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Menards NHRA Nationals Presented by PetArmor
NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series
Heartland Motorsports Park; Topeka, Kan.
Post-Event Wrap-Up
J.R. Todd, DHL Funny Car
Qualifying: J.R. Todd was the No. 7 qualifier at the Menards NHRA Nationals presented by PetArmor; his best qualifying attempt came during the third and final session when the DHL GR Supra reached the finish line in 4.011 seconds at 319.52 mph.
Eliminations: Todd defeated Chad Green and Ron Capps before losing to Matt Hagan in the semifinals after the DHL Funny Car dropped a cylinder. With his win in Sonoma two weeks ago and today’s semifinal finish, Todd and the DHL Toyota team won six-consecutive eliminations rounds.
Unofficial Point Standings: Todd leaves Topeka in eighth place in the NHRA Funny Car point standings. He trails seventh-place Tim Wilkerson by 12 points and leads ninth-place John Force by 78 points.
Todd on Topeka: “We’re definitely in the hunt. It’s getting cut-throat out here as we get kind of late in the season. Guys are murdering the tree and throwing down great runs, but that’s what it takes to win in Funny Car these days. We put a hole out three seconds into the semifinal run, and if it weren’t for that, I think we could at least have had a shot at winning again here in Topeka. All in all, good day, good weekend. We just came up a little short in the semis, but good job by our DHL Toyota team this weekend – we’ll try again next week at Brainerd.”
Doug Kalitta, Mac Tools Top Fuel Dragster
Qualifying: Doug Kalitta was the No. 3 qualifier at the Menards NHRA Nationals presented by PetArmor. Kalitta needed just 3.799 seconds to reach the finish line at 316.45 mph in the final qualifying session Saturday afternoon.
Eliminations: Kalitta’s Mac Tools dragster and Austin Prock both smoked the tires early in their first-round run, both pedaled, but Kalitta’s car had problems allowing Prock to race to the win light.
Unofficial Point Standings: Kalitta leaves Topeka in seventh place in the NHRA Top Fuel point standings. He trails sixth-place Austin Prock by 56 points and leads eighth-place Mike Salinas by 22 points.
Kalitta on Topeka: “That first-round was pretty disappointing with how our Mac Tools Toyota team has been running, but like I’ve said, this sport can be humbling. Just when you think you’re making good progress, it can knock you down, but I know my guys will get back up and be ready to jump back in the fight next week in Brainerd.”
Shawn Langdon, Kalitta Air Careers Top Fuel Dragster
Qualifying: Shawn Langdon was the No. 9 qualifier at the Menards NHRA Nationals presented by PetArmor; Langdon’s best qualifying attempt was also in the third and final session when the Kalitta Air Careers car made a 3.826-second pass at 318.54 mph Saturday afternoon.
Eliminations: After a six-hour rain delay, Langdon and Brittany Force were the first pair down the track. Langdon left first and was on a good pass when the Kalitta Air Careers car dropped a cylinder allowing Force to reach the finish line first and win the round.
Unofficial Point Standings: Langdon leaves Topeka in 11th place in the NHRA Top Fuel point standings. He trails 10th-place Clay Millican by 60 points and leads 12th-place Tony Schumacher by 100 points.
Langdon on Topeka: “The Kalitta Air Careers team definitely didn’t have the results we were looking for this weekend. The car dropped a cylinder during the run today, and that was all Brittany needed to get the win light. It’s disappointing because we’ve been making some progress, but we’ll be back at it next week in Brainerd and hope to get the job done for Kalitta Air, Revchem, Toyota and all the great companies that support us.”
Next Race: Team Kalitta will be back in action Aug. 18-20, 2023 at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minn. For additional information, please visit www.nhra.com. For additional information on Kalitta Motorsports, please visit www.teamkalitta.com.
