In news announced yesterday, Don Schumacher Racing revealed that the US Army, a near 20-year partner of the team will be ending its sponsorship of Tony Schumacher’s top fuel dragster and the NHRA at the close of the 2018 season. The team said that they were seeking a replacement for the Army and for them to promote across their car and driver lineup.

On the NHRA side of things, the Army has had a pivotal role with the NHRA’s YES (Youth and Education Services) program, has had a presence on its midway, and has used NHRA events to highlight the swearing in of new recruits, the celebration of the Army birthday, and at each race, the recognition of a US Army soldier hero from the local area.

While it is never great to hear of a big sponsor parting company with the NHRA or one of its premier teams, it is pretty amazing to think about their partnership of nearly 20 years. The Army pulled back systematically from all motorsports several years ago and NHRA was the last place that they were directly involved in with regard to racing.

It’ll be interesting to see how DSR and the NHRA fill the opening left with the Army’s departure. We’ll keep our ears to the tracks and pass along any information that we can get!

U.S. Army Redirecting its Marketing Efforts for 2019

BROWNSBURG, Indiana (July 8, 2018) – The U.S. Army has decided not to renew its sponsorship with Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) and the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) due to a reallocation of its marketing budget. DSR is actively pursuing a strong brand to partner with the team and its roster of sponsors and personalities who have contributed to 325 NHRA national event titles and 16 championships.

“The U.S. Army has been a great partner of Don Schumacher Racing for nearly two decades,” said team owner Don Schumacher. “It has been a mutually beneficial relationship with the U.S. Army instilling the mental, physical and emotional strength of the U.S. Army Soldier in all of us. We remain extremely proud of our representation of the U.S. Army and its brave Soldiers who are 100 percent committed to our country. We will continue to activate on behalf of the U.S. Army for the remainder of 2018 while showcasing our acumen to future partners looking to inject their brand with the power and precision that has earned DSR more than 320 wins and 16 championships.”

“The U.S. Army has been an incredibly loyal and longtime supporter of NHRA Championship Drag Racing and we are sad to see them go, especially during a time in which NHRA is experiencing so much success,” said NHRA president Glen Cromwell. “One of the most significant elements of our partnership with the U.S. Army has been its sponsorship of NHRA’s Youth and Education Services program, which hosts approximately 30,000 high school students each year across the country and will continue to do so. Not only does this program serve our communities by inspiring students to pursue STEM-related career opportunities, but it also acts as a powerful recruiting tool for vocational education programs.

“The NHRA Mello Yello Series reaches millions of fans each year at its 24 national events which are each broadcast on FOX Sports. We’ve had seven sellout days so far this season and all of our metrics are up. We are excited about NHRA’s future and look forward to welcoming new partners to our sport.”

The U.S. Army will remain as the primary sponsor of Tony Schumacher and his U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster throughout the remainder of the 2018 NHRA season. Schumacher is the winningest Top Fuel driver in NHRA history, and has earned seven of his eight world titles behind the wheel of the U.S. Army car during its nearly 20-year partnership with DSR.