YPSILANTI, Mich. (June 3, 2025) – J.R. Todd and his DHL team won four rounds of racing in New England last weekend, but the race just might have been won Saturday night. The 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series continues June 6-8 at the Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tenn.
Todd’s early-season struggles were no secret. With new crew chief, four-time NHRA Funny Car Championship crew chief Dickie Venables, joining the team in the off season, implementing his program was going to take time – a lot of it. Patience was required and perhaps tested. A flash of brilliance here or there showed the team was headed in the right direction, but then, a setback – two steps forward, one step back.
And then came the final round of qualifying at last weekend’s NHRA New England Nationals. Todd needed a good effort to move back into the top half of the field. He was on just that when the DHL Funny Car suffered an engine explosion that damaged the GR Supra body. After qualifying 11th, the car would need extensive repairs to compete on Sunday. While most of Team Kalitta and many others from across the pit area were enjoying Eddie’s Lobsterfest, an annual event in memory of the late Scott Kalitta, the “Yella Fellas” were hard at work in the DHL pit.
“Winning that race was definitely a big weight lifted off our shoulders,” Todd said. “We’ve been struggling; we’re still in the learning process. It feels good to win for the guys after all they’ve done, especially Saturday after qualifying. They pretty much had to strip the car down to the bare chassis and put all new air lines and computer cables – all that. They worked till about midnight and got it back together. Winning that race was the way we want to finish off the weekend for sure.”
“This whole weekend was about Scott, and in true Scott fashion, we blow the thing up Saturday night,” Assistant Crew Chief Jon Oberhofer told NHRA.tv after the win. “The guys were just so bad ass; they battled back. Starting the thing up after that blow up, there wasn’t one loose line, not a drip of oil, and everything was good. The guys did great all day, and it’s just a pleasure to be here and finally win this race.”
“They’re the best; they don’t quit, they don’t complain,” Todd added. “They just put their heads down, go to work and do whatever it takes to go out there and win. They deserved that win for sure. They’re willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that DHL GR Supra is capable of winning.”
And that’s exactly what they did last weekend. The DHL car was flawless on race day showing the consistent performance for which the team strived. It was the team’s first win since the 2024 season-opening NHRA Gatornationals in Florida, and it moved Todd from 10th to sixth in the NHRA Funny Car point standings.
“It’s nice to get a win; it was a big win for our team, but we still have work to do; we know that,” Todd added. “I think we have a good car to work with now, and we’re going into Bristol where we’ve run well in the past. I feel like Dickie and (Matt) Hagan won everywhere on tour, so I always have confidence in Dickie. It’s taken some time to get where we want to be, and I think we’re creeping up on it.”
Todd has never won at Thunder Valley, but he has two runner-up finishes among the mountains. He won for the first time at New England Dragway last weekend and would love to keep it going and move Bristol Dragway to the win column.
“It’s one of my favorite tracks,” Todd said. “I’ve been racing there since I was a kid in junior dragster. It’s a pretty scenic place in between the two mountains. I haven’t won there yet so it would be nice to check Bristol off the list this weekend.
“You’re only as good as your last race, and I’m excited to go to Bristol. It’s a race I can drive to from Indianapolis so it’s not a home race but kind of feels like one. I’ve been to some Bristol finals in the past, but it hasn’t worked out. We have a car that can contend with these guys so I’m excited for what we have. We might not win the regular season championship, but I think, if we’re in the top five coming out of Indy, we have a chance to compete with these guys.”
Race Information:
Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals Bristol Dragway; Bristol, Tenn.
TV Schedule (All times eastern):
2024 NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals Recap: Qualified No. 11; defeated Terry Haddock, Ron Capps and John Force before losing to Austin Prock in the final round.
Funny Car Career Stats: 325 events, 22 wins, 26 runner-up, 356 round wins, 14 No. 1 qualifiers.
2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Results to Date:
The post TOTAL TEAM EFFORT POWERS J.R. TODD, DHL TEAM BACK TO WINNER’S CIRCLE first appeared on Team Kalitta Motorsports.
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Todd’s early-season struggles were no secret. With new crew chief, four-time NHRA Funny Car Championship crew chief Dickie Venables, joining the team in the off season, implementing his program was going to take time – a lot of it. Patience was required and perhaps tested. A flash of brilliance here or there showed the team was headed in the right direction, but then, a setback – two steps forward, one step back.
