After many seasons of having three national events out west, Top Fuel’s Tony Schumacher discusses how he feels going into the 2024 Western Swing without Denver being a stop on tour.
From 1989 to 2023, the Western Swing has put drivers and their teams to the test with stops in the high altitudes of Denver, Seattle in the Northwest, and Northern California’s wine-rich Sonoma. For the first time in 42 years, the Denver Mile-High Nationals is no longer on the map. “I really miss Denver. I loved it. I’m super disappointed that the track went away. I think it was great,” Schumacher said.
Losing Denver on the Western Swing changes the game for the drivers on tour. There has always been a high level of excitement going into these three back-to-back summer races, especially regarding the possibility of “sweeping” the swing. As Schumacher said, “When they talk about sweeping the swing it’s because it was so difficult due to the elevation being so different in Denver. There are a lot of times we go to back-to-back races, but the difficulty of that high elevation is what made sweeping the swing so special for the few that have done it.”
Winning both the Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways in Seattle and the Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway is still in the cards, however, Schumacher pointed out. “Now it’s just another back-to-back race, and we need to come up with something to add to that that brings equal difficulty to give it the value of sweeping the swing.”
Although Schumacher noted that bringing that difficulty back to the swing would require another race with unique conditions, returning to Denver would not be the only option in his opinion. He said, “I’d love to add Denver back to the schedule, but there are a lot of beautiful places out west, like Montana, that would be really cool to race at. I don’t think we would get that same level of difficulty anywhere other than Denver, though.”
Additionally, Denver was always a packed house with fans. Schumacher was very appreciative of the fanbase, which added another level to the thrill of racing there year after year in the past and therefore stirs up more desire to go back.
Even without that first stop in Denver, going into 2024’s Western Swing still brings excitement both on and off the track for Schumacher.
The NHRA Northwest Nationals has brought Schumacher five Wallys, tying him with Joe Amato for the most Top Fuel wins at Pacific Raceways. Schumacher said that his team performs well here and is confident that this will continue to be true after their recent win in Bristol and two additional final-round appearances this season.
As far as Sonoma goes, Schumacher labels this as one of his favorite races on the schedule. “They can fill the stadium even with the huge stands. I love going there and I love the people,” said Schumacher.
Outside of the track, he enjoys the lively town of Sonoma, including its shopping and wine tasting. Schumacher does not consider himself a wine guy, but said he loves the beauty of each one of the estates and how proud the winery owners are of their establishments. “Sonoma is a beautiful place,” Schumacher added.
As he looks ahead to this year’s Western Swing, Schumacher is feeling excited and confident, but maybe that extra stop in Denver will return in the future to bring back the additional thrill to the swing that Schumacher desires.
The 2024 Northwest Nationals brings something new this year with the addition of a pro category run under the lights on Friday night. Qualifying on Friday, July 19 will include sessions at 3:30 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. PT. This is a first for the pro categories at Pacific Raceways, and crew chiefs will take full advantage of these night-time Northwest weather conditions. Continuing on Saturday, July 20, there will be qualifying runs at 1:30 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. PT. Final eliminations will be held on Sunday, July 21 starting at 10:30 a.m. PT.
The Northwest Nationals qualifying action will be broadcast on FS1 at 10:30 p.m. ET on Friday, July 19, and 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 21. Eliminations will be played on FOX at 4:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 21.
The Sonoma Nationals will include four qualifying sessions, with two on Friday, July 26 at 5:00 p.m. PT and 8:10 p.m. PT, followed by two on Saturday, July 27 at 1:00 p.m. PT and 4:00 p.m. PT. Final eliminations will be held on Sunday, July 28 starting at 10:30 a.m. PT. The Sonoma Nationals qualifying sessions will be broadcast on FS1 and FOX as well, with eliminations being broadcast on Sunday, July 28 at 4:00 p.m. PT. Qualifying broadcast times have not been announced.
This story was originally published on July 19, 2024. 
