RECORD BREAKING YEAR FOR DSR Shawn, Red Fuel/Sandvik Top Fuel team win DSR’s 27th of year; Antron, Matco are champs and Jack, Infinite Hero get oh so close The 2015 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series finished the season two weeks ago near Pomona, Calif., and Don Schumacher Racing left its mark by setting both Funny Car world records and the Red Fuel/Sandvik Coromant Top Fuel team closed it out by winning a DSR-record 27th event title in 24 races and 267th all-time. Tommy Johnson Jr. and the Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger R/T team led by John Collins advanced to the championship round for the eighth time of the year but a loss to Del Worsham cost him his third win of the year. With Antron Brown and the Matco Tools/U.S. Army team led by Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald having clinched its second world championship at the previous race, the Matco men didn’t let up and advanced to their 10th championship round where Shawn Langdon and the Red Fuel team with crew chiefs Todd Okuhara and Phil Shuler denied Matco its eighth NHRA Wally trophy of the year. In Funny Car, Jack Beckman and the Infinite Hero Dodge Charger R/T team led by crew chief Jimmy Prock had their championship run stopped when Kalitta Motorsports’ Del Worsham beat them in the Pomona semifinals. Despite that disappointment, Jack and the Infinite Hero team dominated the 18- race regular season by winning six times and then added another trophy in the six-race Countdown to the Championship playoff.
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RECORD BREAKING YEAR FOR DSR Shawn, Red Fuel/Sandvik Top Fuel team win DSR’s 27th of year; Antron, Matco are champs and Jack, Infinite Hero get oh so close
The 2015 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series finished the season two weeks ago near Pomona, Calif., and Don Schumacher Racing left its mark by setting both Funny Car world records and the Red Fuel/Sandvik Coromant Top Fuel team closed it out by winning a DSR-record 27th event title in 24 races and 267th all-time. Tommy Johnson Jr. and the Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger R/T team led by John Collins advanced to the championship round for the eighth time of the year but a loss to Del Worsham cost him his third win of the year. With Antron Brown and the Matco Tools/U.S. Army team led by Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald having clinched its second world
championship at the previous race, the Matco men didn’t let up and advanced to their 10th championship round where Shawn Langdon and the Red Fuel team with crew chiefs Todd Okuhara and Phil Shuler denied Matco its eighth NHRA Wally trophy of the year. In Funny Car, Jack Beckman and the Infinite Hero Dodge Charger R/T team led by crew chief Jimmy Prock had their championship run stopped when Kalitta Motorsports’ Del Worsham beat them in the Pomona semifinals. Despite that disappointment, Jack and the Infinite Hero team dominated the 18-race regular season by winning six times and then added another trophy in the six-race Countdown to the Championship playoff.
By all measures it was a stellar season for DSR and nothing topped the accomplishment of Don Schumacher, who started 2015 battling cancer and ended it joyously celebrating victory at Pomona on the season’s last run. Everyone at DSR and most in drag racing were taken aback as Don’s battle began but he attacked it the way he wants his team’s to race. The best way to get lucky, he says, is through hard work. Don missed attending the first two events and it might not be a surprise
that at the conclusion of the first event he attended, which was at Gainesville, Fla., DSR won five of the
first six nitro titles. As Don continued to regain his strength, DSR continued a torrid pace that produced one of the greatest seasons ever by a professional motorsports organization in the world. Consider these accomplishments:
Don Schumacher Racing achievements in 2015: OVERALL
A DSR record 27 event titles including 15 in Funny Car and 12 in Top Fuel;
In the final Mello Yello standings, DSR drivers Ranked 1-2-6 in Top Fuel and 2-3-4-5 in Funny Car;
Each of the seven DSR teams earned No. 1 qualifying positions for a total of 25;
Swept both nitro event titles at 7 races;
Drivers Antron Brown, Jack Beckman, Matt Hagan and Ron Capps held an NHRA national record at some point;
DSR swept the Traxxas Nitro Shootouts with the Matco Tools team winning Top Fuel and Infinite Hero winning Funny Car over Labor Day Weekend at Indy.
