacher said, "I know a lot of people assume we're just running what we had last year. But (we have made) some pretty drastic changes to the car."
Both Schumacher and Dixon have won at Richmond, Dixon in 2000 and Schumacher last season.
"As far as Memphis goes, we're really bummed with the end result," said Dixon, who was top qualifier and lost to winner Morgan Lucas in the quarterfinals. "The Al-Anabi Dragster lost a cylinder early in the run in the second round and lost the race by one-thousandth of a second. It's a hard one to swallow, because the car ran so well all weekend.
"Fortunately for us," Dixon said, "Morgan beating Tony in the final certainly lessened the damage that could have been done. So now we're just less than three rounds out of first place and very much still in this thing."
He said his approach hasn't changed since the start of the Countdown.
"We want to be the quickest car in every qualifying session, run four rounds on Sunday, and hopefully come home with the trophy. The best way to gain ground in the points is to win races, and that's what we hope to do.
"I've won at Richmond, and so have Alan and Jason (crew chief McCulloch)," he said. "The weather there last year was awesome, and that's where they (Schumacher) set the national ET record."
Schumacher established the baseline for the newly installed 1,000-foot national record with his 3.771-second run at the Petersburg track a year ago. (He followed with the 1,000-foot speed mark later last year at Las Vegas).
"If the weather conditions are conducive, you could absolutely see a national E.T. record set there," Dixon said." Now that those records count for points, you'd be crazy not to try and go for it if the conditions are there."
As Funny Car E.T. record-holder Ron Capps said, "Don't think there's not going to be some teams shooting for that. Those extra 20 points could decide a championship."
Said Schumacher, "We did pretty well down there (at Virgnia Motorsports Park) last year, but we can't live in the past. We're only concerned about what's right in front of us."
That would be this weekend's Virginia Nationals, which begin Friday on a short turnaround from Monday's rain-delayed final eliminations at Memphis.
overhauled U.S. Army team.It is the team he left last November but remains linked to for his guidance in five of Tony Schumacher's six championships. The soldier-sponsored team is marching on toward a seventh series title with an entire new crew -- his seasoned troops followed General Johnson to the Al-Anabi Racing team with driver Larry Dixon.
Johnson indicated the Army team is building on his five years of performance development at Don Schumacher Racing and isn't squandering any of the advantages.
For the first time this season, Top Fuel team owner Alan Johnson gave high marks to the overhauled U.S. Army team.
Alan Johnson
Johnson indicated the Army team is building on his five years of performance development at Don Schumacher Racing and isn't squandering any of the advantages.
"Maybe it took five years to get there, but you can screw it up in five races. But they've maintained it. It's still a competitive car," Johnson said. "And I know they've changed a few things over there that's probably made it even a little bit better. So I'd have to give them an A."
He said he recommended Green to replace him "because he'd be the natural fit, because he's already been there and learned how we did things. He was able to learn our whole thought behind how we ran the car."
Schumacher, who took the move as a challenge to himself, said after his runner-up finish at Memphis, "I wouldn't trade Mike and the guys for anyone. They have done an outstanding job from Day One . . .with the weight of the world sitting on their shoulders. You can't imagine how much they want to bring home another title for the U.S. Army. Every weekend they're inspired by the Army Strong Soldiers in our pit area."
Although Johnson's own driver, two-time Top Fuel champion Dixon, led the Memphis field and is just 54 points off Schumacher's pace in the standings, Johnson said for his Al-Anabi team, this season "has been a struggle.
"It's difficult to start a whole new team and build a car that was as consistent as the one that took us five years to get it where it was. But we're gradually, methodically, figuring it out, and it's running pretty good right now," he said.It is. Dixon, who has reached at least the semifinals in 11 of 21 races this season, has done so at four of the last six events.
Schumacher said, "I know a lot of people assume we're just running what we had last year. But (we have made) some pretty drastic changes to the car."
Both Schumacher and Dixon have won at Richmond, Dixon in 2000 and Schumacher last season.
"As far as Memphis goes, we're really bummed with the end result," said Dixon, who was top qualifier and lost to winner Morgan Lucas in the quarterfinals. "The Al-Anabi Dragster lost a cylinder early in the run in the second round and lost the race by one-thousandth of a second. It's a hard one to swallow, because the car ran so well all weekend.
"Fortunately for us," Dixon said, "Morgan beating Tony in the final certainly lessened the damage that could have been done. So now we're just less than three rounds out of first place and very much still in this thing."
He said his approach hasn't changed since the start of the Countdown.
"We want to be the quickest car in every qualifying session, run four rounds on Sunday, and hopefully come home with the trophy. The best way to gain ground in the points is to win races, and that's what we hope to do.
"I've won at Richmond, and so have Alan and Jason (crew chief McCulloch)," he said. "The weather there last year was awesome, and that's where they (Schumacher) set the national ET record."Schumacher established the baseline for the newly installed 1,000-foot national record with his 3.771-second run at the Petersburg track a year ago. (He followed with the 1,000-foot speed mark later last year at Las Vegas).
"If the weather conditions are conducive, you could absolutely see a national E.T. record set there," Dixon said." Now that those records count for points, you'd be crazy not to try and go for it if the conditions are there."
As Funny Car E.T. record-holder Ron Capps said, "Don't think there's not going to be some teams shooting for that. Those extra 20 points could decide a championship."
Said Schumacher, "We did pretty well down there (at Virgnia Motorsports Park) last year, but we can't live in the past. We're only concerned about what's right in front of us."
That would be this weekend's Virginia Nationals, which begin Friday on a short turnaround from Monday's rain-delayed final eliminations at Memphis.
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