Brown Narrowly Misses Route 66 Win; Schumacher Stunned Early

The goal entering the 20th annual NHRA Route 66 Nationals for the U.S. Army Racing tandem of Tony “The Sarge” Schumacher and Antron Brown was to continue their five-year run of Chicago success. Despite a valiant effort by Brown aboard the Matco Tools/U.S. Army Dragster for Don Schumacher Racing (DSR), the winning streak came to an end at five when he lost Sunday’s NHRA Mello Yello Racing Series Top Fuel final by .0055 seconds to Steve Torrence at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Illinois.

 

“The Sarge” raced the U.S. Army Dragster for DSR to Route 66 wins in 2003, 2005, 2008, 2013 and 2015 and was looking to become the first six-time Chicago winner in Top Fuel, but had his hopes for victory dashed in the first round.

 

It was a homecoming weekend for Schumacher at Route 66 Raceway. The Chicago native now calls Austin, Texas home, but after spending more than 40 years of his life in the Windy City, the eight-time Top Fuel world champion was looking forward to some home cooking at the state-of-the-art facility. He and his U.S. Army team led by crew chief Mike Green and assistant crew chief Phil Shuler were positioned in the top half of the ladder after qualifying fifth with Friday night’s impressive run of 3.758 seconds at 325.37 mph. A solid qualifying run Saturday afternoon provided the team a template to follow in Sunday’s opening round that started just after 12 noon local time.

 

Schumacher and Blake Alexander were the seventh pair to race in the first round and Alexander pulled off a stunning upset in the first-ever meeting between the two. He earned a holeshot triumph after clocking an .020-second reaction time and his pass of 3.9540 seconds at 301.54 mph was enough to hold off Schumacher, who posted a lap of 3.883 seconds at 306.26 mph, following his .114 at the tree.

 

“That was a terrible way to end a weekend at home,” said Schumacher. “The game has always been a timing thing and you can push blame off or make excuses, but ultimately it comes back to me. I had a terrible light. I thought he red lit, but I still should of had a much better light. The bottom line is that I need to get better. I need to do a better job and the car needs to run faster. As a team, we just have to be better and I have all the confidence that we will get it together. I am surrounded by an incredible group of people and this U.S. Army team will be ready when we show up on the mountain in a couple weeks. This sport makes you adapt and overcome so that’s the only option we have. There are still a lot of rounds to win and a championship to contend for. I’ve got from now until we get to Denver to work on getting better and I know I won’t be the only member of the U.S. Army Racing team showing up with a chip on their shoulder.”

 

Chicago feels like a second hometown for Brown because of the relationship he has with the Schumacher family. And he’s owned Route 66 Raceway the past few years. When asked to describe what it’s like to compete in the one-of-a-kind stadium-like facility, the former Pro Stock Motorcycle champion compared it to being what the old gladiators felt like. He looked the part through his run to the final starting with his triumph over Doug Kalitta in the opening round. Brown posted a lap of 3.776 seconds at 322.42 mph to defeat Kalitta and followed that with a pass of 3.853 seconds at 305.29 mph to knock out fellow DSR driver and three-time 2017 Top Fuel winner Leah Pritchett. In the semifinal, he laid down another consistent lap of 3.784 seconds at 325.53 mph to defeat recent winner Clay Millican and advance to his sixth final of 2017.

 

In the final, Brown was able to leave on Torrence with a .046-reaction time, but his pass of 3.786 seconds at 326.08 mph wasn’t enough to hold off Torrence’s lap of 3.779 seconds at 326.71 mph. Brown has three career Top Fuel wins at Route 66 (2012, 2014, and 2016) and now a pair of runner-up finishes (2009 and 2017). The three-time and reigning Top Fuel champion raced with a heavy heart this weekend following the passing of long-time DSR benefactor Terry Chandler earlier last week.

“This race was for Miss Terry (Chandler),” said Brown. “We just wanted to race hard and it would have been nice to win again here in Chicago where we have had so much success. Our hearts go out to the Chandler and Gray families. I wish we could have brought this win home for them, but she’s up there smiling down on us and I’m going to smile right now. That was just a great drag race. We were trying to step it up. The track got better and just ate it up a little bit. The good thing is our Matco Tools/U.S. Army car is definitely on the right track and we’re coming. Hopefully once we get it, we won’t let up. We ran well today. Hats off to Steve and his team. They earned it today. The Western Swing is coming and we’re hungry right now.”

 

After 13 of 24 events on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour for 2017, the top-10 drivers in the Top Fuel class are:

1. Steve Torrence (1168 points)

2. Leah Pritchett (1,087 points, -101)

3. Antron Brown (1,085 points, -103)

4. Tony Schumacher (894 points, -294)

5. Doug Kalitta (813 points, -375)

6. Brittany Force (795 points, -393)

7. Clay Millican (773 points, -415)

8. Terry McMillen (509 points, – 679)

9. Scott Palmer (496 points, -692)

10. Troy Coughlin, Jr. (480 points, -708)

 

Round 14 for the 2017 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series competitors is the 38th annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway near Denver July 21-23. FS1’s will broadcast live coverage of qualifying Friday, July 21 at 8 p.m. EDT and FOX network will provide live coverage of eliminations Sunday, July 23 beginning at 3 p.m. EDT. 

 

Adam Sinclair