TOP FUEL
Antron and the Matco Tools/U.S. Army team led by crew chiefs Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald clinched their second Top Fuel world championship in four years and DSR’s 14th before arriving at Pomona for the finale;
Antron won a career-best 7 titles to pad his nitro-leading total of 36 over the past seven seasons;
Won 12 of possible 24 Mello Yello event titles; Antron and the Matco team became the first in Top Fuel to crack into the 3.6-second range with a time
of 3.680 seconds in August at Brainerd, Minn., that remains the national record. FUNNY CAR
Jack had career-bests of seven Mello Yello event titles and five No. 1 qualifying positions with the Infinite Hero Dodge and reset the national time record five times this year including on Nov. 13 at Pomona with a run in 3.884 seconds;
DSR won 15 Funny Car titles with the all-new 2015 Dodge Charger R/T body;
The four DSR Dodge Charger R/T Funny Cars advanced to the championship round at 23 of 24 Mello Yello events.
Matt and the Mopar Express Lane/Rocky Boots Dodge Charger R/T team led by crew chief Dickie Venables became the first Funny Car into the 3.8-second range with a time of 3.879 seconds at Brainerd that remains the quickest ever;
Matt became the first to reach 330 mph in a Funny Car (Brainerd 2015);
DSR has 15 of the 20 quickest Funny Car times.
Don Schumacher Racing achievements at 2015 NHRA Finals in Pomona: OVERALL
Reset both NHRA Funny Car world records: Jack (3.884) and Matt (331.45);
Ron and the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge with crew chief Rahn Tobler produced a time of 3.885 that is his quickest ever and briefly held the NHRA time record.
TOP FUEL
Antron wrapped up a record year advancing to the finals for the 10th time.
Shawn Langdon completed his six-race stay with DSR by winning the Pomona title and produced the top speed of the meet for Top Fuel was by Langdon at a track-record 332.43 mph on his championship run;
FUNNY CAR
Matt had the event’s only Funny Car 330-mph runs (331.45 and 330.15);
Ron earned his first No. 1 qualifier spot with a career-best time of 3.885, the fourth quickest ever;
T.J. also posted his best lap at 3.891, the seventh quickest ever.
More than Wally trophies and NHRA records, 2015 was a bountiful, giving year for DSR
By JEFF WOLF Our world is far from being a perfect place. American politicians remind us of this, especially every four years. Heartless, misguided terrorists dominate “breaking” news with their exploits intent on destroying America. But they will fail as they always have. That political gloom and terrorist doom occurring at this time of year will not deter us from seeing our glasses as more than half full. Certainly there are too many of our fellow Americans who will not enjoy a bountiful holiday season and each of us can do something to help those not in positions to help themselves. With Thanksgiving just a few days away, everyone in the Don Schumacher Racing will reflect on our record-breaking NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season with perhaps a greater emphasis on other victories experienced by DSR in 2015. Not all success at DSR is measured in time slips and visits to NHRA winner’s circles. Those achievements are etched in record books and sure help our boss, Don Schumacher, pay the bills and continue expanding the biggest, most successful speed factory in all of American motorsports. While Don is our leader, without question, he has joined with a beautiful person from New Mexico whose life went from hardscrabble to affluent and she has devoted herself to a “giving” career in NHRA drag racing. Terry Chandler has become of the soul of DSR and NHRA. For a second year and soon a third, this woman with a 10,000-horsepower, supercharged heart with
assistance from Don has pumped hope into others’ lives through the Make-A-Wish and Infinite Hero Funny Cars. She directly has helped to keep 20 DSR technicians, drivers Tommy Johnson Jr. and Jack Beckman with their crew chiefs employed. Her desire to create a “Giving
Funny Car” has brought awareness to the Make-A-Wish foundation by hosting families and children challenged by unfair maladies at each Mello Yello race.
Her program with Infinite Hero to help soldiers who returned from war with physical and mental injuries helped to raise more than $300,000 this year. Because of her commitment, the newest members of the DSR family – Gary and Mari Linfoot – shared an unbelievable experience at Bristol, Tenn., in June when with the help of an exoskeleton suit provided to Gary through a grant from Infinite Hero that enabled him to stand with a U.S. Army color guard in the prerace ceremony. It was the first time the retired Ranger helicopter pilot was able to stand for the National Anthem since a crash during a mission over Iraq paralyzed him below the waist eight years ago. He was greeted by a rousing appreciative ovations for his service. That moment was repeated at several other Mello Yello races during the season including the NHRA Finals on Nov. 15 at Pomona, Calif., when his daughter, Allyssa, shared the moment from a few feet away. Terry was honored during the Nov. 16 NHRA Awards Banquet in Hollywood as the first recipient in 11 years of the Blaine Johnson Award for her outstanding commitment and dedication to the sport of NHRA Drag Racing.
