NHRA Four-Wide Nationals
Event 4 of 20
The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas
April 12 – 14, 2024
Note:
JCM Racing VP Mike Lewis will pilot the JCM Racing/Leatherwood Distillery A/Fuel Dragster during the Las Vegas and Charlotte four-wide events. The car is owned and operated by Samsel Racing and is the same machine Joe C. Maynard drove when he doubled-up on victories in Gainesville, Fla. earlier this season
TONY SCHUMACHER
Driver of the Okuma Top Fuel Dragster
Las Vegas 1 Event Highlights:
Four-time Las Vegas 1 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
2023 NHRA Four-Wide Nationals Recap:
Qualified eighth; First round exit (defeated by Brittany Force, Antron Brown in E1)
Last Event (Phoenix):
Qualified sixth; First round exit (defeated by Justin Ashley in E1)
2024 Statistics:
Three races; one runner-up finish
Career Statistics:
558 races; 86 wins, 88 No. 1 qualifiers
Noteworthy:
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, as well as recording a runner-up finish at the 2018 Las Vegas event
Leads the Top Fuel class in number of victories (eight) at LVMS
Leads the class in number of No. 1 qualifiers (11) at LVMS
Enters the event with positive momentum following a Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge win in Phoenix and runner-up finish from the NHRA Winternationals
Debuting a three-race Okuma primary partnership in Las Vegas. In addition to this weekend’s event, Schumacher will also campaign the Okuma Top Fuel dragster at the Charlotte four-wide event and the Dallas race later this season
Quotable:
“I love going to a four-wide because even Justin Ashley can’t put me out of those rounds! All I’ve got to do is beat everyone else, which I’ve done all year with the exception of Gainesville, and I’m good. I can finish second to him twice and then win in the finals. But all jokes aside, he’s my Achilles heel lately. He’s a great leaver and we’ve got mutual respect for each other and we’re making our own natural rivalry. No one has to build it, no one has to fake it. We have a great, great car. We ran low E.T. and would have beat every car except for Justin’s car on that (Phoenix E1) run. (NHRA announcer) Alan Reinhart says it often, this is a ‘right place, right time kind of sport,’ and I’ve said that a million times too because that’s just the way it is. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in a situation where my run won, but would’ve lost to everyone else, or my run lost, but would’ve beat everyone else. But, at the end of the day, we have a car that’s fifty times better than what we’ve had the last few years. We’re ready to race. We’re showing up with a car that can perform. My light that round against Justin was third-quickest, it just got whooped by the guy who had the first-quickest. So, we’re not dropping the ball; it’s just we had a team step up to race us.”
