Schumacher rolls to eight Top Fuel wins at The Big Go during the decade,
Anderson goes on Indy run in Pro Stock, Ashley Force-Hood makes history and more
By NHRA: (Photos Courtesy NHRA)
INDIANAPOLIS (Aug. 14, 2024) – To become the most successful driver at the world’s biggest drag race, Top Fuel star Tony Schumacher had to enjoy at least one incredible streak at the Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals.
That happened in the 2000s, which featured a remarkable performance to the tune of eight wins and nine final rounds from The Big Go’s winningest driver. Schumacher has an NHRA-best 10 victories on drag racing’s grandest stage and he’ll look for another when the biggest stars in the sport descend on Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park on Aug. 28-Sept. 2 for the 70th annual Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals.
The Big Go turns 70 in 2024 and Schumacher has contributed greatly to the rich history at the event. As the road to the 70th annual Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals continues with a look at each decade, the 2000s most prominent storyline was Schumacher’s spectacular run of dominance.
He won Indy eight times in the 2000s, advancing to the final all but one year (2001). He won three straight times from 2002-2004 and after falling to Larry Dixon – the only other Top Fuel driver to win at Indy in the 2000s – in 2005, Schumacher cleaned house the rest of the decade, winning four in a row from 2006-2009.
Schumacher quickly realized what winning the world’s biggest drag race can do for a driver’s legacy and the team was seemingly always on point in Indy. The decade was filled with epic battles against the likes of Doug Kalitta, Gary Scelzi, Dixon and others, but Schumacher, the eight-time Top Fuel champ, always seemed to rise to the occasion when it mattered most.
“Indy is my Magic Kingdom and for me to have such a great dominance at Indy is really something,” Schumacher said in a 2020 interview. “I can’t begin to explain it other than I think we are better under pressure and I think because the race is a bigger race. They’re just so big, I think I try harder.
“There are people who rise and get better when their heart rate’s up and there are people who choke, so I’m extremely thankful that during the big moments, we performed better because you could be the guy that wins the other stuff but has a hard time under the bigger circumstance.”
Pro Stock’s Greg Anderson didn’t quite reach Schumacher’s level at Indy in the 2000s, but he surely came close, winning at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park five times during the decade, including four straight from 2003-2006. It was the quickest way to emerge from Warren Johnson’s shadow and Anderson was marvelous on the sport’s grandest stage, as only Jeg Coughlin and Dave Connolly won at Indy in Pro Stock in the 2000s.
Coughlin won three times (2000, 2002, 2009), cementing the long-lasting Anderson-Coughlin rivalry that continues to this day, while Connolly enjoyed a pair of victories in back-to-back years in 2007 and 2008.
Remarkably, the sport’s most successful driver, John Force, only cashed in once at Indy in the 2000s, winning in 2002, but John Force Racing certainly made a statement at The Big Go. Gary Densham won for JFR in 2004, while Robert Hight announced his Funny Car arrival with victories in 2006 and 2008. Force’s daughter, Ashley, ended the decade with the 2009 Funny Car victory, becoming the first female in Funny Car history to win the world’s biggest drag race.
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Antron Brown broke through for his first Indy triumph in 2000, winning again in 2004. To get his first Top Fuel win at Indy, the three-time world champ would have to wait another seven years. Angelle Sampey won twice early in the decade, while the category’s longest-tenured rider, Steve Johnson, picked up Indy victories in 2005 and 2008.
Other highlights in the terrific 2000s included 2007 Funny Car victory from Mike Ashley, father of Top Fuel standout Justin Ashley, Tim Wilkerson breaking through in 2003 and a win from Whit Bazemore (2001). Del Worsham also swept Indy in 2005 in Funny Car, winning the Skoal Showdown and the U.S. Nationals the same weekend, while reigning Indy champ Matt Smith picked up his first Indy victory in 2006.
The look at the 2010s comes next, as John Force Racing continues an impressive Funny Car run and a handful of star drivers crack through at The Big Go for the first time, including reigning Top Fuel world champion Doug Kalitta.
This year, the 70th annual Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals promises to be one of the biggest in the illustrious history of The Big Go. It features the final Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge of the year and the Pep Boys Funny Car All-Star Callout, as well as the special Sox & Martin Hemi Challenge presented by the McCandless Collection and the Rooftec Comp Cash Clash, along with racing in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+, NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown™ and NHRA Holley EFI Factory X, plus:
- A special 70th anniversary NHRA U.S. Nationals pennant for the first 8,000 fans in attendance for eliminations on Monday, Sept. 2.
- Free parking for all fans and children 12-under admitted free.
- An unforgettable Top Eliminator Club experience, including NHRA driver appearances, food and drink, TEC gift bag, starting line seats and much more.
- The biggest field in drag racing.
Last year, Brown (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car), Matt Hartford (Pro Stock) and Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) all won, with Brown, Capps and Smith winning at Indy for the second straight year. This year’s race will again be broadcast on FOX and FS1, including eliminations on FOX at 2 p.m. ET on Monday, Sept. 2.
Kalitta currently leads the Top Fuel ranks, while Austin Prock’s debut season in Funny Car has been a huge success as he leads the way. Dallas Glenn is the Pro Stock points leader, while Gaige Herrera has six wins to his credit in Pro Stock Motorcycle. Other stars to watch include Top Fuel’s Ashley, Brittany Force, Shawn Langdon and racing legend Tony Stewart, who will make his Indy Top Fuel debut, Funny Car’s Bob Tasca III, Matt Hagan and J.R. Todd, Pro Stock’s Erica Enders, Aaron Stanfield and Troy Coughlin Jr., and Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Chase Van Sant and Jianna Evaristo.
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature one round at 6:45 p.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 30, two rounds at 12 and 2:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 31 and the final two rounds of qualifying on Sunday, Sept. 1 at 12 and 3:00 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 10:00 a.m. ET on Monday, Sept 2.
The first round of the Pep Boys Funny Car All-Star Callout takes place at 1:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 1, with the semifinals at 2:40 p.m. and the final round at 4:30 p.m. A special broadcast of the Callout takes place on FOX at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, and eliminations at 12 p.m. on FS1 on Monday, shifting to FOX at 2 p.m.
To purchase tickets to the 70th annual Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals, fans can visit www.NHRA.com/tickets. All children 12 and under will be admitted free in the general admission area with a paid adult. For more information about NHRA, visit www.NHRA.com.
