Reading Pre-Race Report
Pep Boys NHRA Nationals
Event 17 of 22
Countdown Event 1 of 6
Maple Grove Raceway
Reading, Pa.
Sept. 16-18, 2022
TONY SCHUMACHER: Driver of the Scag Power Equipment Top Fuel Dragster
Countdown to the Championship Ranking: 10th
Reading Event Highlights:
Five-time event champion (2003 - 2005, 2008, 2014)
Three-time runner-up (1999, 2015, 2018)
Seven-time No. 1 qualifier (2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2014)
2018 Reading Recap:
Qualified second; Event runner-up (defeated Dan Mercier in E1, Scott Palmer in E2, Antron Brown in E3; defeated by Steve Torrence in E4)
Note: Did Not Compete in 2019, 2021; 2020 canceled due to COVID
Last Event (Indianapolis):
Qualified 13th; First round exit (defeated by Mike Salinas in E1)
Career Statistics:
528 races; 86 event wins; 88 No. 1 qualifiers
2022 Statistics:
16 races; one win; one runner-up finish
Noteworthy:Countdown to the Championship Ranking: 10th
Reading Event Highlights:
Five-time event champion (2003 - 2005, 2008, 2014)
Three-time runner-up (1999, 2015, 2018)
Seven-time No. 1 qualifier (2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2014)
2018 Reading Recap:
Qualified second; Event runner-up (defeated Dan Mercier in E1, Scott Palmer in E2, Antron Brown in E3; defeated by Steve Torrence in E4)
Note: Did Not Compete in 2019, 2021; 2020 canceled due to COVID
Last Event (Indianapolis):
Qualified 13th; First round exit (defeated by Mike Salinas in E1)
Career Statistics:
528 races; 86 event wins; 88 No. 1 qualifiers
2022 Statistics:
16 races; one win; one runner-up finish
Tony Schumacher leads the class in number of Top Fuel victories (five) at Maple Grove Raceway
Schumacher has been the Reading No. 1 qualifier seven times- the most of any Top Fuel driver at a single event
The 2022 event marks Schumacher’s first time returning to Reading since 2018
Schumacher will make his first Countdown to the Championship appearance since 2018
So far in 2022, Schumacher has one win (Seattle), and one runner-up finish (Brainerd, Minn.)
The winningest Top Fuel driver in NHRA history will be vying for his ninth series title
Fan Events:
Schumacher and the SCAG Power Equipment show car will visit Ebling’s Service Plus (730 E. Lincoln Ave., Myerstown) on Friday, Sept. 16 from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.
The event is free and open to the public
Quotable:
“This is the first time where we’ve had a Countdown with more than 10 cars fighting for the Top Fuel title. There are 12 teams battling it out this year, and that’s exciting, and I’m one of those that believes this is the right decision. I think that if a team shows up, runs every race, makes a few qualifying runs, they deserve to be there. We are fortunate that we didn’t get in that way. We got into the Top 10, and stayed in the Top 10, based on the way we performed, and we’re proud of that.
“I haven’t competed in a Countdown since 2018 and I’ve never started from tenth, but I’ve had incredible success at Reading, and I look forward to starting off on a good note and getting the momentum going. The team has spent a lot of time this week trimming weight from our car, so we’re coming in lean and mean. I’m not foolish enough to think we’re going to run the numbers that Brittany (Force) and (Mike) Salinas have been running, but we’re heading in the right direction. And honestly, it doesn’t matter how quick your car is, what matters is how you race on race day. We’ve been to two final rounds over the last four events, and we expect another long Sunday of going rounds this weekend.”
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.
For more information, visit @Maynard_Racing on Twitter, @MaynardFamRacing on Facebook, and @MaynardFamilyRacing on Instagram.
