Top Fuel star Tony Schumacher has had glory years. And unless something drastic happens this weekend and at the NHRA Finals at Pomona, Calif., in two weeks, this one won't be another one of them.
 
Schumacher isn't ruling out miracles. How could he, considering two of his seven titles came with "Hail Mary" fanfare? But the U.S. Army Dragster driver was talking Friday at the Big O Tires NHRA Nationals like he wasn't counting on one.
 
Even after using a 3.773-second pass at 323.66 mph early Friday on the 1,000-foot course at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to take the provisional No. 1 qualifying spot -- while points leader Antron Brown is no better than No. 10 overnight -- Schumacher encouraged his Don Schumacher Racing teammate.

 
Top Fuel star Tony Schumacher has had glory years. And unless something drastic happens this weekend and at the NHRA Finals at Pomona, Calif., in two weeks, this one won't be another one of them.
 
Schumacher isn't ruling out miracles. How could he, considering two of his seven titles came with "Hail Mary" fanfare? But the U.S. Army Dragster driver was talking Friday at the Big O Tires NHRA Nationals like he wasn't counting on one.
 
Even after using a 3.773-second pass at 323.66 mph early Friday on the 1,000-foot course at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to take the provisional No. 1 qualifying spot -- while points leader Antron Brown is no better than No. 10 overnight -- Schumacher encouraged his Don Schumacher Racing teammate.
 
Tony Schumacher said his own chances are "a super long shot. Antron would have to get beat first round and we'd have to win the next two races."
 
He has won six times here at Las Vegas, more than any other Top Fuel driver.
 
"Vegas has been very kind to me," he said.
 
"Now it's up to Antron. You don't want to wish anyone else a mistake, but if we're going to be champs it's required," he said. "I hope he comes out and makes clean runs and becomes world champion. He's earned it," Schumacher said.
 
"Spencer's right there, too," he said of third DSR teammate Spencer Massey, the No. 2-ranked driver who trailed Brown by 104 points entering this race. "The key is the [Nos.] 2-3-4 cars are close enough that if somebody does make a mistake, someone else could win the championship."
 
Giving Schumacher some hope was the timing of his class-best E.T.
 
"More often than not, you're up there [in the order] because of your Friday night run," he said after smoking the tires immediately in his second chance of the day. "It's actually more comforting to know it was a Friday day when we did it. We're going to race in the middle of the day, when the sun is out."
 
Doug Kalitta jumped from the No. 12 position to No. 2 in the evening session Friday with a 3.8-second run at a class-fastest 324.75 mph. Massey was third Friday, seven-thousandths of a second behind Kalitta.

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