"At this point in the year, we know it's all about round wins," said Schumacher as he prepared for this weekend's Virginia Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park. "There are 12 rounds of racing left on the table and if we can go out and grab all of them we'll be in fine shape."

Schumacher has been collecting round wins with frequency since the NHRA's Countdown to 1 began in Charlotte three weeks ago. The last two weeks in particular he has pocketed seven of eight rounds available which vaulted him to the top spot in the standings.

The Chicago-area resident will go into the Virginia Nationals 54 points up on second-place Larry Dixon and 93 points up on third-place Cory McClenathan.

"While it would have been nice to get the win out in Memphis on Monday, we were still able to pad our lead," he added. "We'll be looking to put even more distance between us and the rest of the field this weekend."

Schumacher is attempting to win his seventh career world championship despite the fact he began the season with a new crew chief (Mike Green) and a whole new group of crew guys.

"I wouldn't trade Mike and the guys for anyone," said Schumacher. "They have done an outstanding job from day one. You can't imagine how much they want to bring home another title for the U.S. Army. Every weekend they're inspired by the Army Strong Soldiers in our pit area."

To no one's surprise given his track record the last five years, Schumacher is heading to another venue where he's had success. He is the defending Virginia Nationals champion.

"We did pretty well down there last year, but we can't live in the past," he related. "We're only concerned about what's right in front of us."

The Virginia Nationals is the last of four straight races for the NHRA series. The season will wrap up in Las Vegas (October 29-November 1) and Pomona, Calif. (November 12-15).

Courtesy of Chris Dirato