SCHUMACHER PULLS BACK INTO THE TOP FUEL RACE
Mon, 2010-05-03 15:22
Just when you think it’s safe to write off Tony Schumacher he thunders back with
a reminder why he’s the defending NHRA Top Fuel champion and a 63-time national event winner.Schumacher defeated Doug Kalitta to capture his second career NHRA Midwest Nationals victory at Gateway International Raceway located outside of St. Louis and his second win of the 2010 season.
His contends the win was not sending a message but rather just a matter of racing the way he always has. He lets the chips fall where they may.
“I'm a pretty laid back guy for the years,” said Schumacher, “You don't see me throwing helmets. You don't see me pissed off. If we get beat, we get beat.”
Just when you think it’s safe to write off Tony Schumacher he thunders back with
a reminder why he’s the defending NHRA Top Fuel champion and a 63-time national event winner.Schumacher defeated Doug Kalitta to capture his second career NHRA Midwest Nationals victory at Gateway International Raceway located outside of St. Louis and his second win of the 2010 season.
His contends the win was not sending a message but rather just a matter of racing the way he always has. He lets the chips fall where they may.
“I'm a pretty laid back guy for the years,” said Schumacher, “You don't see me throwing helmets. You don't see me pissed off. If we get beat, we get beat.”
Schumacher doesn’t believe his team has lost pace with the leaders - Larry Dixon, Cory McClenathan and Kalitta. He leaves the winner’s circle in fourth place, 92 points out of first.
“We've gotten beat with some really good races this year,” Schumacher said. “We've gotten beat a couple stupid things. We out in Houston and smoked the tires first round. We have no idea what happened there; either a bad clutch disc or something. But, more often than not, it's just good old races we're getting beat at.”
For Schumacher, Sunday’s victory in St. Louis was just a matter of winning the races he needed to and getting a break or two along the way. Admittedly his second round win over Pat Dakin with a 4.209 was a draw on the luck bank, but his semi-final triumph over Dixon with a 3.863 was nothing more than standing up to the challenge.
“We went out and outperformed everyone,” Schumacher explained. “We got a lucky break second round against Dakin. More often than not you need that lucky break. It was a good day. To beat Dixon in that third round – that's just a monster run. We're going to have those battles.”
Credit a fair share of the monster run to a test session Schumacher and the team conducted on the day after the NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals two weeks ago in Las Vegas. The test directly attributed to overcoming their second round shortcomings.
“We've struggled with that second round, but once we get by that second round we win the race,” Schumacher admitted. “We've got to keep working on that second round, that's the apparent key out here. Mike (Green) did a great job. Neil, all the guys that work on the car dug super deep.
“Mike was up in the lounge going, 'every time I do this and back it down I know it needs to be backed down but I'm not doing it this time. I'm moving it forward.' He did it and it just hauled butt.”
“The track is hot. It was just a perfect run under the circumstances. That thing went out and did exactly what it had to do.”
Schumacher revels in the fact he performs the best when he’s in charge of his destiny.
“I've been blessed with the fact our championships have been decided by us having to win,” Schumacher said. “Rather than watching some else get beat. In 2006 with Kalitta, I had to lose and he would have been the champ. I don't think that is the way he wanted it. He had done an amazing job. You want the ball in your hands for the final shot.”
And on Sunday in St. Louis, Schumacher had a ball.
Categories:
