JCM Racing Post-Race Recap: Pomona 2

In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals

Event 20 of 20

Countdown Event 6 of 6

In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip

Pomona, Calif.

Nov. 15-17, 2024

Leatherwood Distillery's Give Back Program Proudly Donates $5,000

Before racing got underway on Sunday, Joe and PJ Maynard presented a check in the amount of $5,000 to A Soldier’s Child on behalf of Leatherwood Distillery. Joining the Maynards onstage were Sandra, Karen, and Liliana Lopez, a Gold Star Family, who attended the NHRA Finals as guests of JCM Racing. The family honored their late father, Army SGT Luis Lopez.

---

Tony Schumacher Finishes in Top 10 for 23rd Season

POMONA, Calif. (November 17, 2024) – An abbreviated qualifying outing at the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals left Tony Schumacher, along with most of the Top Fuel field, with only two opportunities to score a bid into the final elimination day of the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season. On Saturday at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, Schumacher and his Leatherwood Distillery Top Fuel team secured the No. 8 starting position. They were ready to make a run for their third win of the year on Sunday but were eliminated early when Clay Millican clocked the quickest pass of round one in the opposite lane to advance.

Schumacher’s qualifying outing at the season closer began when he rolled into the waterbox on Friday afternoon, ready to fire for the first qualifying session, and the skies opened up and started pouring rain. After on-and-off rain showers throughout the afternoon, the remainder of racing was canceled for the day. With only two shots to make it into the 16-car field, crew chief Mike ‘Zippy’ Neff tuned the Leatherwood machine to a stout 3.694 E.T. at 331.77-second pass during Saturday’s first session, placing the eight-time Top Fuel world champ in the provisional No. 4 position. They delivered another solid run of 3.725 seconds for the second and final session, with Schumacher settling into the No. 8 spot on the ladder to start race day.

Making his 575th NHRA appearance, Schumacher lined up against Millican and was eager to add to his six Wally trophies from the Pomona, California facility. Schumacher and Millican were the first pair of drivers to hit the gas on Sunday morning, and while both drivers made a clean pass, Millican left the line first and never trailed for the win, ending Schumacher’s day after the first round.

“Well that was a good ole fashioned butt-whoopin’!” exclaimed Schumacher after the loss. “He goes out and runs a 65 with a 45 light. I got out of the car and bowed to him, that’s all a man can do. It’s a shame we couldn’t have had a longer day, but I’m proud of the progress we continued to make throughout the year.

“We made it down the track three runs in a row this weekend, and they were fast, we just need some more power. Zippy knows exactly what he’s doing and what he’s got to do. We need to go out there, gain a little power. This is a great team, these guys are awesome, and I love working with them. The only disappointing thing is, I feel like things were really starting to come together for our team at the end of the season and we just ran out of races.”

Schumacher and the Leatherwood Distillery Top Fuel team close out the year ranked eighth, making this Schumacher’s 23rd Top 10 finish. While he is pleased with the team’s performance, the 88-time winner is looking forward to making a statement in 2025 but is vocal about the fact that they’re seeking funding to support their efforts.

“We’re looking forward to next year, but it is imperative that we find the right partner,” Schumacher added. “Huge thank you to Leatherwood for their support this season. We need someone to step up into that role and join them on the side of our dragster. We’re actively seeking a partner to come be a part of something great as we chase championship number nine.”

Qualified: No. 8 (3.694 E.T. at 331.77 MPH)

Elimination Round Results:

E1: 3.714 E.T. at 332.02 MPH defeated by Clay Millican 3.654 E.T. at 336.49 MPH

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

1 Antron Brown 2600

2 Doug Kalitta 2538

3 Justin Ashley 2526

4 Shawn Langdon 2513

5 Brittany Force 2478

6 Clay Millican 2461

7 Steve Torrence 2447

8 Tony Schumacher 2399

9 Tony Stewart 2325

10 Shawn Reed 2270

---

Career-Best Numbers Highlight Ida Zetterström’s Rookie Season Finale at NHRA Finals

Racing in the eighth and final event of her rookie season, 2023 FIA European Top Fuel champion Ida Zetterström notched two new career highlights at the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals. Before falling in the first round of eliminations on Sunday, Zetterström recorded a career-best E.T. and speed to qualify in the ultra-competitive Top Fuel field at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.

Zetterström’s personal-best E.T. came in the first qualifying session on Friday as she recorded a 3.738-second pass at 323.89 mph. That run put the JCM/VP Racing Fuels/Edelbrock/COMP Cams/Dodge dragster third out of the nine cars that made an attempt before rain put an end to Friday qualifying. She then broke into the 330-mph range with a solid 3.756 E.T. at 334.32 mph in the second session, marking her career-best speed. Zetterström stayed consistent in the final session, laying down a 3.755 at 325.37 mph to end up No. 14 on the final qualifying sheet.

For the second consecutive event, Zetterström lined up against 2023 world champion Doug Kalitta in the first round of eliminations, marking the ninth time in 11 rounds of competition that Zetterström faced a world champion. Zetterström and Kalitta were the second pair of drivers set to run before a small plane crashed in the pit area, leading NHRA officials to pause racing activity for almost two hours. Once racing resumed, Zetterström left just a tick behind Kalitta and went into tire smoke early in the run, coasting across the finish line.

“It was a little strange being in the water box and then having [the plane crash] happen and having to get out and kind of regroup and get back together,” Zetterström said. “Racing Doug again in a rematch from Vegas does give you a feeling of redemption, being able to get another shot at it. It was over at the hit, though. I had a cylinder out right when I stepped on it and that made it go into tire shake. After that, we could not recover, so that was the end of our race day.”

Zetterström qualified at all eight races she attended and earned three round wins, including a semifinal finish in her NHRA debut. She pointed out that while she didn’t get to hoist a Wally in her rookie season, her upstart team did accomplish numerous goals.

“I don't want the results of today to be a reflection of all of our races this year because I do feel like we have made big strides,” Zetterström said. “One of our biggest goals was to keep going quicker and faster and qualify better and just find our tune-up for this car. We're just getting started with that. There's a lot more potential in this car. Being 12 races behind everybody else this season has been a little challenging, and I wish that we had at least 10 more right now because I feel like I'm in the middle of my season. Hopefully we can manage a full season next year. I want to do really big things here in the sport, so we're looking for more partners that want to do that with us.”

Zetterström also shared her gratitude for the JCM Racing team, which added a second Top Fuel operation to join its original team with eight-time world champion Tony Schumacher earlier this season.

“I'm just very happy to be able to start here in NHRA and get my rookie season going with JCM Racing,” she said. “I've had a fantastic team around me with Jon Schaffer putting this whole team and car together, but also with Tony Shortall coming on board, helping oversee the guys, and then having a really strong group around me that always had my back. I'm very thankful for starting my career over here with them and I'm hopeful that there's still many years to come.”

As one of the NHRA Rookie of the Year candidates, Zetterström will attend the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Awards Ceremony on Monday, Nov. 17 at the Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif.

Qualified: No. 14 (3.738 E.T. at 323.89 MPH)

Elimination Round Results:

E1: 8.458 E.T. at 73.26 MPH defeated by Doug Kalitta 3.688 E.T. at 336.23 MPH