History favors the consistent at Maple Grove Raceway
For many, words like NHRA, drag racing and champion, bring to mind names like Force, Brown and Schumacher. While that is true, all three are NHRA drag racing champions, there is something else they have in common. These three legendary racers have heavily influenced the shaping of Maple Grove’s history books.
In 1993, John Force was the first racer to reach the milestone of 300 mph at Maple Grove in a Funny Car. Each year since, Force continued to make improvements in his runs and became more familiar with the track. That sense of comfort led John Force to victory celebrations in fall 2001, after realizing he won a Wally trophy in addition to setting an NHRA National Record of 4.731 seconds. A decade later at Keystone Nationals in 2011, John Force ran a speed of 319.22 mph (1,000 feet) which held as the Maple Grove Raceway track record for two years. It was not until he returned in 2013, when he broke his previous title and set the current track record of 323 mph.
Amidst his 30 plus years of racing at Maple Grove, Force won a total of seven Wally trophies, which sets him as the only driver to win more than a handful of times at a single track (‘89, ‘90, ‘93, ‘94, ‘97, ‘01, ‘13). John Force continues to show his dominance at Maple Grove by returning each autumn and working towards his eighth Wally and another broken record.
Even though the 16-time NHRA World Champion, John Force, continues to smash records, he is not the only NHRA driver to make racing history here at the Pennsylvania dragstrip. Tony “The Sarge” Schumacher ran his Top Fuel dragster at a speed of 333.08 mph in October 2001 during the 18th Annual NHRA Keystone Nationals. His run in 2001, not only set the track record but also the NHRA National Record. Two years later, Schumacher set an NHRA National Record of 4.441 seconds during Keystone Nationals here at Maple Grove Raceway. Tony Schumacher continued his search for speed in 2006 by earning the bragging rights for setting a track record of 4.440 seconds (1,320 feet).
Schumacher also possesses the title of most wins at Maple Grove with five in Top Fuel (‘03,’04,’05,’08,’14). Three of which, were back to back to back, making Tony Schumacher tied with Bob Glidden (‘87, ‘88, ‘89) for most consecutive wins here at Maple Grove. Tony Schumacher heads into Keystone Nationals with hopes of claiming his ninth NHRA Top Fuel Championship. Top Fuel racer and two time World Champion, Antron Brown has not always claimed dominance at Maple Grove but he has been consistent. Brown was one of three racers who has set a record at Maple Grove Raceway but never claimed a National win. That monkey was shaken from his back last year in the finals on Sunday.