Let the record reflect that at 5 PM, September 24, Don Schumacher smiled for the
first time this season as a result of success earned by his Pro Stock
team.
Schumacher made the decision earlier in the month to join forces
with Team Mopar teammate Allen Johnson and the results were enough to make the
beleaguered team owner happy.
“It certainly has turned my Pro Stock
operation around,” Schumacher said. “There’s a lot of work left to be done on
both our car and Alan Johnson’s. It’s a good deal and we’ve certainly worked
hard to get it to this point.”
Schumacher and Johnson intended to debut
their joint effort in Reading but rain delays enabled them time for two test
sessions in preparation for the Dallas debut.
With the immediate success
of this venture, winning driver Richie Stevens couldn’t help but wonder why Schumacher and Johnson
didn’t take this route earlier.
“It makes you wonder,” Stevens admitted.
“We started out with Bob Glidden doing our engines and Bob is a helluva engine
builder but Don didn’t feel like he was doing things the right way. He brought
in David Nickens and felt the same way. He’s got Roy and Allen Johnson now and
we tested very well. I’m surprised that mark Ingersoll adapted to the car and
everything so immediately. We made four good runs in a row and that won it for
us.”