NHRA community reacts to passing of Don Schumacher

NHRA Website ^ | 12/21/2023 | Posted by NHRA.com staff

[mabarker1]

The NHRA community shares its thoughts, remembrances, and tributes on the passing of drag racing icon Don Schumacher.

NHRA President Glen Cromwell: “We are deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Don Schumacher, a truly legendary name in NHRA Drag Racing and motorsports. As both a driver and celebrated championship-winning team owner, Don was passionate about racing and driven to succeed, committed to safety on the track, and a remarkable person whose influence on the sport will be felt forever. He leaves behind an incredible legacy, and we offer our heartfelt condolences to his friends, family, and everyone at Don Schumacher Racing.”

John Force: “I just talked to Don the other day. His son, Tony, told me he wasn’t doing so good. I know he had his family with him, his daughter. I asked him if he wanted to go fishing, and he laughed, he always used to ask me to go. Don told me, he told me he was going to beat it. He’s used to winning. He definitely fought. I told him I loved him, and he laughed. We had a love-hate relationship, but there was always respect. I remember him in the early days, knew him as a kid out of Chicago driving the Wonder Wagon Funny Car. That’s still how I see him. He was a great racer and one of the greatest team owners. He helped keep this sport alive, all the jobs he created, the drivers he helped. He’s going to be missed. I really wish I had gone fishing with him.”

Ron Capps: “Driving for Don for 17 years I learned right away that he’s not only competitive in the boardroom, as was evident in how successful he was in business, but on the racetrack as well. As a kid growing up, it was clear that the history of NHRA and the history of drag racing is definitely sprinkled with a lot of Don Schumacher. He was such a fierce competitor, whether it was fishing, on the golf course, or in business, and he was especially competitive on the racetrack.”

Don Prudhomme: “I’ve known Don since the early 1970s when we were both racing out of Ed Pink’s garage in Southern California. He did a lot for the sport. He funded a good part of it there for a while. He was a serious businessman and a serious racer. That's hard to beat. He's going to be missed."

Antron Brown: “The drag racing world lost a great one last night. I’m so thankful that Don took a chance on me and believed in me. I wouldn’t be where I am today without all his support. He had such an incredible impact on our sport, and for that, I’ll be forever grateful.”

Leah Pruett: "It is undeniable the positive impact Don Schumacher has had on my life. He gave me my first professional racing opportunity and enabled me to flourish in the sport. I am forever thankful for his passion for racing, and his compassion for his friends."

Matt Hagan “The sport lost a legend today. One that I had the luxury to work with for the majority of my career. Driver, team owner, teacher, father, business owner. This man wore the hat for whatever he needed to be in the moment. I’m a better man for having known him. The sport was built on the backs of these men. We owe a great debt to the paths they paved.”

Jack Beckman: "I went to my first drag race in 1973, and you can argue that Don Schumacher was the man in Funny Car when I got exposed to the sport, so my impression of Don Schumacher stuck from there, even when he retired, he was still Don Schumacher, and then I get a chance to drive for him. One of my greatest accomplishments in drag racing was when Don got accepted to the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, he called me and asked me to induct him. I just thought that was the coolest thing ever that my boss would ask that. Make no mistake, Don was a tough boss and expected success from you, but he gave you everything to win. If you wanted kinder, gentler, that's fine, but I wasn't gonna win races. I would venture to say nobody has stood on the starting line and watched their car go down the racetrack more times than Don Schumacher. He'd done it all: He has driven. He owned. He tuned. And he hustled for sponsors. You just weren't gonna bullshit him. And if you wanted to be on a winning team, he was your guy."

Bob Tasca III: “I was deeply saddened by the news of Don Schumacher's passing. He was not just a legend in the world of NHRA racing but a guiding light in life itself to so many. His wisdom and teachings have left an indelible mark on me. Returning to the sport in 2017 after a brief hiatus, I instinctively reached out to him for guidance. Despite having no obligation, Don generously offered his support, playing a pivotal role in shaping my career and personal growth. I owe a great deal of my success to his unwavering guidance. As I bid farewell, I do so with immense gratitude and love. Godspeed, my dear friend. Your legacy will forever be cherished.”

Joe Maynard: "There’s no denying Don Schumacher made a profound impact on the sport, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the lasting effect that he made on myself and my late wife, Cathi, as well. He was our mentor and our sounding board; he guided us as we navigated our first year of team ownership. I will continue to do my very best to carry on his legacy and hope to make him proud."

Bandimere family: “We are deeply saddened to hear the news of the passing of Don Schumacher Racing team owner and drag racing icon Don Schumacher. The Bandimere family and staff extend our deepest condolences and prayers of comfort to his family and loved ones.”

Rob Wendland: “He has done so much for so many, including myself. He shaped me into the crew chief I am today. I am forever thankful to him and his family. RIP my friend.”

TJ Zizzo: “Don Schumacher was very instrumental in my personal life. I will never forget how much he cared about me.”

