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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
Driver Information:
TONY SCHUMACHER
Driver of the Leatherwood Distillery Top Fuel Dragster
NHRA Countdown to the Championship Ranking: 8th
NHRA Finals Event Highlights:
Four-time event champion (2004 - 2007)
Five-time runner-up (2000, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2018)
Six-time No. 1 qualifier (2003, 2005, 2007 - 2010)
In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip Overall Highlights:
Six-time event winner
Eight-time runner-up
10-time No. 1 qualifier
2023 NHRA Finals Event Recap:
Qualified 11th; First round exit (defeated by Leah Pruett in E1)
Last Event (Las Vegas 2):
Qualified 13th; First round exit (defeated by Steve Torrence in E1)
2024 Statistics:
19 races; two wins, two runner-up finishes, one specialty race win
Career Statistics:
574 races; 88 wins, 88 No. 1 qualifiers
Noteworthy:
Schumacher will compete in his 575th NHRA event this weekend
Leads the Top Fuel class in number of No. 1 qualifiers at the NHRA Finals (six), and total number of TF poles at the Pomona facility (10)
Returned to the Leatherwood Distillery scheme for the final two events of the season.
Earlier in the year, it was announced that Leatherwood was running a sales promotion in which fifty cents of every bottle sold through Veteran’s Day would benefit 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 during this weekend’s pre-race ceremonies.
Quotable:
“The NHRA Finals has always been incredibly special to me. So many great moments have happened there. It’s truly the pressure cooker of them all and we will know who has earned the 2024 championship soon enough. It has been a great track for me and our team. We’re out of the hunt this year, but that doesn’t mean we’re not going into the weekend with the mindset of running hard to try and close out the season with a third Wally trophy. I’m going to enjoy the moment and try and be present. Conditions look fast and we’re ready to send it.”
IDA ZETTERSTRÖM
Driver of the JCM/VP Racing Fuels/Edelbrock/COMP Cams/Dodge Top Fuel Dragster
Last Event (Las Vegas 2):
Qualified 14th; First round exit (defeated by Doug Kalitta in E1)
Noteworthy:
Pomona marks the final event of Zetterström’s rookie season campaign
Quotable:
“In the beginning of our season, we said that our goals were to find rhythm for this team in order to set up a good pace for next season, continue to go quicker and faster, and continue to improve. We definitely had ups and downs, but we’ve been steadily improving and have learned new things at every race. Sometimes it's been things that I’ve learned as a driver, sometimes it's been for us as a team on just working closer together, and sometimes it's been on the tune-up side, but we’ve definitely made big strides that will help us for the future. Our goal of trying to test more combinations has been harder since there have been so many cars at every event. We've had to tread very lightly to get good results and make sure we’re able to qualify because we’ve seen high car counts at the last several races, which is great of course, but that leaves less room for being able to test things. But, I think under the circumstances we've had, we've been able to see a lot of improvement while still trying to run with the best of the best in the world and showing what we can do.
"One of the goals we set for ourselves was to qualify in the top half at every event. We've done that once so far but we're hoping we can cap the season off with another top half qualifier. We obviously want more round wins. We came out swinging very high with the semifinal finish in Brainerd, and we are hungry for more of that. Pomona is once again another track that I have never raced at before. I've been there, but I've never actually been in a car on that track so another weekend of firsts, but I know that the team I have around me, led by Jon Schaffer, will give me a great car. They have a ton of experience with this track. I feel very confident that we will end our rookie season on a high note and I’m hoping we can go rounds. We have friends and family coming to this event. We have a lot of sponsors visiting, and also some other fun things happening such as media appearances and so on, which always makes it very exciting. Not to mention, I attended this race a year ago with Joe Maynard knowing I would be making my debut with JCM Racing in 2024, so it feels extra special to be back here a year later, this time behind the wheel of a JCM Top Fuel dragster. I’m excited and very thankful to go into this last race with my team with the hopes of ending it on a high note.”
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