Fri, 18 Sep 2009, 11:18 PM Schumacher Second After First Day of Action

Courtesy of Chris Dirato

CONCORD, N.C. -- U.S. Army Top Fuel pilot Tony "The Sarge" Schumacher swiped the second starting spot here Friday following the initial day of qualifying for the second annual Carolinas Nationals at zMax Dragway.

Schumacher, who claimed a big win in Indianapolis two weeks ago, recorded a 3.850-second pass at 315.05 mph in round two and as a result ended up just behind provisional pole sitter Antron Brown.

"This was a nice start to the weekend," said the six-time world champion. "We wanted to come out of the box sharp and it certainly appears like we got the job done."

The Carolinas Nationals marks the first race in the NHRA's Countdown to 1. Schumacher entered the event holding third-place in the standings, 40 points removed from Brown in first.

"We're right there with the top dogs," added the Chicago-area resident. "We really hope to leave here as THE top dog."

Last year, Schumacher used a victory in the Carolinas Nationals as a springboard to his fifth consecutive world title.

"We'd like to repeat that strategy again this time around," he said. "When you win races, everything just seems to take care of itself."

Schumacher actually captured four of the six races in the 2008 version of the Countdown to 1 which proved to be the exact recipe for success.

"You can talk all you want about qualifying points and the like, but if you don't perform on race day it won't mean very much in the end."

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