JCM Racing Post-Race Recap: Las Vegas 2

NHRA Nevada Nationals

Event 19 of 20

Countdown Event 5 of 6

The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Las Vegas

Nov. 1 – 3, 2024

Tony Schumacher Drops Close First-Round Match at Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS (November 3, 2024) – Tony Schumacher made his quickest pass of the NHRA Nevada Nationals in the opening round of eliminations on Sunday morning, but it wasn’t quick enough to move on and continue chasing a ninth Top Fuel world championship. Schumacher, the class leader at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in terms of wins and No. 1 qualifier awards, is currently ranked seventh in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Top Fuel points leaving Las Vegas with one race left in the season to cement his final position, although that could change on Monday. After a lengthy track cleanup following the Top Fuel semifinal round, NHRA announced they were postponing the remainder of the race until the following morning. Depending on who wins the final round, Schumacher could potentially drop one spot to eighth.

Schumacher arrived in Las Vegas with the Leatherwood Distillery livery back on his JCM Racing dragster for the final two races of the year. Through Veteran’s Day (Nov. 11), Leatherwood Distillery will donate 50 cents from every bottle sold to benefit both A Soldier’s Child and Brother’s Keeper Veteran Foundation. JCM Racing will present a donation check on behalf of Leatherwood to A Soldier’s Child organization at the upcoming NHRA Finals during pre-race ceremonies. Schumacher’s machine also featured a new event partner, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 357 and the Southern Nevada National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA).

Qualifying presented challenges for Schumacher and his Mike Neff-led team. He went up in smoke early in the first three qualifying sessions, leaving him outside the 16-car field going into the final session on Saturday. The 11-time No. 1 qualifier at Las Vegas made a smooth 3.769-second pass at 328.46 mph to move into the field in the No. 13 spot for Sunday eliminations.

In the first round of eliminations, Schumacher grabbed a starting line advantage over fellow multi-time world champion Steve Torrence and led the race until Torrence took over around the half-track mark. Schumacher posted a 3.738 E.T. at 325.61 mph to finish just .012 seconds behind Torrence and his 3.700 E.T.

“That was the wrong end of a great drag race,” said Schumacher, who’s won eight times at The Strip. “Honestly, (Torrence) left the door open. He made a great run. I think he was probably the third quickest of the round. We made a good run, we just needed to go quicker. We got behind the eight ball starting Friday and we never caught back up. We’ll do some testing here on Monday, then it’s on to Pomona to try to win the last race of the year.”

Though he’s realistically out of championship contention, Schumacher will look to improve on his position in the Top Fuel points when the 2024 season concludes at the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals, Nov. 15-17, at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Pomona, Calif.

Qualified:

No. 13 (3.769 E.T. at 328.46 MPH)

Elimination Round Results:

E1: 3.738 E.T. at 325.61 MPH defeated by Steve Torrence 3.700 E.T. at 335.07 MPH

Note:

After a lengthy track cleanup following the Top Fuel semifinal round, it was decided to postpone the remainder of the race until Monday morning. Top Fuel points as they stand now are below. Updated points can be found on NHRA.com following the conclusion of Monday's elimination rounds.

NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Top Fuel Point Standings (Unofficial):

1 Justin Ashley 2475

2 Antron Brown 2431

3 Shawn Langdon 2430

4 Steve Torrence 2390

4 Doug Kalitta 2390 / 2410

6 Clay Millican 2382

7 Tony Schumacher 2348

8 Brittany Force 2337 / 2357

9 Tony Stewart 2215

9 Shawn Reed 2215

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Zetterström Eager for Strong Finish in Pomona Following Early Exit in Las Vegas

Rookie of the Year contender Ida Zetterström battled through a loaded 19-car field at the Nevada Nationals to secure a spot on the Top Fuel eliminations ladder at the second-to-last race of the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season. She was ready to add more win lights to her NHRA tally but a first-round loss to the reigning category champ ended her chance at making a run for the Las Vegas hardware.

Zetterström opened the weekend with two tire-smoking attempts on Friday, placing her on the outside looking in of the 16-car field. When the 2023 FIA European Top Fuel champion returned to the starting line for the third qualifying session on Saturday, she took her JCM/VP Racing Fuels/Edelbrock/COMP Cams/Dodge Top Fuel dragster straight down the groove in 3.786 seconds at 324.12 mph to place her in the provisional No. 13 position. She recorded another good pass in the fourth and final qualifying round, settling into 14th to start race day.

Against Kalitta, Zetterström moved first but was up in smoke shortly after leaving the starting line. She pedaled but her machine lost traction once again while Kalitta recorded a 3.861 E.T. in the opposite lane to advance. It was the first time the two drag racing champions had faced each other in competition and continued the trend of Zetterström squaring off against current or former Top Fuel world champions on race day. Since making her NHRA debut at the Brainerd, Minnesota event in August, all but one of Zetterström’s race day match-ups have been against a series champion.

“Tough first-round loss,” said Zetterström following her seventh NHRA appearance. “I left the line first, tried to pedal it but it didn’t want to recover so I had to lift. It’s always hard when you’re just coasting and you see your opponent cross the finish line. Obviously, Doug Kalitta and that team, they’re the reigning champions for a reason. They’re a hard team to beat but we definitely rolled up ready to put up a fight and just came up short this time. One more race to go but first we’ve got SEMA. It’ll be great to spend some more time with our partners and our fans and then it’s back to Indy to regroup and get ready to finish the year strong in Pomona.”

Zetterström will close out her rookie season at the NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif., Nov. 15-17.

Qualified:

No. 14 (3.786 E.T. at 324.12 MPH)

Elimination Round Results:

E1: 7.019 E.T. at 82.30 MPH defeated by Doug Kalitta 3.861 E.T. at 315.42 MPH