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Saturday Updates from Team Don Schumacher
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Craig Treble-rider
Schumacher Electric/Albrecht's Fast Track Suzuki Pro Stock Motorcycle
I blew up the motor on the first qualifying run on Friday. It was the first time I've blown up a motor in a long time. It happened right in the middle of fifth gear and it's just one of those things. But blowing up is never good. It felt like it was pulling pretty hard in the middle of the run and then all of a sudden it just nosed over and that was it. There were smoke and parts everywhere. I hate it for the team because we had to bust our butts to get ready for the second qualifying session.
The second qualifying run was pretty good. It felt a little flat on the top end in high gear and I pulled in the clutch a little bit early and probably left a couple of hundredths of a second elapsed time on the table. I was a little gun shy after that first run and I didn't want to blow up another motor. But crew chief Steve Tartaglia said ‘Stay in it next time' and that's what I'll do. We've got two hits under our belt and Steve has the information he needs and hopefully he'll put a strong tune-up in it for Saturday. I think it's going to fly.
After the racing was over yesterday we had a lot of fun enjoying Halloween. It's always a lot of fun in the Pro Stock Bike pit area and we had a good time partying in the pits last night.
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Chip Ellis-rider
Schumacher Electric/XXX Racing Fuels Suzuki Pro Stock Motorcycle
Friday was a fairly decent day for us. We're qualified No. 7 right now and we still have plenty of room to improve. I'm looking forward to the run Saturday morning. The air should be a little bit better so I'm hoping we can pick up a few qualifying positions. The main thing is just getting in the show and we'll be OK.
We had a good time celebrating Halloween last night. It gives you an opportunity to dress up and have a little bit of fun and we enjoyed ourselves. I dressed up with some of the crew guys and we all had a good time. But we're ready to go back to racing today.
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Cory McClenathan-driver
FRAM Top Fuel dragster
After making basically eight really good runs when we won the first race here in Las Vegas earlier in the season, we were just too aggressive on our first run yesterday. Last night crew chief Mike Green decided to play it a little bit on the cautious side and get in the show and not try to qualify No. 1. The FRAM dragster ran a 3.85-second elapsed time, which qualified us No. 4 and showed that we could run in the low .80s, maybe even the high .70s in those conditions. But we don't need to do that, we just need to be qualified well and we are right now.
Saturday it should be cloudy and a little bit cooler and we should run some pretty good numbers. We can still better ourselves but right now we just want to be consistent.
We have all the top FRAM people here this weekend and also Randy Davis from Nordic Boats, so we're trying to put together a lot of our deals for next year. This is a pivotal race for us not only in the points but with our sponsors. I'd sure like to double up here.
I didn't do anything special for Halloween. I just sat here and signed a lot of autographs and the FRAM guys had candy out for the kids. I saw some neat costumes and it was a really cool thing. It was fun to watch. All our kids at home were out trick-or-treating with the next door neighbor so they're probably still bouncing off the walls. I know they had a lot of fun. I told them to hold off on some of the candy and save some for dad when he gets home.
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Jerry Toliver-driver
Rockstar Energy Drink Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car
The Rockstar Energy Drink car drove straight into tire smoke on the first run yesterday. There was no reason for it; it should not have done that. The motor grabbed the clutch and took off and it was gone. The second lap was good, we got down the race track with a 4.14-second elapsed time and the car went A to B. It would have been a great number for the first lap because that is such an important lap to get in. If you make a good run on the first attempt on Friday you can get after it during the evening lap.
It really pushes you back in the corner because you've got to get down the track on that first run. You're trying like hell to get in the top 12 but you really can't lean on it and you have nothing to work with when you don't get down the track on the first run. You don't learn anything. We'll just came back on Saturday and get after it and get in the show.
I didn't do anything special for Halloween this year. I went to bed early.
Friday Updates from Team Don Schumacher
Friday, October 31, 2008
Craig Treble-rider
Schumacher Electric/Albrecht's Fast Track Suzuki Pro Stock Motorcycle
I stayed very active during the month we've had off since our victory in Memphis. It's a privilege to be apart of the Countdown but the most important thing for me was to be in the top 10. This is the 10th consecutive season I've made the top 10 and I'm pretty proud of that accomplishment. Hopefully there will be many more to come.
After the win in Memphis, I took my personal bike, a Suzuki Hayabusa, and went down to compete at the NHRA Division 4 race in Shreveport, La., which I was lucky enough to win. Then I went to Nobile, Okla., and reached the semifinals there. I've been bracket racing my guts off for years and I feel like it's a great way to stay sharp and focused. You can race on a practice tree all you want but nothing replaces the real thing and having a racer in the next lane ready to beat you.
I also plan to participate in the divisional race in Las Vegas the weekend prior to the final race of the season in Pomona. The weekend before the national event in Las Vegas is the first weekend I've had off since I can remember.
But I love to race, so this is all working out great for me. I get butterflies whether I'm competing in a $10 bracket race or at a national event; it's all the same when it comes down to competition. I'm always ready. The more I can get out and do it, the better.
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Chip Ellis-rider
Schumacher Electric/XXX Racing Fuels Suzuki Pro Stock Motorcycle
There has been a lot of excitement being involved in the Countdown to 1. It's a pretty good accomplishment. Unfortunately, we didn't enter as high in the points as we'd like to. I'm really looking forward to racing here in Las Vegas; I've always done well here. It seems like a long time since we've competed but I haven't forgotten how.
I spent time with my wife and daughter during the break and also worked a lot on the bike at the DSR shop in Brownsburg, Ind. I also went to an AMA drag bike race in Ohio and spent a lot of time dirt bike riding and being with my family, going places and spending quality time together.
I've tried not to think about the Countdown too much. I know what this team needs to do and it's just a matter of getting there and performing the best we can. Honestly, I haven't thought about it (the Countdown) too much. I just stay busy working at the DSR shop every day and when I haven't been there I stay focused on whatever I'm doing at the time.
Any time you can spend with your family is a good move to me. Whether I'm spending time with my family or at the race track, either way I'm happy.
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Cory McClenathan-driver
FRAM Top Fuel dragster
We had two weeks before the Las Vegas race this season and it worked out really well for our family. It had been about 13 years since I've able to spend a birthday with my daughter Courtney which was on October 25. So my girlfriend Debbie and I took her three boys and went to California from Indianapolis and hooked up with my daughter and it was the first time they were able to meet Debbie's kids. We all went to Disneyland on Courtney's birthday on Saturday. She turned 18 so it was a big day for her. Normally we would have been here in Las Vegas racing so it turned out to be a great day and it was a very special occasion to get the kids all together. We took in the entire Disney experience from about 11 in the morning until they did the fireworks at the end of the night. It was a really good weekend.
Then we turned around and went back to Indianapolis and I had Monday and Tuesday to get ready and turn right back around and come to Vegas. Sometimes you have to get away from the racing and I was looking forward to it, but now we're back in race mode and it's time to go to work. We need to win some rounds and do well here in Las Vegas and try to get back into second place. That's our goal.
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Jerry Toliver-driver
Rockstar Energy Drink Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car
I did the same thing I usually do with my time off between races. I went down to my office and worked every day. I'm constantly working on the race program and looking for new sponsors and marketing deals. I go to the office every morning and stay busy all day. Racing is a full-time business and to be successful there's no time off. I just worked the whole time I had off, preparing for Las Vegas and trying to win the last two races of the season.