The 10th annual DSR Open House to benefit the Riley Children’s Foundation served as the official kickoff of the NHRA U.S. Nationals near Indy on Friday of Labor Day Weekend and raised nearly $52,000 to benefit Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health. DSR’s total contribution to Riley Kids is close to $400,000 over the past decade that includes funds raised in the annual DSR bowling event that will be held on Dec. 9.
For the Fourth of July, NAPA AUTO PARTS applied a special paint scheme to Ron’s Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car during annual campaign supporting the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund to call attention to the price military families pay when a veteran returns from service afflicted by post-traumatic stress (PTSD) or traumatic brain injury (TBI). And in October, the Matco Tools’ Tools for the Cause pink dragster honored 262 members of the Matco family who have
been
affected by breast cancer by having their names adorned on Matco dragster. The Tools for the Cause dragster ran to raise awareness and funds
for Susan G. Komen® during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Family is the most appropriate way to describe DSR, and as our family expands it also contracts each year. Several new crew members were added this year and next year there will be a few more changes. One of the most endearing photos of the season was taken during the last run of the year when DSR’s Matco team faced the Red Fuel team for the NHRA Finals trophy. It was an appropriate match considering, as this photo indicates, Matco clutch specialist Michael O’Guin and Red Fuel clutch assistant Marla O’Guin were joined in nitro as they were in matrimony last year to watch their last run at DSR. They will leave DSR at the end of the year to move near Nashville and start a new life together outside of racing. What is not captured in the photo by DSR’s Leah Vaughn is a split second after the win-light was illuminated above the Red Fuel
lane she ecstatically exploded away from her husband to celebrate with her team and driver Shawn Langdon. Several families came to DSR headquarters for the second annual Hole Shot Halloween and a big crowd is expected on Dec. 5 for a new holiday tradition, the DSR Kids Christmas party.
As the curtain dropped on the 2015 racing season, in a few days it will rise to get a jump on 2016. Before the year ends, DSR will have completed a massive expansion of the machine shop and could break ground on extending the DSR headquarters/race shop building several hundred feet along Motorsports Way in Brownsburg. We close by wishing a very Happy Thanksgiving.to our 120-plus DSR racing families and our thousands of fans
THIS IS HOW WE ROLL … help Riley Kids Join DSR, NHRA stars at Dec. 9 bowling event for Riley Hospital Don Schumacher Racing will host its sixth annual “Bowling for Riley” night with NHRA stars and hundreds of other fans and supporters on Dec. 9 at Western Bowl (6441 W. Washington Street) in Indianapolis to raise funds for the Riley Children’s Foundation. Teams of four and individuals can enter the three-game “strike or 9” event and enjoy food and fun from 6:30-10 p.m. with bowling starting promptly at 7:40. The entry fee is $240 per four-person team or $50 per single bowler. Non-bowling spectator admission is $10 and children under 12 will be admitted free with a paying adult. Each bowler receives a free “Bowling for Riley” event t-shirt. Corporate level packages for $500 are available and include four-person team entry, VIP access to food and refreshments, lane sponsorship and event signage.
Last year’s “Bowling for Riley” raised more than $10,000 and helped push DSR’s contribution to Riley Kids to over $350,000 in the past 10 years. For more information, contact Blake Elliott at DSR (317.286.4396 or [email protected]).
