GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Tony Schumacher and the U.S. Army Top Fuel team have branded themselves as a second-half force, rallying sometimes from impossible odds to win National Hot Rod Ass’n races and championships.
But with his final-round triumph over an especially motivated Brandon Bernstein in Sunday’s ACDelco Gatornationals, Schumacher stamped his early domination.
The $40,000 victory was the reigning champion’s second in three events this year and second straight at Gainesville Raceway. It also marked his third overall at the popular central Florida track that hosts this East Coast premiere, tying him with Larry Dixon, Don Garlits and Eddie Hill. All four are one victory behind Joe Amato at the Gatornationals.

Tony Schumacher (Ted Rossino, Jr. Photo)

“We have a long season ahead of us, but it’s nice that we’ve taken off like we have,” Schumacher said after wowing the packed grandstands with a run of 4.603 seconds at 325.37 miles per hour. Bernstein — hoping to win in memory of fallen friend Eric Medlen, who died here last year after a testing crash — was .062 of a second behind Schumacher in the Budweiser-Lucas Oil Dragster with a 4.665-second elapsed time at 323.27 mph.
Schumacher shared the winner’s circle with Tony Pedregon (Funny Car), Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock) and Matt Guidera (Pro Stock Motorcycle).
“We weren’t the stellar car of the field, but we earned it. We beat hard cars and drivers and teams all day,” Schumacher said, alluding to victories over J.R. Todd, Antron Brown, and Dixon.
He entered with a one-point lead over Dixon to head the class and stretched that to 52 points. But he was quick to say, “We’re not ahead of anyone” when it comes to performance potential. He said crew chief Alan Johnson orchestrated a complete switch of some engine components with less than an hour remaining until the start of eliminations Sunday.
Though rain robbed fans of Friday’s activity, Schumacher said that ultimately they saw “high-quality racing, teams, and drivers. There’s no field in the pros that isn’t tough.”
Pedregon knows that’s true in the Funny Car ranks after beating Gary Densham by three-thousandths of a second in a final-round battle of Chevy Impalas.
“I’m not counting on too many of these guys folding up. It’s going to be a dogfight,” said the current Funny Car champion, who’s fourth in the standings. “Just to get in the top 10 is a big accomplishment.”

CLOSE BATTLE: Tony Pedregon (near lane) fights off Ashley Force during the Funny Car quarterfinals Sunday at Gainesville (Fla.) Raceway. (AutoImagery.com Photo)

Pedregon’s title defense started in a frightening manner, with his flaming first-round crash at Pomona, Calif., that left him with a burned hand. He’s healing, but said this $40,000 victory “is the best medicine.”
“It’s a tough racket — safe sport, exciting, entertaining and pretty spectacular sometimes. But when these cars behave like they’re supposed to, like they did in that final round, that’s the way it should be.”
No. 1 qualifier Pedregon won for the first time this season with a run of 4.921 seconds at 315.27 mph in his Q Horsepower entry. Densham, the No. 15 qualifier, countered with a 4.924-second, 309.13-mph effort in his Racebricks Impala.
It was ironic, for John Force Racing landed four cars in the field of 16, but the prize came down to two former JFR drivers who are team owners themselves.
In Pro Stock action, Jeg Coughlin defeated Jason Line in a $25,000 match-up of champions.
“It was a hard-fought day,” reported Coughlin, who said his second-round holeshot victory over nemesis Greg Anderson “was the turning point of the day.” He said he was particularly proud to have posted a 6.652-second e.t. at 208.07 mph to defeat Line’s 6.656/209, because “we knew we’d have our hands full with Jason.”

PRO STOCKERS: Jeg Coughlin (near lane) out ran Jason Line in the Pro Stock final round Sunday at Gainesville (Fla.) Raceway. (AutoImagery.com Photo)

He nearly didn’t make it through the competition, but took a chance with a broken wheelie bar on his Cagnazzi Racing JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt in the semifinals and went on to give his father, Jeg, Sr., a Wally trophy for his 70th birthday. Coughlin, Sr. celebrated his birthday Saturday, and team owner Victor Cagnazzi turned 50 Friday.
Guidera fired the first salvo, on the track and off, for the Pro Stock Motorcycle class that began its schedule this past weekend. The Mohegan Sun/Rocklin Motorports Buell rider defeated Harley-Davidson headliner Andrew Hines in the final round with a 6.949-second pass at 191.54 mph to three-time champion Hines’s 6.985/189.55.
“They’re pissed-off chickens, pissed-off birds,” Guidera said of the Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson team. “I’m sure of it. They’re going to come out swinging a pretty heavy hammer the next couple of races. We have a great team and good power. It’s going to be hard to beat us.”