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NHRA
NHRA: DSR Top Fuel Year In Review
The more things change, the more they stay the same. That was definitely true for Don Schumacher Racing’s top fuel teams in 2009.
Amanda Brahler  | http://www.go2geiger.com  |  Posted December 19, 2009   Porter, TX
DSR’s toughest competitors on track came from former crew chief Johnson as his Al-Anabi Racing team with driver Larry Dixon ended up running Schumacher to the final round. (Go2Geiger.com)
The more things change, the more they stay the same. That was definitely true for Don Schumacher Racing’s top fuel teams in 2009. While the Alan Johnson/Tony Schumacher pairing came to an end, Schumacher’s championship reign did not.

Though a much quieter year for Shoe in contrast to his record-breaking run the year before, the end result through the Countdown was the same, as Tony and DSR went on to claim their sixth straight title.
"I think you have to look at the overall organization and the resources that Don Schumacher has provided to the race teams. The infrastructure of the teams is certainly tooled up to win championships, said Lee Beard, DSR’s team manager.

At the start of 2009, Schumacher was forced to align his son Tony with a new crew chief after Johnson left to establish himself as a car owner. Mike Green, who called the shots for teammate Cory McClenathan in ’08, was then placed with Schumacher’s Army car. Though those within DSR knew it was a possibility, some within the garage area questioned what Schumacher would be able to achieve without his long-time leader Johnson.

"I think there was perhaps little doubt about Mike Green’s ability to direct the team to a championship," Beard said. "If you look back to 2008, he directed Cory McClenathan’s car to a third place points finish. He certainly had a great foundation. When he was given all of the tools, it’s a great opportunity for Mike to run with the championship and win it."

That championship season ended with a visit to Fort Hood, Texas, where Tony presented his championship trophy to the soldiers there.

"We watched some tragedies happen right here at this base," Schumacher said to the soldiers gathered at the ceremony. "We watched your adversity and saw how you pulled together and it gave us the strength to show up at the last race.

"When we pulled that miracle off, there was no place this (world championship) trophy was going to sit than right here at Fort Hood."

McClenathan too had a strong season, with new leadership in co-crew chiefs Phil Shuler and Todd Okuhara heading his team, as he claimed his first win in nearly a year and finished third in the overall point standings.

"They could have won the championship just as easily as Tony did. Their car performed very well, performed at a championship level. There were a couple of things that transpired during the Countdown that prevented them from being champions," added Beard.



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Amanda Brahler

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