BY ALLEN GREGORY
BRISTOL HERALD COURIER
BRISTOL, Tenn. — Tony Schumacher has become accustomed to the role of favorite.
He knows that his rivals are envious and even jealous of his success.
Such is life when you win five NHRA Top Fuel world championships, including a record four straight.
Schumacher simply laughed Friday night when a reporter informed him that Top Fuel driver Rod Fuller described competing against the King of Top Fuel as racing against the “dark side.”
“There’s nothing wrong with being the dark side,” Schumacher said. “We’ve got a great team and we’ve won a lot of stuff.”
According to Schumacher, the entire U.S. Army team welcomes their status.
“Let’s face it, [Dale] Earnhardt was the man in black. It didn’t get no better than that,” Schumacher said. “Let the people call us what they want.”
As for speculation about the continued success of the multicar Don Schumacher empire, Tony doesn’t seem concerned. He credits much of the success to his experienced and savvy crew chief, Alan Johnson.
“Everybody out here knows we don’t cheat. We play a fair game,” said Schumacher, son of team owner Don Schumacher. “I’m not the only that’s ever had a guy like [Johnson] tuning a car. Alan is just hard to beat.
“It’s real easy to throw nicknames out. They should call us by our real name, and that‘s champion.”
The next goal for Schumacher, who has 43 career event victories, is the coveted 400 round win mark. He needs just three more elimination round wins.
“Given that John Force just got his 1,000th round win, I’m not so sure that 400 round wins is that big of a deal,” Schumacher said. “But, just the same, I’m happy that my career has led me to this juncture. I’ve been fortunate to have been surrounded by a lot of great people over the years, including my crew chief.
“Without Alan calling the shots the last few years, I certainly would not be in the position that I’m in right now. He’s the best in the business and I’m blessed that he’s on my side.”
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