Don Schumacher Racing’s Battery Extender Powered by Schumacher team won back-to-back Mello Yello Series titles near Atlanta and at Topeka, Kan. From left, David Fletcher, Cody Wilkinson, Matt Archer, Jason Hemphill, John Merritt, Phil Shuler, Spencer Massey, Todd Okuhara, Zachary Collins, Tom Boyington, Kirk Kenaga and Scott Okuhara. Much needed break for DSR Mello Yello teams to enjoy week off before another busy stretch It wasn’t the most successful three-week stretch of races for Don Schumacher Racing so the upcoming weekend off is longawaited before four more events in four weekends kicks off June 13-15 on Father’s Day weekend with the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway in Tennesse. Spencer Massey and the Battery Exender Powered by Schumacher team led by Phil Shuler and Todd Okuhara were the dominant Top Fueler over the past three weeks by winning Mello Yello Drag Racing Series titles May 19 near Atlanta and on May 25 at Topeka, Kan. Massey and the team are ranked fourth in points and join DSR teammate Antron Brown and the Matco Tools team as the only teams with more than one win over the first nine events: Massey has won two and Brown three. Tony Schumacher and the U.S. Army team, which won the title March 30 at Las Vegas, continue to work toward developing the right tune-up for the upcoming stretch and the busy summer schedule (six events before the end of July) that will factor greatly in determining which 10 teams will advance to the six-event Countdown to the Championship to end the season. In Funny Car, DSR will look for its first Wally trophy of the season when the four teams arrive at Bristol. Jack Beckman’s Valvoline MaxLife and Matt Hagan’s Rocky Boots/Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger RTs are the only DSR Funny Car teams to have competed in a championship round this season. And Beckman, with new crew chief Rob Flynn and assistant Terry Snyder, have been the most consistent over the past two events as they have advanced to the semifinals both times. Their Make-A- Wish Dodge was the best car during qualfying last weekend in the NHRA Summernationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park at Englishtown, N.J., by making its four runs between 4.017 and 4.085 seconds to earn the No. 4 seed going into eliminations. In the first round, Beckman recorded a time of 4.067, which was second best in the round, then used a holeshot at the starting line to overcome the quicker Dodge driven by Hagan. But a traction problem on the next run – possibly due to track conditions – cost Beckman a win against a slowing Cruz Pedregon, who went on to win the event title. Special New Jersey trip for Chandler’s Make-A-Wish team The Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger R/T team, which is funded by Terry Chandler, arrived in New Jersey on Wednesday and was the guest of Make-A-Wish New Jersey at Monroe Township, about 30 minutes from the Englishtown racetrack. The visit afforded New Jersey chapter president and chief executive Thomas P. Weatherall an opportunity to thank Chandler for her support for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which does not contribute any money to the race team. Chandler, along with team owner Don Schumacher and several members of the DSR organization, were enthralled by the wonderous Samuel & Josephine Plumei Wishing Place (nj.wish.org) that resembles a castle and serves as a meeting place for Make-A-Wish children and their families. The Make-A-Wish team also earned its first NHRA Wally trophy of the season when it was selected as the Best Appearing Crew during the Summernationals at Englishtown. Photos: AutoImagery.com DSR’s NHRA Best Appearing Make-A-Wish team: From left: Alex Barrett, Brad Redman, driver Tommy Johnson Jr., Levi Brubaker, Evan Ray, Terry Chandler, Ryan Elliott, Ed Tyler, crew chief John Collins, Jimmy Wingo and assistant crew chief Rip Reynolds. Sandvik Coromant donates $2,000 to Infinite Hero Foundation Jack Beckman visited Sandvik Coromant headquarters in Fairlawn, N.J., to tour its new facility on Thursday before the Summernationals. Sandvik Coromant, the world’s leading producer of tools for the metal cutting industry and Official Cutting Tool of DSR, and its employees showed their appreciation to Jack and DSR by donating $2,000 to the Infinite Hero Foundation (InfiniteHero.org). Jack is driving a special Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger R/T, which is funded Alan Keep of Sandvik Coromant, left, and Jack by Don Schumacher and Terry Chandler, in six Beckman present a check for $2,000 to Infinite Hero races this year including the July 18-20 Mopar Foundation director Laurie Baker, right, and Paul Mile-High Nationals near Denver. 