NHRA pros at Joliet, Illinois

DSR doubles up again

Results compiled by Kay Burk
Photos by Ron Lewis

Antron Brown and Matt Hagan made team owner Don Schumacher's annual NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event in his hometown another special one to remember.

Brown's Matco Tools Top Fuel team followed the event winning effort in Funny Car by Hagan's Mopar Express Lane/Rocky Boots Dodge Charger R/T team to make it two straight years when Don Schumacher Racing swept the nitro categories in the Route 66 NHRA Nationals near Chicago where Schumacher lives and has the headquarters for Schumacher Electric Corp.

It follows last weekend's event at Epping, N.H., when DSR "doubled-up" with wins by Tony Schumacher and the U.S. Army Top Fuel team and Ron Capps' NAPA AUTO PARTS/Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund team.

DSR has won 230 event titles and has doubled-up with Mello Yello event titles 40 times since 2003. DSR went the first nine events of this year without winning an event title in Funny Car but are making up for it by winning the last three.

TOP FUEL

The Top Fuel teams, however, have been hot from the start. Brown's fourth title of the year gives DSR eight of the possible 12 titles. Brown, who won his 45th NHRA Wally trophy, earned the 500th round win of his career when he won in the semifinals.

"The track got tricky on us," Brown said after earning his 45th career NHRA event title. "We've been trying a new (engine) combination and it dropped a couple (cylinders) this weekend, but we were able to get the round wins. The Matco Tools guys are getting the car where it's happy again and it was happy in that final round. When you get to the final and you know you're racing someone like Brittany (Force) you have to put out your A-plus game because everybody we're racing is bringing their A-plus game. Her (reaction time) lights were good all day. That was great to put a 3.81 out there in the final. Mark and Brian (crew chiefs Oswald and Corradi) said we can run a low .80 and they were right. That's special when your crew chiefs say that and the car goes out and does it."