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2015 DSR DRIVERS STATS – FINAL
DSR TOP FUEL
ANTRON BROWN: Matco Tools/U.S. Army *2015 WORLD CHAMPION Pts Events Wins Rup Semi Qtr 1st rd Poles DNQ W/L 2015 1st 24 7 3 6 3 5 7 0 51-17
CAREER 334 54 (38 TF/16 PSB) 43 69 86 78 44 3 568-277 Best Time, Speed: 3.680 sec.-national record, first 3.6 (2015, Brainerd); 331.12 mph (2015, Brainerd)
TONY SCHUMACHER: U.S. Army Pts Events Wins Rup Semi Qtr 1st rd Poles DNQ W/L 2015 2nd 24 3 4 4 7 6 3 0 39-21 CAREER 432 80 58 68 114 104 79 8 742-344
Best Time, Speed: 3.719 sec. (2015, Topeka); 330.55 mph (2014, Las Vegas 2)
SHAWN LANGDON: Red Fuel Powered by Schumacher/Sandvik Coromant Pts Events Wins Rup Semi Qtr 1st rd Poles DNQ W/L 2015 6th 24 (first 18 with AJR) 2 1 4 8 9 2 0 27-22 CAREER 164 12 14 32 51 59 18 3 200-150
Langdon’s Best Time, Speed: 3.662 Sec. (quickest ever, 2015, Brainerd); 334.25 mph (both with Alan Johnson Racing)
2015/TEAM --- 24 2 0 4 7 12 1 0 22-22 Team’s best Time, Speed: 3.715 sec. (2015, Pomona 2); 332.75 mph (2015, Brainerd, Minn.)
DSR FUNNY CAR
JACK BECKMAN: Infinite Hero Dodge Charger R/T Pts Events Wins Rup Semi Qtr 1st rd Poles DNQ W/L 2015 2nd 24 7 2 4 5 5 5 1 46-16 CAREER 228 22 22 41 63 73 15 7 297-199 Best Time, Speed: 3.884 sec.-national record (2015, Pomona 2); 328.38 (2015, Pomona 2)
Best Time, Speed: 3.879 sec.-quickest ever (2015, Brainerd); 331.45 mph-national record (2015, Pomona 2)
2015 NHRA MELLO YELLO STANDINGS – FINAL (Official after Pomona 2; 6 of 6 in Countdown, 24 of 24 overall; DSR drivers in CAPS) TOP FUEL FUNNY CAR DRIVER (WINS) POINTS BEHIND DRIVER (WINS) POINTS BEHIND 1. ANTRON BROWN (7) 2692 ----- 1. Del Worsham (4) 2664 ----- 2. TONY SCHUMACHER (3) 2461 -231 2. JACK BECKMAN (7) 2608 -56 3. Richie Crampton (5) 2430 -262 3. TOMMY JOHNSON JR (2) 2548 -116 4. Larry Dixon 2412 -280 4. RON CAPPS (2) 2490 -174 5. Doug Kalitta (3) 2388 -304 5. MATT HAGAN (4) 2418 -246 6. SHAWN LANGDON (2) 2387 -305 6. Robert Hight (2) 2370 -294 7. Brittany Force 2363 -329 7. John Force (2) 2332 -332 8. Steve Torrence (1) 2342 -348 8. Alexis DeJoria 2313 -353 9. JR Todd 2307 -383 9. Cruz Pedregon 2286 -378 10. Dave Connolly 2303 -389 10. Tim Wilkerson (1) 2259 -405
2016 NHRA MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING SERIES Pre-season testing
Feb. 3-6 Phoenix Regular Season
Feb. 11-14 Pomona, Calif. Feb. 26-28 Phoenix
March 17-20 Gainesville, Fla. April 1-3 Las Vegas April 22-24 Charlotte, N.C. April 29-May 1 Houston May 13-15 Atlanta June 3-5 Epping, N.H. June 9-12 Englishtown, N.J. June 17-19 Bristol, Tenn. June 23-26 Norwalk, Ohio July 7-10 Chicago July 22-24 Denver July 29-31 Sonoma, Calif. Aug. 5-7 Seattle Aug. 18-21 Brainerd, Minn. Aug. 31-Sept. 5 Indianapolis
NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship Sept. 16-18 Charlotte, N.C. Sept. 23-25 St. Louis Sept. 29-Oct. 2 Reading, Pa. Oct. 13-16 Dallas Oct. 27-30 Las Vegas Nov. 10-13 Pomona, Calif.
