Top Fuel’s Tony Schumacher Hitting Stride Heading to Stampede of Speed, Texas NHRA FallNationals
Eight-time world champion Tony Schumacher is back in the world title hunt and heading to one of his favorite tracks on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series tour, a combination that could bode well for the longtime Top Fuel star.
Fresh off his victory in St. Louis, Schumacher is ready to roll at this weekend’s 39th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals at legendary Texas Motorplex, an event that caps off the Stampede of Speed.
Now living in Texas, Schumacher plans to take in all of what the spectacular 10-day event has to offer and he hopes to close it out with a second straight victory in his 11,000-horsepower Leatherwood Distillery/Waltrip Brewing Co. dragster for JCM Racing.
Schumacher is sixth in the Top Fuel points after his first victory in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs since 2014, sitting 103 points back of first as he seeks his seventh career victory at Texas Motorplex. No other Top Fuel driver has more than three, meaning the facility, which also is the site of his first career Top Fuel victory, has treated Schumacher very well over the years.
“I love that place. It’s where I won my first race and one of the places where it set us up for our first championship (in 1999),” Schumacher said. “There will be tons of friends and family there, and it’s going to be a great time. We’ve won there before and I love going to that race. The Meyer family are just great and it’s a really cool place. We’ll be there for a couple weeks and we’ll be prepared, that’s for sure.”
Last season, Leah Pruett (Top Fuel), Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) all collected NHRA wins in Dallas and this year’s race will again be broadcast on FS1, with elimination coverage airing at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday Oct. 13. It is the fourth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship and the 18th of 20 races during the 2024 season.
A Texas-sized playoff showdown starts with “Friday Night Live,” which offers more than $40,000 in bonus money to the stars in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle. The low qualifier under the lights on Friday night will net Top Fuel and Funny Car stars $15,000 each in bonus money, with $7,500 going to the quickest qualifier in Pro Stock and $5,000 in Pro Stock Motorcycle. That leads into final qualifying on Saturday and race day Sunday, where Schumacher looks to continue his momentum from St. Louis.
The team appears to have solved the issues that have plagued them in recent seasons and Schumacher, who has 88 career Top Fuel wins, is ready to pounce. But he’ll need an impressive late-season run if a ninth title is in the cards. Antron Brown is the current points leader, while other top contenders in the top five include Justin Ashley, Shawn Langdon, reigning world champion Doug Kalitta and Texan Steve Torrence.
“I’m really proud of my guys. We hurt ourselves early on (in the Countdown), but we’re closer than we were when we started St. Louis,” Schumacher said. “It’s been fantastic. Let’s face it, we struggled, and we didn’t have a great car and for three years we tried to find our problem. We found it in Brainerd.
“I had said we found it several times before, but it wasn’t the right problem. We found it and I’m so proud of the guys. We just couldn’t get it to go down the track and a couple of races ago, (Neff) found it. They’ve sucked it up and figured it out, and it’s a beautiful thing.”
Hagan is the reigning Funny Car champion, and his 2023 Texas NHRA FallNationals was a major reason he grabbed his fourth title. If he wants to go back-to-back in Dallas, he’ll need to get by Funny Car points leader and class newcomer Austin Prock, Bob Tasca III, J.R. Todd, Ron Capps and Jack Beckman, who is driving for John Force.
Enders, a Texas native, has three wins at the Texas Motorplex. She’s looking for her first win since the season-opener while trying to track down points leader Dallas Glenn, who has back-to-back wins, teammate Aaron Stanfield and longtime rival Greg Anderson.
Herrera won the Texas NHRA FallNationals, setting class records in the process, en route to the world title. He’s back in the points lead after his St. Louis win. The six-time champ Matt Smith is in second, while others to watch include John Hall, Angie Smith, 2023 NHRA Rookie of the Year Chase Van Sant, Richard Gadson and Jianna Evaristo.
The Texas NHRA FallNationals also will feature thrilling competition in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, which includes some of the sport’s top drivers and begins racing on Wednesday, Oct. 9. The weekend will include the exciting new Holley EFI Factory X category and the Jr. Dragster Shootout, as well as a jet dragster exhibition after nitro qualifying on Friday.
Fans will also be treated to the JEG’s Allstar event, which pits sportsman racers from across the country against each other for the ultimate drag racing battle. After a successful first year at the famed Texas Motorplex in 2023, the unique specialty race is back as a major highlight of the 2024 Stampede of Speed as one of most highly-anticipated sportsman events of the year.
Fans will be invited all weekend long to the Nitro Alley Stage, which is the main entertainment hub in the pits, hosting Nitro School, meet and greets, music and much more. Race fans at Texas Motorplex can enjoy the special pre-race ceremonies that introduce and celebrate each of the drivers racing for the prestigious Wally on Sunday and includes the fan favorite SealMaster Track Walk. The final can’t-miss experience of any NHRA event is the winner’s circle celebration on Sunday after racing concludes, where fans are invited to congratulate the Texas NHRA FallNationals event winners.
As always, fans can get a pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. Fans can see their favorite teams in action and servicing their hot rods between rounds, get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers, and more. They can also visit NHRA’s Manufacturers Midway, where sponsors and race vendors create an exciting atmosphere that includes interactive displays, merchandise, food, and fun.
Leading into the race, fans can take part in several events as part of the 10-day Stampede for Speed festival. That includes the NHRA Divisional race (October 7-8), Stampede of Speed Shootout (October 8), JEGS Allstars qualifying (October 9), Champions’ Dinner (October 9, 6 p.m.) and the NHRA FanFest at Railyard Park in downtown Waxahachie (October 10, 6 p.m.), where fans can meet and get autographs from all the top stars in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and the JEGS Allstars participants.
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 4:15 and 7:00 p.m. CT on Friday, Oct. 11, and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, Oct. 12 at 12:00 and 3:00 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 12:00 p.m. CT on Sunday, Oct. 13. Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 2:00 p.m. ET on Sunday and as well as action from eliminations at 4 p.m.
To purchase tickets to the Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex, call 800-668-6775 or visit tickets.texasmotorplex.com. Children 12 and under are admitted free in general admissions areas with a paid adult. For more information about NHRA, visit www.nhra.com.
This story was originally published on October 8, 2024.
The post Top Fuel’s Tony Schumacher Hitting Stride Heading to Stampede of Speed, Texas NHRA FallNationals first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
