Las Vegas 1 Pre-Race Report
NHRA Four-Wide Nationals
Event 4 of 22
The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas
April 1 – 3, 2022
TONY SCHUMACHER: Driver of the Maynard Family Racing Top Fuel Dragster
Las Vegas 1 Event Highlights:
Four-time LV1 event winner (2004, 2009, 2013, 2014)
Two-time runner-up (2017, 2018)
Four-time No. 1 qualifier (2006 – 2008, 2018)
Note: The Las Vegas 1 four-wide format was first introduced in 2018
2018 Las Vegas 1 Recap:
Qualified No. 1; Runner-up finish (defeated Terry McMillen, Scott Palmer in E1, Steve Chrisman, Clay Millican in E2, Doug Kalitta, Antron Brown in E3; defeated by Steve Torrence in E3)
Last Event (Gainesville):
Qualified 14th; First round exit (defeated by Steve Torrence in E1)
Career Statistics:
515 races; 85 event wins; 88 No. 1 qualifiers
Noteworthy:Las Vegas 1 Event Highlights:
Four-time LV1 event winner (2004, 2009, 2013, 2014)
Two-time runner-up (2017, 2018)
Four-time No. 1 qualifier (2006 – 2008, 2018)
Note: The Las Vegas 1 four-wide format was first introduced in 2018
2018 Las Vegas 1 Recap:
Qualified No. 1; Runner-up finish (defeated Terry McMillen, Scott Palmer in E1, Steve Chrisman, Clay Millican in E2, Doug Kalitta, Antron Brown in E3; defeated by Steve Torrence in E3)
Last Event (Gainesville):
Qualified 14th; First round exit (defeated by Steve Torrence in E1)
Career Statistics:
515 races; 85 event wins; 88 No. 1 qualifiers
The last time he competed in the Vegas Four-Wide Nationals (2018), Schumacher raced to a runner-up finish from the pole
While Schumacher is the most successful driver in NHRA Top Fuel history, he has yet to hoist a four-wide Wally trophy. He’s come close; finishing as the runner-up in 2012 and 2017 in Charlotte, in addition to his 2018 Vegas final round appearance
Schumacher leads the Top Fuel class in number of victories (eight) at LVMS:
Spring: 2004, 2009, 2013, 2014
Fall: 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010
Schumacher leads the class in number of No. 1 qualifiers (11) at LVMS:
Spring: 2006, 2007, 2008
Fall: 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2017, 2018
Quotable:
“2018 was the last time I got to race the Vegas four-wide event, and we qualified on the pole and went to the finals. I don’t remember exactly what happened in that final round, but I do remember that I was ahead and something shut the car off. And, we’ve had a couple of runner-up finishes in Charlotte, so we know how to run well in the four-wides. I enjoy this format, but it’s been a few years for me, so I’m going to have to regain my composure a little bit, and remember how to stage the car a little differently. Todd Okuhara and Marc Denner are very knowledgeable when it comes to four-wide racing, and of course, they know how to tackle the Vegas track, so, we’re going to calmly approach qualifying with a fast race car. We’re getting better with each race. Back in Gainesville, we were leading the way in the first round and then just mowed through the clutch, so we know what we have to do. We’ve got to give our car some clutch, and we’ve got to get our Maynard Family Racing dragster to the finish line under power. It’s been a good car so far this year, but it needs to become a great car. There will be three great cars in the lanes next to me each run and we’ll just need to pull our weight. I look forward to getting out to Vegas, and I can’t wait to see the fans. We’d love nothing better than to get our first trophy together as a new team than at the Vegas Four-Wide Nationals.”
About Don Schumacher Racing
Established in 1998, Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) has grown to become the winningest organization in NHRA Drag Racing history, and further cemented its position as one of motorsports’ elite teams when it surpassed the ‘350 wins’ milestone during the 2020 season. DSR owns 19 world championships in three different NHRA categories, and including hall-of-fame team owner Don Schumacher’s five NHRA Funny Car triumphs from the 1970s, DSR has been successful in capturing 366 national event victories overall.Headquartered in Brownsburg, Indiana, DSR campaigns the Maynard Family/Scag Power Equipment Top Fuel dragster in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series with fan-favorite Tony Schumacher at the helm. As an eight-time world champion and 85-time NHRA national event winner, Schumacher is the most decorated Top Fuel driver of all time.
DSR also campaigns three entries in the Factory Stock Showdown Series. The trio of DSR Dodge Drag Paks is piloted by former Pro Stock racer Mark Pawuk, David Davies, who made his NHRA debut with DSR in 2021, and Warren Walcher, who is set to compete in his first full FSS season in 2022.
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