SCHUMACHER RIDING IN CIRCLES?

Thu, 2008-01-24 20:43
Defending NHRA POWERade Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher was recently spotted testing a Late Model stock car at All-American Speedway in Roseville, CA, an activity he had hoped to keep under the radar.  In truth, Schumacher was doing nothing more than numerous other drag racers have done for years.
 
Before he became legendary for Land Speed efforts and his innovative Indy cars, Mickey Thompson was a drag racer.  Before he turned heads at the Indy 500, Danny Ongais was a Funny Car driver, just as are Ron Capps, Cruz and Tony Pedregon and Gary Scelzi, all of whom have been spending time going in circles, often in “real” competition.
 
Bill McAnally’s self-named racing operation fields a series of NASCAR-like stock cars in northern California.  While he confirmed Schumacher’s presence at the track, he refused to go into any detail, citing what he believed to be Schumacher’s desire to keep the whole thing quiet.  However, when we reached Schumacher, he was more than willing to talk about his experiences.  And besides, we had spy photos regardless!
tony_and_bill_mcanally.jpgDefending NHRA POWERade Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher was recently spotted testing a Late Model stock car at All-American Speedway in Roseville, CA, an activity he had hoped to keep under the radar.  In truth, Schumacher was doing nothing more than numerous other drag racers have done for years.
 
Before he became legendary for Land Speed efforts and his innovative Indy cars, Mickey Thompson was a drag racer.  Before he turned heads at the Indy 500, Danny Ongais was a Funny Car driver, just as are Ron Capps, Cruz and Tony Pedregon and Gary Scelzi, all of whom have been spending time going in circles, often in “real” competition.
 
Bill McAnally’s self-named racing operation fields a series of NASCAR-like stock cars in northern California.  While he confirmed Schumacher’s presence at the track, he refused to go into any detail, citing what he believed to be Schumacher’s desire to keep the whole thing quiet.  However, when we reached Schumacher, he was more than willing to talk about his experiences.  And besides, we had spy photos regardless!
 
“I was coaching,” he said, jokingly.  “I am definitely not trying to switch careers.  I used to go for the (Richard Petty Driving Experience) deals just to have fun.  Actually, years ago Chris Dirato (U.S. Army PR representative) asked me if I wanted to go to the Richard Petty Driving Experience.  We were in Vegas at the time, so I went over there and made eight laps, and it was just fun.  I had never done anything like that before, although I had run the Skip Barber Formula Ford series for a year when I was 19.
 
tony.jpg“After I did the eight laps they said, Hey, man, you wanna take some people for rides?  So, I had some fun, taking people for rides.
 
“The other thing was that Chris asked me a few years ago if I wanted to test some IROC cars.  I wanted to do it, but it was recommended to me that I shouldn’t because it was in the middle of the (drag racing) season, so I said okay, and didn’t do it.
 
“This past summer one of the guys who helps us with sponsorships asked me if I wanted to drive a Late Model or Grand National-type of car, and he told me about Bill McAnally’s cars on the West Coast.  Well, (Bill) came to Sonoma, where we had a great time.  He invited me to come out and make some laps, so I had a seat made by LaJoie, and just went out there and had fun.  It was just a very good time.
 
“We’re trying to keep this low key.  We didn’t want the press coming out there and making a big deal out of it.  We just wanted to have fun and learn.  You know the last thing I want is to go somewhere (and drive) and have people criticizing until you get good.  If you ever do want to run a race you want to go out and win.  I don’t want to do it any other way, so Bill told me we were going to keep it kind of low key.
 
“Chris (Dirato) called me this morning and said, Nobody knows who it is, but I said, Come on, everyone knows, and no one cares.  Cruz goes out there all the time, and nobody cares, and Capps and Scelzi go out and (drive other types of race cars).  I just want to run good, and I ran good there.
 
“I’ve talked to my dad, and he says when he was driving Funny Cars, one of the companies he was involved with wanted him to (try other types of race cars), and he regrets never doing it.  Now, do I want to leave drag racing?  No.  Do I want to leave what’s to me the greatest sport in the world?  Absolutely not.  I have no intention of doing that.
Do I want to retire and never have gone around in a circle, or raced, and it doesn’t have to be a Cup car, I don’t care, no, I just want to have fun.
 
“If someone came to me and said, Hey, we’re going to put you in a Cup car,  I’m nowhere near prepared, nor am I stupid enough to think that I could do that without years of practice.”
 
So, like the others who have gone before him, Tony Schumacher remains aimed down the straight and true quarter mile.  But who knows, there might come a time when, after a season is concluded, he could be going around in circles – and mean it!
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