Photos by Roger Richards

Robert Hight, Dave Connolly, and Steve Johnson round out winners at 54th Mac Tools U.S. Nationals

Five-time
champion Tony Schumacher capped off a historic performance at the 54th
Mac Tools U.S. Nationals Sunday with his decisive final-round win over
longtime foe Doug Kalitta.

Schumacher set NHRA Top Fuel records for wins in a row (6) and wins in
a season (11) and he tied Joe Amato for most wins all-time in Top Fuel
(52). It was also his seventh Mac Tools U.S. Nationals win and third in
a row.

Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional categories following
the 54th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at O'Reilly Raceway Park at
Indianapolis, the 18th of 24 events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing
Series -

Top Fuel

1. Tony Schumacher, 1,764; 2. Antron Brown, 1,197; 3. Larry Dixon,
1,140; 4. Cory McClenathan, 1,096; 5. Rod Fuller, 1,046; 6. Brandon
Bernstein, 1,029; 7. Hillary Will, 963; 8. Doug Herbert, 896; 9. Doug
Kalitta, 824; 10. David Grubnic, 768.

Final round-by-round results from the 54th annual Mac Tools U.S.
Nationals at O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, the 18th of 24
events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:

TOP FUEL:

ROUND ONE -- Antron Brown, 3.870, 308.50 def. David Grubnic, 4.045,
294.11; Doug Herbert, 3.918, 311.85 def. Clay Millican, 8.402, 74.18;
Doug Kalitta, 3.957, 304.12 def. J.R. Todd, 4.212, 253.14; Brandon
Bernstein, 3.906, 310.98 def. Rod Fuller, 3.945, 303.78; Cory
McClenathan, 3.871, 306.95 def. Pat Dakin, broke; Hillary Will, 3.914,
310.13 def. Steve Torrence, 3.948, 305.91; Tony Schumacher, 3.842,
316.90 def. Bob Vandergriff, 3.972, 300.66; Larry Dixon, 3.909, 308.71
def. Troy Buff, 3.915, 304.46;

QUARTERFINALS -- Kalitta,
5.447, 229.04 def. Bernstein, 6.479, 144.44; McClenathan, 4.521, 244.38
def. Herbert, 5.041, 270.37; Brown, 3.894, 309.13 def. Dixon, 3.954,
295.27; Schumacher, 3.897, 314.31 def. Will, 4.130, 232.23;

SEMIFINALS -- Schumacher, 3.947, 305.42 def. McClenathan, foul; Kalitta, 4.015, 296.37 def. Brown, 4.661, 229.59;

FINAL -- Schumacher, 3.916, 309.13 def. Kalitta, 4.036, 299.86.

Monday's final results from the 54th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis.
The race is the 18th of 24 in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:

Top Fuel -- Tony Schumacher, 3.916 seconds, 309.13 mph def. Doug Kalitta, 4.036 seconds, 299.86 mph.

Father Against Daughter, Brother Against Brother Made The U.S. Smokeless Showdown Even Better

Cruz Pedregon’s Toyota proved to be the class of what appears to be the last U.S. Smokeless Showdown field. (All Photos by Jon Asher)

The winner’s trophy for the Showdown was exceptionally nice.  That champagne looks good, too!

Why is it that
some races are harder to win than others? There doesn’t seem to be
any logical explanation, but it’s nevertheless fact. Winning Indy,
the U.S. Nationals, may be the toughest one of all, however the Skoal
Showdown is a close second. It’s just doesn’t seem reasonable,
yet winning reduces drivers to tears and that’s certainly not the
result of winning $100,000, although that’s definitely a hefty pay
day.

Cruz Pedregon made
it to the finals of what used to be the Big Bud Shootout and now,
for the last time, the Skoal Showdown, four times in the past and
lost every time.

When he triumphed
at O’Reilly Raceway Park on Sunday afternoon he appeared to be
pretty much in control of his emotions, but as he spoke to ESPN
commentator Garry Gerould his voice cracked and tears appeared in his
eyes.

CRUZ PEDREGON WINS U.S. SMOKELESS SHOWDOWN, TOP FUEL FIELD SET

Larry Dixon, Tony Pedregon, Allen Johnson, Matt Smith qualify No. 1

Cruz
Pedregon capped a momentous Sunday at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals by
defeating Tim Wilkerson to win the U.S. Smokeless Showdown, the annual
bonus race for Funny Cars, and the $100,000 first prize that comes with
the title.

“I tried not to think about the money,” said Pedregon, a former
POWERade Series and three-time Mac Tools U.S. Nationals champion who
won the bonus race for the first time in his career, powering the
Advance Auto Parts Toyota Solara past Wilkerson's Levi, Ray & Shoup
Chevy Impala, 4.184 to 4.280. “I’m still kind of in shock (but) I’m
going to enjoy this one.”

Pro Stock Motorcycle Champion gunning for Top Fuel ride ...

Matt Smith learned a valuable lesson from former Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Antron Brown.

He learned a bike rider can become a Top Fuel contender and the second-generation drag racer from King, N.C. wants some of that action.

Smith hopes to join the freshman Top Fuel driver as another two-wheeled
rider making the jump to a 300-mile per hour Top Fuel dragster.

The defending NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion is the first of
the names bantered around as a possible Top Fuel driver on Alan
Johnson’s Al-Anabi Motorsports operation.

Will the Breakup Of The Strongest Team In Top Fuel Mean The End Of The Army’s Dominance?

Not all of the action here at the NHRA Mac Tools U.S. Nationals has
taken place on the track.  Far from it, in fact.  Back in the

Don Schumacher may be smiling on the outside, but he can’t be happy on
the inside, knowing the key to four championships is leaving his employ.

pits
there was chaos as the rumor mill went into overdrive with talk of Alan
Johnson’s departure from Don Schumacher Racing.  When the rumors became
fact, and both Schumacher and Johnson confirmed that he would indeed be
leaving at the end of the season for what appears to be an amazing
personal opportunity, drag racing’s “silly season” officially began.
 
Johnson’s departure from DSR will have wide-ranging implications for a
broad spectrum of fuel racers, because he’s leaving to put together his
own two-car team with a Top Fuel Dragster and Funny Car.  Considering that this
is going to be an extremely well-funded operation, Johnson is going to
need drivers, mechanics, helpers and who knows what else.  The pits are
already abuzz with talk of who might end up where next year, and while
we won’t be able to provide solid answers to a lot of those questions,
the whole scenario is extremely interesting.

Pro Modified driver Steve Engel, of Shandon, Ohio, entered surgery
Sunday morning for injuries he sustained after his car went out of
control and crashed Saturday at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in
Indianapolis.
   
According to his family, Engel has fractures in six cervical vertebrae and damage to his spinal cord.