‘The Sarge’ is Back! Tony Schumacher Joins Rick Ware Racing

for Limited Top Fuel Campaign in 2025 in Preparation for Fulltime Season in 2026

Schumacher, the winningest Top Fuel driver in NHRA history, will run a limited Top Fuel campaign in 2025 in preparation for a fulltime season in 2026. His schedule will be announced at a later date.

“This opportunity with Rick Ware Racing gets me back in a Top Fuel car where I can compete at a high level immediately,” Schumacher said. “The passion and commitment Rick and his group have for racing is incredible, and I can’t wait to get behind the wheel. A limited schedule this year allows us to prepare for 2026 and show people what we’re capable of.

“I’m really looking forward to teaming up with Clay. He’s an incredibly talented racer with a ton of experience, and having both of us under one roof is only going to make us stronger. We’ll be able to push each other, share data, and work together to make RWR better.”

Schumacher is an eight-time Top Fuel champion and has won 88 Top Fuel events, with the two most recent coming last year in the Thunder Valley Nationals June 9 at Bristol (Tenn.) Dragway and the Midwest Nationals Sept. 29 at Worldwide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois. The Chicago native and resident of Austin, Texas, made it to last year’s Countdown to the Championship for the 15th time since its inception in 2007 and finished eighth in the championship standings.

“Tony is a huge addition to RWR. Bringing a driver of his caliber into our race team strengthens our overall program,” said team owner Rick Ware. “We now have two of the best NHRA drivers and sponsor ambassadors in the sport. With Clay and Tony working together, they can feed off each other’s strengths, provide detailed feedback and collaborate on what they’re experiencing in the car, and that just elevates our entire operation.”

RWR joined the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series in late 2022 and made its debut at that year’s U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. Millican, the winningest driver in IHRA history and a six-time IHRA champion, has been with RWR throughout its entire NHRA tenure. Millican is a seven-time NHRA Top Fuel event winner and has delivered all four of RWR’s NHRA Top Fuel victories – the 2023 Route 66 Nationals May 21 at Route 66 Raceway in Elwood, Illinois, the 2023 Mile High Nationals July 16 at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colorado, the 2023 Midwest Nationals Oct. 1 at World Wide Technology Raceway, and the 2024 U.S. Nationals Sept. 2 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

“Clay is the cornerstone of our NHRA program,” Ware said. “His talent, dedication and passion for this sport helped put us on the map, and he deserves a ton of credit for the success we’ve had. Every NHRA win in our team’s history has come with Clay, and that speaks volumes about his ability and commitment. We’re not in a position to grow our race team without his presence and contributions. Now, the two hardest-working Top Fuel drivers are right here at RWR.”

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series kicks off its 74th season this weekend with the Gatornationals at Gainesville (Fla.) Raceway. The event begins Friday with two qualifying sessions at 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. ET before a packed lineup on Saturday starting at 12:15 p.m. with the Top Fuel Callout. It all sets up Sunday’s round of eliminations, which begins at 11 a.m. Livestreaming of every round can be seen on NHRA.TV. FS1 will provide tape-delayed coverage, with that schedule available HERE.