Pep Boys NHRA Nationals
Event 17 of 22
Countdown Event 1 of 6
Maple Grove Raceway
Reading, Pa.
Sept. 16-18, 2022
Early Exit for Schumacher in Reading
Qualified: No. 11 (3.754 E.T. at 322.58 MPH)
Elimination Round Results:
E1: 4.882 E.T. at 151.95 MPH defeated by Clay Millican 3.776 E.T. at 285.11 MPH
READING, Pa. (September 18, 2022) – Tony Schumacher qualified the SCAG Power Equipment Top Fuel dragster 11th for the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals, the opening event of the six-race NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs. Making his first Countdown and Maple Grove Raceway appearance since 2018, Schumacher returned to ‘the Grove’ looking to add to his category-best five Reading Wally trophies.Qualified: No. 11 (3.754 E.T. at 322.58 MPH)
Elimination Round Results:
E1: 4.882 E.T. at 151.95 MPH defeated by Clay Millican 3.776 E.T. at 285.11 MPH
Schumacher’s 3.754-second pass from the weekend’s third qualifying session pitted him against fellow championship-hopeful Clay Millican in round one of eliminations on Sunday morning. Schumacher, a two-time finalist in 2022 who powered to victory in Seattle last month, scored a large holeshot start on Millican to nab the early lead, but his 11,000-horsepower machine drove into tire smoke shortly after, and his opponent was able to drive around for the win, ending Schumacher’s day after the first round.
“It’s been four years since I’ve been back at Reading, and man, this is a beautiful place,” said Schumacher, an eight-time Top Fuel series champion. “The fans were jam-packed in here all weekend, and we love to see that. Our car did not perform that well during qualifying, and we didn’t do that great on race day. We had a huge lead versus Clay early on and then it spun the tires, I pedaled, it shredded a belt, and Clay got past at the finish line.
“It’s easy to be disappointed, but when I sit down and I think about the day, it comes down to the fact that we are in the entertainment business and there has to be a winner and a loser. And right now, we are not performing to the level we need to be at, but we will get there. And I know we will get there, and I can say that with confidence because I’ve been in this position before. We will rebound, and we will get our car back into winning form.”
After the first playoff event, Schumacher sits 12th in the point standings and is within one round win of the No. 10-ranked driver. Schumacher and the Maynard Family Racing team compete next at the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals in Concord, N.C., September 23-25, where Schumacher returns as a two-time event champion.
NHRA Camping World Series Top Fuel Point Standings (unofficial):
| 1 | Justin Ashley | 2170 | |
| 2 | Brittany Force | 2161 | |
| 3 | Mike Salinas | 2160 | |
| 4 | Antron Brown | 2116 | |
| 5 | Steve Torrence | 2114 | |
| 6 | Austin Prock | 2096 | |
| 7 | Josh Hart | 2083 | |
| 8 | Leah Pruett | 2063 | |
| 8 | Doug Kalitta | 2063 | |
| 10 | Shawn Langdon | 2052 | |
| 11 | Clay Millican | 2046 | |
| 12 | Tony Schumacher | 2032 |
About Maynard Family Racing:
Established in 2022, the Maynard Family Racing organization (JCM) is a single-car NHRA Top Fuel team owned by Joe and Cathi Maynard, along with their partners Eric and Kim Lehman, all of Clarksville, Tenn. The Maynards first became involved in NHRA Drag Racing in 2021 as an associate sponsor of Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) before expanding their involvement to an ownership level during the 2022 NHRA season. It was announced in July 2022 that the Maynards and Lehmans had partnered with Don Schumacher to assume a majority ownership stake of the multi-time championship-winning team.Headlining the Maynard Family Racing team is eight-time world champion and 86-time NHRA national event winner Tony Schumacher, the most decorated Top Fuel driver in the history of the sport. The team competes on the 22-race NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series circuit thanks to the support of Scag Power Equipment and Okuma.