And then came the final round of qualifying at last weekend’s NHRA New England Nationals. Todd needed a good effort to move back into the top half of the field. He was on just that when the DHL Funny Car suffered an engine explosion that damaged the GR Supra body. After qualifying 11th, the car would need extensive repairs to compete on Sunday. While most of Team Kalitta and many others from across the pit area were enjoying Eddie’s Lobsterfest, an annual event in memory of the late Scott Kalitta, the “Yella Fellas” were hard at work in the DHL pit.
“Winning that race was definitely a big weight lifted off our shoulders,” Todd said. “We’ve been struggling; we’re still in the learning process. It feels good to win for the guys after all they’ve done, especially Saturday after qualifying. They pretty much had to strip the car down to the bare chassis and put all new air lines and computer cables – all that. They worked till about midnight and got it back together. Winning that race was the way we want to finish off the weekend for sure.”
“This whole weekend was about Scott, and in true Scott fashion, we blow the thing up Saturday night,” Assistant Crew Chief Jon Oberhofer told NHRA.tv after the win. “The guys were just so bad ass; they battled back. Starting the thing up after that blow up, there wasn’t one loose line, not a drip of oil, and everything was good. The guys did great all day, and it’s just a pleasure to be here and finally win this race.”
“They’re the best; they don’t quit, they don’t complain,” Todd added. “They just put their heads down, go to work and do whatever it takes to go out there and win. They deserved that win for sure. They’re willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that DHL GR Supra is capable of winning.”
And that’s exactly what they did last weekend. The DHL car was flawless on race day showing the consistent performance for which the team strived. It was the team’s first win since the 2024 season-opening NHRA Gatornationals in Florida, and it moved Todd from 10th to sixth in the NHRA Funny Car point standings.
“It’s nice to get a win; it was a big win for our team, but we still have work to do; we know that,” Todd added. “I think we have a good car to work with now, and we’re going into Bristol where we’ve run well in the past. I feel like Dickie and (Matt) Hagan won everywhere on tour, so I always have confidence in Dickie. It’s taken some time to get where we want to be, and I think we’re creeping up on it.”
Todd has never won at Thunder Valley, but he has two runner-up finishes among the mountains. He won for the first time at New England Dragway last weekend and would love to keep it going and move Bristol Dragway to the win column.
“It’s one of my favorite tracks,” Todd said. “I’ve been racing there since I was a kid in junior dragster. It’s a pretty scenic place in between the two mountains. I haven’t won there yet so it would be nice to check Bristol off the list this weekend.
“You’re only as good as your last race, and I’m excited to go to Bristol. It’s a race I can drive to from Indianapolis so it’s not a home race but kind of feels like one. I’ve been to some Bristol finals in the past, but it hasn’t worked out. We have a car that can contend with these guys so I’m excited for what we have. We might not win the regular season championship, but I think, if we’re in the top five coming out of Indy, we have a chance to compete with these guys.”
Race Information:
Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals Bristol Dragway; Bristol, Tenn.
TV Schedule (All times eastern):
- Qualifying Show 1: 7:30-9:30 p.m. Friday, June 6 on FS1
- Qualifying Show 2: 8-9:30 p.m. Saturday, June 7 on FS1
- Finals: 3-6 p.m. Sunday, June 8 on FS1
2024 NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals Recap: Qualified No. 11; defeated Terry Haddock, Ron Capps and John Force before losing to Austin Prock in the final round.
Funny Car Career Stats: 325 events, 22 wins, 26 runner-up, 356 round wins, 14 No. 1 qualifiers.
2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Results to Date:
- Gainesville: Qualified No. 11; lost to Bobby Bode.
- Phoenix: Qualified No. 9; defeated Daniel Wilkerson before losing to Bob Tasca in the second round.
- Pomona: Qualified No. 7; lost to Daniel Wilkerson.
- Las Vegas: Qualified No. 4: defeated Bobby Bode, Jack Beckman, lost to Matt Hagan, Paul Lee.
- Charlotte: Qualified No. 11; defeated Dan Wilkerson, Bob Tasca; lost to Austin Prock, Ron Capps.
- Chicago: Qualified No. 4; lost to Cruz Pedregon.
- Epping: Qualified No. 10; defeated Cruz Pedregon, Phil Burkart, Alexis DeJoria and Spencer Hyde.
The post TOTAL TEAM EFFORT POWERS J.R. TODD, DHL TEAM BACK TO WINNER’S CIRCLE first appeared on Team Kalitta Motorsports.
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