INDIANAPOLIS (March 1, 2024) – NHRA officials announced today that a special celebration of life for motorsports icon Don Schumacher will take place at his home track, Route 66 Raceway in Chicago, on Friday, May 17 during the Gerber Collision & Glass NHRA Route 66 Nationals presented by PEAK Performance.
The longtime NHRA team owner and Funny Car pioneer passed away on Dec. 20 after a lengthy battle with cancer, but not before leaving an incredible legacy in NHRA drag racing. Those numerous honors and achievements will be recognized during the celebration of life, which will take place at a display tent at the track before the first round of qualifying in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Fans are welcome to attend the proceedings, which will include remarks from NHRA on FOX announcer Brian Lohnes and Racers for Christ (RFC).
An autograph session with drivers that were a part of Don Schumacher Racing over the years will also take place at the display tent on Friday and will include a special Don Schumacher hero card. Schumacher, who was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2013 and was a recipient of the NHRA’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022, built a multi-car powerhouse over the years, winning 367 NHRA events (including the five he won as a Funny Car driver) and 19 world championships. In all, more than 25 standout competitors raced for the legendary team owner.
“We couldn’t think of a better way or a better location to celebrate Don than to recognize him at our family’s home track surrounded by racers and fans,” said Megan Schumacher, President of Don Schumacher Racing. “The outpouring of support we received when he passed in December was absolutely incredible. Celebrating Don’s contributions to our beloved sport with a hometown crowd will be the perfect way to commemorate his tremendous racing career.”
Fans can also make a donation to be entered to win tribute items, such as artwork that showcases all of the cars DSR campaigned over Schumacher’s lifetime and a framed race shirt once worn by Schumacher himself. All proceeds will benefit the MD Anderson Cancer Center.
The display tent will also feature special DSR memorabilia throughout the race weekend, showcasing Schumacher’s remarkable success as a driver and team owner.
For more info on NHRA, visit www.NHRA.com.
About Mission Foods
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About NHRA
Headquartered in San Dimas, Calif., NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 21 national events featuring the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+, NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown™, NHRA Holley EFI Factory X and Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock at select national events. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street Legal™. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street® program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League® for youth ages 5 to 17. With 110 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services® (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv®, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
