Tony Schumacher prepares to barrel down the track once again as the single-car Top Fuel team representing Don Schumacher Racing this drag season.
It’s a full circle for Don Schumacher Racing, which entered NHRA’s Camping World Drag Racing Series in 1998 as a single-car Top Fuel team for team owner Don Schumacher’s son Tony. It took until 1999 for Tony Schumacher to hit his stride in the class, earning the first of his 85 national events titles, becoming the first driver to sail past 330 miles per hour in a dragster on a quarter-mile drag strip and earning the first of his category-best eight series championships.
When the Don Schumacher Racing team began towards the close of the last century, it marked 24 years since Don Schumacher, who excelled in Funny Car competition, returned to the sport he loved, after focusing on growing his family’s business, Schumacher Electric.
2022 feels like “Back to the Future” for the Schumacher family, as Tony Schumacher returns to full-time competition for this year’s 22-race season, after making only a few starts since long-time sponsor, the U.S. Army departed the sport after the 2018 season. When the Army decided to forego its motorsports partnerships, Schumacher had no intention of performing without proper backing, disappointing fans who had slavishly followed his career.
Thanks to the Maynard Family and Scag Power Equipment, Schumacher returns to the cockpit full-time in 2022 after a three-year hiatus, wheeling the sole nitro-burning dragster from Don Schumacher Racing, with technical input from long-time DSR crew chief Todd Okuhara, and with assistance from Marc Denner and Scott Okuhara. This quartet is looking to add to Schumacher’s 88 No. 1 qualifiers and 850 round wins, and yes, a ninth Top Fuel title.
“My dad and I started this whole thing together,” Tony Schumacher acknowledged. “We started with one Top Fuel car in 1998 and won DSR’s very first championship together in ’99. Now we’re reuniting on the track to pursue our [team’s] 20th championship title.” Ron Capps earned DSR’s 19th championship in Funny Car last year before starting his own team in 2022, Ron Capps Motorsports.
“People aren’t used to seeing Don Schumacher Racing as a smaller team with only one nitro car, but the reality is, that’s how this whole operation started. Now, here we are, together again, ready for more of that on-track magic we enjoyed for so many years.” Tony Schumacher has won on every track NHRA where currently races and is a 154-time final round contender in Top Fuel.
“2022 is going to be an insane year in Top Fuel,” Tony Schumacher said. “You look down the list and you have Steve Torrence, who has won four straight championships. [His] car goes down the track every time, he’s a great leaver, a great driver, and he’s a great champion.
“But there’s other competition that’s going to be just as tough. Brittany Force will continue to be very competitive, and the two Kalitta cars are going to have the tune-up of Alan Johnson,” who helped Schumacher to seven of his eight titles. “Antron (Brown) will be tough, Tony Stewart’s team will be tough, and with our team, having the chance to work with Todd Okuhara, I think we’re going to be right there running with the best of them.”
Tony Schumacher and his new team will be part of this weekend’s PRO Tune-Up hosted by the Professional Racing Organization at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park outside Phoenix, AZ. Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock will be on-site, all of whom will be at Pomona for the season starter Feb 17-20. Fans with tickets for the Phoenix round the weekend of Feb. 25-27 may gain access to the grounds on Saturday, Feb. 12th.
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