He said he didn't know right away that his 4.979-second pass at 296.05 miles an hour with his Pontiac Firebird was better than Force's 4.977 at 304.37 in the Castrol Ford Mustang. "The groove was so narrow that I made sure I didn't take my eyes off my lane."

He said he hardly could believe that he made four passes Sunday under 300 miles an hour "and still won the Gatornationals."

After watching a string of upsets in front of him, just as Schumacher had in Top Fuel's opening round, Worsham went to the line and took out Gary Densham, who had been his closest rival entering the weekend. Drivers in the Nos. 3, 4, 5 and 6 spots lost in the first round, too.

Worsham then got past Winternationals winner Jerry Toliver and former teammate and unpredictable opponent Cory Lee to advance to the final round.

"We were all calm," he said. "Not cocky, not even all that confident, just calm. We were facing John Force in the final, we'd won seven rounds in a row, and we just put a solid tune-up in it and got ready. Whatever happened, happened. It was like we just winked at each other and went up there. We just wanted to give him a good race and make him earn it if he beat us.

Schumacher Scores Again!

Schumacher extended his season-long points lead by defeating Darrell Russell in the final round. He ran a 4.612-second elapsed time at 312.60 miles an hour in the U.S. Army Dragster to Russell's 4.981/271.98 in the Joe Amato Racing Dragster.

Schumacher added the Gatornationals jewel to his crown that's already studded with the 1999 series championship and three U.S. Nationals triumphs.

"I've wanted to win Gainesville since my dad raced, and he retired when I was five," said Schumacher, 34. "All the races are equal in points and the money's the same, but this is huge." The payoff was, as well, at $40,000.

Schumacher, who captured the season-opening Winternationals Feb. 29 in Pomona, Calif., has won 10 of his last 11 elimination rounds and 10 out of a possible 12. He said he was lucky in the first two rounds, when his car -- nicknamed "The Sarge" -- experienced tire shake. He credited crew chief Alan Johnson, saying, "You can't give that man that many chances."

For Schumacher, the victory has special meaning. In order to understand, one has to recognize that Schumacher is not selling motor oil or beer or razors, auto parts, tools, sunglasses or sport drinks. He's selling a way of life.