Tony Schumacher grew up watching his father Don "The Shoe" Schumacher dominate the NHRA Funny Car field. So it was only a matter of time before Tony began racing. By the age of 19, he was ready to compete in the NHRA. His skills earned him the opportunity to drive the jet dragster of Wayne Knuth, but this meant leaving the pro circuit. For two years, Tony toured the country driving the world's fastest jet-powered car, regularly approaching speeds of 300 mph.

In 1995, Tony was ready to rejoin the NHRA and formed his own race team competing in the NHRA Alcohol Funny Car class and earning his first win. Midway through the 1996 season, a supercharger explosion stopped his run for the Funny Car championship, but opened the door to a surprising opportunity to drive a Top Fuel Dragster. His first NHRA appearance in a Top Fuel Dragster landed him in the finals of the biggest race of the year at the U.S. Nationals.

In June 1998, Don Schumacher formed his own race team and Tony became the driver of the Top Fuel Dragster. By 1999, Tony and his new team had all the pieces in place for a championship run. Every race saw improvement, and this led to his record breaking 330 mph run in Phoenix and the National Championship crown. The 2000 season started where they had left off, running for the championship. In the fall, the U.S. Army partnership began with a win at the U.S. Nationals in Indy. However, a devastating crash the following week ended his championship run. After missing only three races, Tony returned for the final race of the season and managed to hold on to second place in the final points standings.

The 2001 season saw Tony post the fastest speed ever for a Top Fuel Dragster with a shocking 333 mph. In 2002, Tony recorded top speed in six events and captured two wins, including the U.S. Nationals. The end of the 2003 season found Tony in the top 10 for the fifth consecutive season, finishing third overall. Ending on a fast note, Tony set a new national record for elapsed time in Reading, PA with a run of 4.41 seconds.

The 2004 season ended with Tony capturing his second NHRA Top Fuel Championship. Along the way, he set the single season win record with 10 wins. The team placed the Army dragster in 13 of the 23 finals for the season and held the points lead for all but one race during the season. This momentum carried over into the 2005 season.

In 2005, Tony "The Sarge" Schumacher won his second consecutive NHRA Top Fuel Championship with another record breaking year. By the close of the season Schumacher placed himself in the record book a total of five times with a Top Fuel single season record five consecutive race wins, most consecutive Top Fuel rounds won (20), most consecutive Top Fuel final rounds (7), most Top Fuel poles in a single season (11) and the widest margin of victory for a Top Fuel world championship (415 points). These records were in addition to the national speed record of 336.15 mph and the ET record of 4.437 seconds also set during the season.

The 2006 season lead to the biggest comeback in NHRA history ending with Tony captured his third consecutive NHRA Top Fuel Championship with a national record ET setting run of 4.428 seconds in the final round of the final race of the year. That final round national record run earned him 20 bonus points and gave him the championship by 14 points. With that win, Tony not only captured his fourth championship but also tied "Big Daddy" Garlis as the all-time winningest driver with 35 wins.

Last season ended with Tony capturing with fourth consecutive NHRA Top Fuel World Championship.