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NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series results (NOTE: order of events only correct for 2015)
REGULAR SEASON 2013 DSR WINNNERS 2014 WINNERS 2015 WINNERS 1. Feb. 6-8 Pomona, Calif. TF Langdon/FC C. Force TF alBalooshi FC J. Force TF Langdon FC MATT 2. Feb. 20-22 Phoenix TF TONY/FC RON TF ANTRON FC DeJoria TF TONY FC MATT 3. March 13-15 G’ville, Fla. TF ANTRON/FC GRAY TF Kalitta FC Hight TF SPENCER FC RON 4. March 27-29 Charlotte TF SPENCER/FC MATT TF ANTRON FC Hight TF ANTRON FC JACK #100 5. April 10-12 Las Vegas TF TONY/FC Cruz TF TONY FC DeJoria TF Crampton FC J. Force 6. April 24-26 Houston TF Vandergriff/FC Cruz TF ANTRON FC Hight TF Kalitta FC RON 7. May 15-17 Atlanta (PSM) TF ANTRON/FC GRAY TF SPENCER FC Hight TF ANTRON FC Wilkerson
8. May 22-24 Topeka, Kan. TF Langdon/FC GRAY TF SPENCER FC C. Force TF Crampton FC JACK #250 9. June 5-7 Englishtown TF Langdon/FC MATT TF Crampton FC C. Pedregon TF ANTRON FC MATT 10. June 12-14 Epping, N.H. TF SPENCER/FC C. Force TF TONY FC RON TF TONY FC J. Force 11. June 19-21 Bristol TF S. Torrence/FC J. Force TF Langdon FC TOMMY TF Crampton FC MATT 12. July 3-5 Norwalk, Ohio TF alBalloshi/FC GRAY TF ANTRON FC J. Force TF Kalitta FC JACK 13. July 10-12 Chicago TF TONY/FC MATT TF ANTRON FC MATT TF TONY FC TOMMY 14. July 24-26 Denver TF SPENCER/FC Cruz TF Todd FC Hight TF Torrence FC JACK 15. Jul 31-Au. 2 Sonoma TF Langdon/FC RON TF alBalooshi FC C. Force TF ANTRON FC JACK 16. Aug. 7-9 Seattle TF Lucas/ FC MATT TF Kalitta FC J. Force TF Todd FC TOMMY 17. Aug. 21-23 Brainerd TF SPENCER/FC RON TF Lucas FC RON (Indy) TF Crampton FC Hight 18. Sep. 3-7 Indianapolis TF Langdon/FC Hight TF Crampton FC DeJoria TF Lucas FC JACK FC Traxxas JACK TF Traxxas TONY FC JACK COUNTDOWN 2013 DSR WINNERS 2014 WINNERS 2015 WINNERS 19. Sept. 18-20 Charlotte TF Lucas/FC Hight TF TONY (Dallas) FC MATT (Dallas) TF ANTRON FC Worsham 20. Sept.25-27 St. Louis TF ANTRON/FC J. Force TF ANTRON FC C. Force TF ANTRON FC Worsham 21. Oct. 2-4 Reading, Pa. TF Langdon/FC J. Force TF TONY FC MATT TF ANTRON FC JACK 22. Oct. 16-18 Dallas TF Kalitta/FC Cruz TF TONY FC C. Force TF Crampton FCWorsham 23, Oc. 30-Nv. 1 Las Vegas TF ANTRON/FC J. Force TF SPENCER FC Worsham TF Kalitta FC Hight 24. Nov. 13-15 Pomona TF Langdon/FC MATT TF Lucas FC MATT TF SHAWN FC Worsham
DSR TOTALS: TF = 11/FC = 12 TF = 14 FC = 7 TF = 12 FC = 15
DSR 2015 SEASON TOTALS
1 – World championships (Antron’s 2nd) 12 - Top Fuel event titles (Antron 7, Tony 3, Shawn, Spencer 1)
15 - Funny Car event titles (Jack 7, Matt 4, Ron 2, Tommy 2)
DSR 2014 SEASON TOTALS 2 - World championships (Tony’s 8th in Top Fuel, Matt’s 2nd in Funny Car)
14 - Top Fuel event titles (Antron 6, Tony 5, Spencer 3) 7 - Funny Car event titles (Matt 4, Ron 2, Tommy 1, Jack 0)
DSR ALL-TIME TOTALS
14 - World championships (Tony 8, Matt 2, Antron 2, Jack Beckman 1, Gary Scelzi 1) 267 - NHRA Mello Yello event titles (Top Fuel 135, Funny Car 111, Pro Stock 3, Pro Stock Motorcycles 18)
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