[darrels joy]

'The Sarge' Top Fuel dragster qualifies first for Winternationals
By Chris Dirato

POMONA, Calif., (Army News Service) ? Tony ?The Sarge? Schumacher, the driver of the U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster, picked up right where he left off in 2004 by taking the provisional number one qualifying position for Sunday?s running of the CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals here at Pomona Raceway.

The driver of the U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster laid down a 4.487-second pass at 321.04 mph to take the top spot heading into Friday?s single qualifying session.

?It was a good way to start, that?s for sure,? said the 2004 NHRA POWERade Top Fuel world champion. ?We felt like we could come out here and perform well given our testing in Phoenix a couple of weeks ago. Of course, this is only one run of many. We have to come back and do it again tomorrow and Saturday.?

Schumacher said that, if conditions are right, quicker times are ahead for the U.S. Army team.

?We actually put a cylinder out around 800 feet in the run today, so we probably could have been in the 4.45-second range,? he added. ?The track is pretty good, so we?ll see what happens.?

The Chicago native is looking to claim his second Winternationals title after breaking through with a win in last year?s edition.

?The key thing is to start the season in a solid way,? he said. ?Certainly, another win here at Pomona would be terrific. But, we?ve got a long way to go.