Super Schumacher
9/15/2008As the New England Patriots proved in the Super Bowl, there's no such thing as a "sure thing" in sports.
Tony Schumacher and his Army Top Fuel team, however, are the closest you'll ever find to one going into the NHRA's Countdown playoffs. Anyone other than "The Sarge" taking the Powerade Series title would make the New York Giants' upset of the Patriots look ho-hum.
For the benefit of those consumed by booing Kyle Busch or searching for the newest Dale Earnhardt Jr. diecast, Schumacher is in the midst of one of the greatest seasons in motorsports history. Through the Labor Day U.S. Nationals, he had won 11 of 18 races - 61 percent! - including a run of six consecutive triumphs. Tony's seventh victory at Indy, drag racing's most prestigious event, was the 52d of his career. That tied the Top Fuel record established by another Valvoline racing legend, Joe Amato.
Even if Schumacher was shut out during the six-race Countdown, he'd have to be seriously considered for Driver of the Year. But expectations for a fifth consecutive championship are higher than the Goodyear blimp over Pomona.
That, of course, brings pressure. It's difficult to think of any current major professional sports team better prepared to deal with that than Don Schumacher Racing. Let us recall that, in both 2006 and 2007, Tony and crew HAD to win the last round of the last race of the season to claim the crown.
They did.
"We've been very good at staying focused through a lot of great achievements in the years past," Schumacher said a few days after losing his 500-plus regular season advantage, reset to just 30 points for the beginning of the Countdown. "The crew guys are so good at staying focused in the tough times.
"We make it a point before each race to get together and say, 'Guys, this is the time to focus. We've come way too far to leave anything on the table right now.'
"So we've won some great championships and we've won on the last run of the year coming back from 300 points, we have closed the biggest deficit ever. We have several records, and the last record in the world we want to add to our list is losing 550 points with six races to go."
The challenge this time is different, internal as much as external. Alan Johnson, the Vince Lombardi of crew chiefs, is leaving after this season to co-own and tune a new Top Fuel-Funny Car team. Skeptics thought they saw a crack in the Army operation's armor at Indy, when Schumacher struggled to get down the track in his first two qualifying passes, right after Johnson announced his move. Of course, it all came right - again - on race day.
"We have some things to overcome," Schumacher admitted.
"Alan has added to the success of the trophy sitting on my shelf . . . I always knew in the back of my mind, and we all did, that he wanted to have his own team, and just realize that he's doing what his dream is.
"We've had an incredible five years. People dream every day about having a guy like Alan Johnson for five years . . . Everything he's done has been a blessing for us. He's taught our team how to race and how to get through adverse conditions and he's taught us how to go fast and how to enjoy life and respect the wins we've had."
NHRA's second-year playoff format erased Schumacher's point advantage, which was bigger than the Daytona 500 is long.
"It would be devastating to come this far and get beat; but, I understand the rules," he conceded.
"The Countdown was made for that reason, to give people a shot . . . I understand. But if we don't hold that trophy at the end of the year, that would kind of suck. But on the other hand, we've had an awesome year.
"If we don't win a championship, I'm going to walk over and shake the guy's hands and hold the trophy over his head and say good job, brother, and say that's the way it is. I'll be a man about it.
"It has been an incredible season, and it's been gratifying, and I've loved every minute of it."
Make no mistake, though. The championship would not be the icing on the cake. It would be THE cake.
I'm sure the Patriots would tell you the same.
[ Next column: September 29 ]
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(I.N. Sider is the pen name for an independent motorsports business-person who has a quarter-century of professional experience working in almost every major North American racing series. The writer is not an employee of Valvoline or Ashland Inc. The column is intended to inform, entertain, and stimulate thought on the contemporary motorsports scene. The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of Valvoline or Ashland Inc.)
BackAbout I.N. Sider
I.N. Sider is the pen name for an independent motorsports business-person who has a quarter-century of professional experience working in almost every major North American racing series. The writer is not an employee of Valvoline or Ashland Inc. The column is intended to inform, entertain, and stimulate thought on the contemporary motorsports scene. The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of Valvoline or Ashland Inc.