Tony Schumacher, U.S. Army Top Fuel Dragster
No. 4 Qualifier – 3.771 ET
“We made a few subtle changes coming into the weekend to fix some problems we’ve been having lately. So, I’m not sure we could’ve run the number to beat what Millican did anyway, but, it would’ve gone down the track if we had run at the scheduled time. It is what it is. He made a fantastic run. We could complain that we set up a car to run at 10 o’clock but we ended up running at 11. Yeah, it’s the same for both of us, but it seemed to play right into their hands. We’re still more consistent than we’ve been in recent years, and we’re still learning and getting better each week. We just need to go out and keep racing. And I will say that I plan on winning this championship. This U.S. Army team has all the right guys to get it done.”
Leah Pritchett, Schumacher Electric/Mopar® Dodge Top Fuel Dragster
No. 5 Qualifier – 3.776 ET
“We had an injector issue on the burnout and it revved really high. When that happened, I looked down and watched the dash go blank. The high revs caused me to go on a super-long burnout. I stopped the car and then it wouldn’t go into reverse. Finally got it to go back, but then, because it was revving so high, I had a hard time getting it into a forward gear to stage. Eventually, we (were able to) get staged. Anything can happen once the yellow light comes on. Well, because of the unusually high revs, we smoked the tires at the hit and it was over.
“It turns out, our entire computer system died, and that was what was causing the problems we had there, so we’re going to be searching for a solution for that over the next week and a half. We’re going to do whatever it takes to put it behind us, which means fine-tooth-combing this racecar. I must say, during all this, it is the coolest thing in the world for me as a driver to be running at night like we were. It really puts a smile on my face.”
Matt Hagan, Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car
No. 8 Qualifier – 4.028 ET
“I want to say that I’m just really proud of my guys. They did a great job today. We had a 55-minute turn (between rounds) and they did a great job making the turn with three guys in new positions just really thrashing hard and trying to get things done. All in all, pretty good race day, even though we only went to the second round. It’s just one of those things where you put it in perspective. Courtney Force and those guys have had a tenth on the field and we just went nose-to-nose and basically ran an identical run with them. When you put that in perspective, it really shows how much we’ve stepped it up right now within just a round or two to be able to throw down with those guys when everybody else is still kind of running 4.0’s out there.”
Jack Beckman, Infinite Hero Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car
No. 12 Qualifier – 4.086 ET
“The silver lining for us is as much as we had struggled in qualifying, we still felt like we had a good car. Then, the huge rains came and round one was basically a one-lane race track, especially for the Funny Cars. We were one of the only, if not the only, Funny Car to win out of the less-desired lane. Then, we just got outrun in the second round. We will pack up, and we will go back to Brownsburg (Indiana), restock everything and get ready for four in a row. This is really going to be the point in the season where you need to find your tune up. There’s no question in my mind that we will be a Countdown (playoffs) car.”
Tommy Johnson Jr., Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car
No. 6 Qualifier – 4.008 ET
“It was just strange conditions; a long wait all day. The car ran great, just tricky to know what to do out there. I knew we’d have to push on that (second) one and (we) just came up short. Joliet is up next and that’s one of those tracks where you show up and you always seem to do well, so you look forward to going to those. I can’t wait to get there and see if we can’t get that momentum going.”
Ron Capps, NAPA Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car
No. 7 Qualifier – 4.021 ET
“We really felt good coming into this race with the changes that (crew chief Rahn) Tobler made on the racecar. We felt like whatever the conditions were going to be, we were going to be better off. Unfortunately, as soon as I stepped on the gas, the car started shaking the tires. I gave it a quick pedal and it hooked up, but our opponent ran a 4.02 and we were done for the day.”
Up Next: Route 66 NHRA Nationals In less than two weeks, Mopar Dodge//SRT® drivers will head to Route 66 Raceway near Chicago for the Route 66 NHRA Nationals. In last year’s visit just outside the Windy City, Ron Capps triumphed in an all-Mopar Dodge Funny Car matchup against DSR teammate Tommy Johnson Jr.
2018 NHRA Championship – Point Standings After Round 8 of 24
NHRA Top Fuel
- Steve Torrence (3) – 664
- Clay Millican (1) – 569
- Tony Schumacher, Mopar HEMI® – 539
- Doug Kalitta (1) – 497
- Leah Pritchett, Mopar Dodge HEMI (1) – 489
- Terry McMillen – 432
- Brittany Force (1) – 428
- Antron Brown – 423
- Richie Crampton (1) – 312
- Mike Salinas – 308
NHRA Funny Car
- Courtney Force (3) – 670
- Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger R/T (1) – 590
- Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger R/T (1) – 540
- Robert Hight – 512
- J.R. Todd (2) – 504
- Tommy Johnson Jr., Dodge Charger R/T – 490
- Ron Capps, Dodge Charger R/T – 440
- Cruz Pedregon (1) – 399
- Shawn Langdon – 373
- Jonnie Lindberg – 351