Schumacher shakes his head when he hears observers asking, “Why doesn’t he put Schumacher Electric on the car?” His father owns the multimillion-dollar, global company.
“That’s not what it’s about. It’s not about sending a car down the race track. It’s about the partnership. Bringing a car out here and sending it down the track will just show everyone that ‘Eh — he’ll do it. He’ll be fine.’ We want to help people who haven’t been here get here. It’s good for the whole sport,” Schumacher said.
To this day, Schumacher feels the kinship with the Army, which offered him far more than money for his race car during their 19-year deal.
“I’m selling a way of life,” he always said proudly.
Schumacher watched recruits take their oaths of service in his hospitality area at the race track, then visited with them and their families as they continued to serve or even completed their tours of duty. He skydived with the Golden Knights. He placed wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. He rubbed elbows with decorated generals, but his biggest enjoyment came from spending New Year’s Day with rank-and-file troops in Afghanistan and Kuwait. He stayed soldier-fit and wore the G.I. haircut for nearly two decades. He embraced Army values.
Schumacher still has those values, still has his driving skills and still has his passion for racing and blending it with team-building. Moreover, he has adjusted well to being sidelined for the first time since his failure to qualify at Heartland Park Topeka in 2003.
He isn’t pouting or panicking after his streak of appearances ended at 366 races. He’s 49 years old, still young by NHRA standards. He has provided commentary in the public-address booth and on FOX Sports’ television broadcasts and has been a natural at it.
But that isn’t what revs his engine.
“People say, ‘You could do some media. Why don’t you do that?’ I love that, and in the future, I’ll maybe do some TV stuff. But right now, I’m going to be doing this (driving) for a long, long time. I love what I do. I drive the car as well as I’ve ever driven the car. We finished No. 2 (last season) to a guy (Steve Torrence) who had a phenomenal year,” Schumacher said. “I don’t want to sit for a minute, not because of the money. It’s because this is my life and passion and I don’t want to miss a moment of it.”
He has already missed too many, he and his fans would say, and he’s pitching his case at every opportunity.
“For 19 years with the Army, we were unavailable,” Schumacher said. “Through those 19 years, many, many people came up and said, ‘Hey, we want to be on that car.’ And they couldn’t. The Army had specific restrictions on what was allowed.”
Unless the Army was to return to DSR, those restrictions are off the table. And Schumacher is inviting any serious inquirers to reach out to the team.
“We can talk. We’re pretty easy to get hold of.”
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