Norwalk: Tony Schumacher final report

SCHUMACHER DROPS CLOSE SECOND ROUND RACE

NORWALK, Ohio, June 29 - Tony "The Sarge" Schumacher, who handles the controls of the U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster, lost a tight second round race to Rod Fuller here Sunday in the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park.

Schumacher, who was bidding for a third straight victory and his sixth of the season, recorded a 4.574-second run at 307.09 mph, but Fuller was a bit quicker with his 4.541-second jaunt at 320.43 mph.

"It was a terrific race," said the defending NHRA POWERade world champion. "Fuller and I have had some real battles this year, so for us to put on that kind of show for the fans was not surprising."

The Chicago-area resident, who won last year's race in Norwalk, left the starting line before Fuller and actually had a slight lead at half track, but Fuller reeled him in by the 1,000-foot mark and marched on by.

"It felt like the car nosed over a bit just before the finish line," added Schumacher. "You could probably figure that out just by looking at the speed. We'll take a look at the computer to see what happened and then we'll quickly start getting ready for the Western Swing."

Schumacher and his U.S. Army team will take the July 4th holiday weekend off before embarking on a three-race tour that will pass through Denver, Seattle and Sonoma, Calif. in succession.

The five-time world champion will begin the second half of the 2008 season with a firm grip on first-place in the Top Fuel standings. He's held that position since the season opener in February.

"We certainly like where we're at right now," he said. "But, at the same time, we're never satisfied. Our Soldiers always emphasize that the mission comes first. For us, the mission is to win another world title."

-credit: dsr