Tony Schumacher (Joe McHugh photo)

The final round was a thrill for the fans, as they watched the DSR pair go nose to nose to the finish line. It was Schumacher, however, claiming the victory on a holeshot advantage with a 3.881/314.75 pass to McClenathan's quicker but losing 3.880/313.66.

"Live by the sword, die by the sword, and that's how it is," said McClenathan, whose team had changed the throttle system on the car after he red-lighted in Phoenix. "And I thought about that going up there. I asked myself, Should I stage it harder? I decided not to. I decided to stage it light and learn how to make this pedal work for me.

"I'm trying to get used to it. And I need to be more consistent with it. It's going to take some time. After driving a certain way for 18 years it's not that easy to teach an old dog new tricks.”

U.S. Army Top Fuel pilot Tony Schumacher, secured his first victory of the season and the 57th of his career by taking out his Don Schumacher Racing teammate, Cory McClenathan, in the finals with a 3.881-second pass at 314.75 mph.
           
“I feel so happy for Mike Green (his crew chief) and the guys,” said a celebratory Schumacher afterwards. “They wanted to get this first one in the worst way for our Army Strong Soldiers. I’m giving this trophy to Mike to put in his office.”
           

Tony Schumacher and Larry Dixon met for the first time this year, with Schumacher taking the win.  (Joe McHugh photo)

Schumacher’s road to his match up with McClenathan was littered with tough opponents. He had to slide by Del Cox, Jr. in the first round, before disposing of Morgan Lucas in the quarterfinals. But, it was his semifinal confrontation with Larry Dixon that drew the most interest.