'Torch' LeSage of Oakley which started the foundation. Capps eager for fast trip down memory lane on weekend off Ron Capps will spend his first weekend off in four weeks the way most racers prefer: he will be racing. But instead of his NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car, the Southern California native will flew east to Indianapolis on Thursday before driving the Crop Duster NHRA Nostalgia Funny Car, owned by Illinois crop duster Frank Ousely, against Cruz Pedregon’s California Charger in a match- race Friday night at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis as the feature attraction for the Goodguys Vintage Drag Racing Association event. Capps never turns down an opportunity to drive one of the vintage 260-mph floppers, that often run on 100 percent nitro and warm-up with half-track burnouts. “I grew up during the famous Funny Car wars of the 1960s and 70s in Southern California,” said Capps, a 41-time NHRA national event winner. “I’ve driven several of the retro Funny Cars and it’s a real time warp – just like when I was a wide-eyed kid going to Orange Country International Raceway. The cars belch fire and flames. The whole vintage drag racing scene is really popular. The old school drag racing fans really dig it.” Pedregon is coming off a win Sunday at Englishtown, N.J., in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. In addition to the feature race between Capps and Pedregon, a full evening of drag racing is planned with seven classes for hot rods, street machines and bracket cars. Gates open 1 p.m. Friday with racing scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. Capps and Pedregon will make runs at 7 and 9 p.m. General admission is $20 for adults and children from 7 to 12 are $6. For information: good-guys.com. DSR SPOTLIGHT TOM PATSIS: Fabrication Former DSR crewman trades road for staying home, creating metal art Tom Patsis started at Don Schumacher Racing nine years ago after graduating from the University of Northwestern Ohio majoring in automotive high performance, welding and alternate fuels. That led to six years traveling the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series working on DSR Pro Stock Motorcycles ridden by Angelle Sampey, Antron Brown, Chip Ellis, Craig Treble and Matt Smith when he helped them win 13 NHRA event titles. Patsis, 32, who grew up in Ellsworth, Maine, opted in 2009 to give up the road to remain in the Brownsburg, Ind., area to work in DSR’s fabrication shop and a year later married his wife, Amanda. It wasn’t long after his becoming a homebody that his welding and fabricating skills began producing DSR Top Fuel and Funny Car chassis that re-sparked an interest in “building things,” he said. “I should have realized this back in my younger days when I played with Legos all the time building dragsters and then crashing them and putting them back together.” After nearly every week day devoted to building race cars to exacting standards that win NHRA Mello Yello Series event titles and world championships while make certain DSR drivers are well protected, Tom switches personas and begins creating metal artwork for his Cold Hard Art business (ColdHardArt.com). Tom and Amanda, his wife since 2010 SELFIE PHOTO BY TOM PATSIS His works are unique and cover all realms of motorsports and hot rods. No two are identical and all carry a whimsical gene that is within Tom’s soul. He’s like the love child of Ed “Big Daddy” Roth and metallurgical genius Jesse James. DSR crew chief’s daughter builds support for Wounded Warriors Alexis Green, the 17-year-old daughter of U.S. Army crew chief Mike Green and his wife Diane, organized a mini-marathon last month that raised nearly $2,400 for the Homes for Wounded Warriors program. The senior at Brownsburg High School holds a 4.83 grade-point average and is in the several of the school’s elite music programs. Alexis Green, left, and David Stephens of Wounded Warriors, far right hold the finish-line banner for winners Hannah Linville of Brownsburg High School and Connor Waddell of Danville High School. Above right, DSR Funny Car driver Tommy Johnson Jr. completed the 5-kilometer run. Anson following Dad to winner’s circle Antron Brown has won three NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel titles this season, but his son, Anson, is mounting a charge to make up for the earlier start his dad received. Anson, third from left, won his NHRA Jr. Dragster title three weeks ago at Lucas Oil Raceway. Anson, 9, front and center, was joined in the winner’s circle by, from left: Lucas Oil Raceway general manager Randy Simpson, Roy Falgout and the Browns: Antron, Arianna, Adler, Billie Jo and Levi.