Kalitta Motorsports: “The entire Kalitta Motorsports Family was deeply saddened to learn of Don Schumacher’s death and offers its most sincere sympathies to the Shumacher family. Kalitta teams raced against Don for decades. He was a fierce competitor, a motorsports icon, and a friend who was loved by everyone at Kalitta Motorsports. Losing a family member is always difficult; we send the Schumacher family courage and peace during this time of mourning."

J.R. Todd: “Sorry to read the news this morning that we lost Don Schumacher. He did so much for the sport and for sure will be missed. Rest easy."

Steve Torrence: “I am very saddened at the passing of Mr. Don Schumacher. Don was someone that helped me very much, he motivated me more than he will ever know. He has become a dear friend to my family, and he will be greatly missed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.”

Cruz Pedregon: “Our thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of Don Schumacher. Don was not only a great racer but a great businessman who always looked out to help any team he possibly could. His contributions to NHRA and the sport of drag racing will forever be remembered.”

Tanner Gray: “I watched my grandpa [Johnny Gray] drive for Don for many years. He did so much for the sport of drag racing and had the opportunity to have [DSR] on our truck this year at IRP. Thinking of the Schumacher family and friends.”

Tom Patsis, Cold Hard Art: “Hearing of the passing of Don Schumacher is tough to take on multiple levels. Cause the loss of him to his family is very sad. The loss of him to drag racing will definitely have an impact on all the people who have worked at DSR at some point. Even to us, simply cold hard art wouldn't exist. Working at DSR for 11 years (more than 25% of my life) definitely impacted my family's life even today. One of the proud highlights of my art career was when I got the word I would get to make a lifetime achievements award for Don 2022 from NHRA.”

NHRA announcer Alan Reinhart: “If I had to describe Don in one word, it would be 'driven.' Anything he was passionate about, family, business, racing, even fishing, he went at it hard. As much as he wanted to win, he also wanted the sport to thrive. He was a fierce competitor who supplied the sport and his competitors with parts, safety, and technology, and he raised the standard of excellence. When it came to business, he was all business. But when someone was in need, he would be the first to step up and offer help. His influence will be felt in the sport forever.”

[mabarker1]

Don Schumacher, whose one-car team grew to as many as seven, orchestrated 367 event victories and 19 championships. He started as a match-racer in the 1960s and ‘70s and emerged as not only owner of a powerhouse operation but also a safety innovator, corporate giant, and philanthropist. Son Tony Schumacher, his motivation for returning to the sport from corporate America in 1998, still competes as the most successful Top Fuel driver with 86 victories. Top Fuel ace Antron Brown saw it back in 2015, when his Hall of Fame boss at the time, Don Schumacher, returned to the dragstrip after a brutal battle with head and neck cancer.

“This is the best therapy,” Brown said. “You can see the smile on his face and the joy in his heart for being part of this sport of NHRA drag racing."

Schumacher – the force behind the safety canopy for the 11,000-horsepower dragster and roof hatch escape for Funny Cars in addition to his company’s 19 championships and 367 victories – said, “I'm blessed with what I have accomplished."

But the retired business mogul who settled in Jupiter, Fla., was cursed with the return of his cancer earlier this year. He passed away at age 79 Wednesday from complications of a months-long lung-cancer struggle.

"I love what I do, and I will continue to do what I do," Schumacher said in his 2015 rebound. "I'm a businessman, and that's what I do. I love racing. I love the sport of NHRA. I love my businesses. I love my family. I love what I do in life.

Schumacher leaves a lasting legacy on not only the NHRA community, where he etched his name as one of the sport’s most successful team owners and a champion for the advancement of safety innovation, but on the motorsports community as a whole. Schumacher’s contributions to the auto racing industry reach far beyond drag racing and have been widely recognized.

Continued: https://www.autoweek.com/racing/nhra/a46198893/nhra-drag-racing-legend-don-schumacher-dies-at-79/

[mabarker1]

Sad news PING.

[mabarker1]

[mabarker1]

[linMcHlp]

corner of Sibley and Dix (Motor City)

[sasquatch]

Eras end. Damn it.

[WhatsamattaU]

He made a great mark on a great sport.

[Navy Patriot]

The Southern California Foundational Cornerstone of Drag Racing has passed.

Now warming the slicks to run against Ted Gotelli in the never ending competition between Northern and Southern California.

[Chode]

RIP

[Terry L Smith]

Mssr.. Schumacher, whom I watched with glee as a young man, must truly be building the most raucous, largest horsepower slingshot machines we will never know. No sound restriction, no emission restriction, and longer than 1000 feet (He was an American, therefore given the pass to the ‘world of metrics’!)

[Carriage Hill]

“11,000 hp?”

RIP, Don...

[Vaduz]

Yes but racing doesn’t R.I.P Don Schumacher.

[mabarker1]

“11,000 hp?”

Yes Sir, actually 11,000+ hp.

Fuel Flow Demonstration for the volume of fuel for only one (1) cylinder of eight (8) used in a typical race.