Texas NHRA Fall Nationals
Texas Motorplex; Ennis, Texas
FEEDING AMERICA: THE “RACE TO END HUNGER” UPDATE
Indianapolis: J.R. Todd (3), Doug Kalitta (2), Shawn Langdon (1); money generated: $18,000; meals generated 180,000.
Reading: Doug Kalitta (4), Shawn Langdon (1), J.R. Todd (0); money donated: $15,000; meals generated: 150,000
Charlotte: Doug Kalitta (4), Shawn Langdon (1), J.R. Todd (0); money donated: $15,000; meals generated: 150,000
St. Louis: Doug Kalitta (1), Shawn Langdon (0), J.R. Todd (1); money donated: $6,000; meals generated: 60,000
Totals To-Date: Money Donated $54,000; Meals Generated: 540,000
Feeding America established Hunger Action Month in 2008 to create a nationwide push to address the hunger crisis across the United States. Consider:
People in the United States who are food insecure: 34 million
Children in the United States who are food insecure: 9 million (1 in 8 kids)
People who turned to food programs in 2022: 49 million
Counties in the United States with food insecurity: 100 percent
By Clicking Here fans can join the fight with a personal donation.
J.R. TODD, DHL TEAM REGROUP WITH COUNTDOWN TEST SESSION, RUN BREAST CANCER AWARENESS LIVERY
YPSILANTI, Mich. (Oct. 10, 2023) – J.R. Todd will have a duel focus this weekend at Texas Motorplex: promoting breast cancer awareness with the DHL #AsOneAgainstCancer livery and logging some round wins to get his team headed back in the right direction. Todd and his DHL Toyota Team entered the NHRA Playoffs riding a solid wave of momentum after climbing to fifth in points and preparing to announce themselves as title contenders, but then, things changed. The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series resumes this weekend at the NHRA FallNationals in Ennis, Texas, the fourth of six races that make up the Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs.
When things aren’t going as planned for any team, it’s time to practice. On its way back to its Michigan race shop, the DHL GR Supra team made a stop in Indianapolis to test and prepare for the second half of the Countdown. At the playoff midpoint, the team has one round win to show for its Countdown efforts – a far cry from the impressive performance of regular season’s final three months so this test session could not have come at a better time.
“We went down the track three out of four runs (in testing) so that was good,” Todd said. “We have something to work on for Dallas – that’s for sure. I just hope conditions are somewhat similar to what we had in testing in Indy, but either way, we were struggling to get down the track cleanly the last three races so that was something we needed to work on. I think doing that in testing should give us something to work with going into the next race.”
The last three races definitely altered the outlook – to go from regularly winning rounds and contending for race wins to struggling to get down the track is frustrating at best…especially when it happens during the most-important part of the season.
“You wait all season long for this part of the year – it’s what you gear up for and earn all those points for, and then to go in the Countdown fifth is kind of where you want to be to make up some ground on the championship favorites,” the 2018 Funny Car champion said. “We didn’t make that happen so it’s frustrating, but you can’t quit or give up. You go out there and do the best you can.
“In my mind the only way we have a chance to win the championship for DHL, Revchem, Toyota and SealMaster is to win the next three races, and those top four guys have to falter. We definitely backed ourselves into a corner in those first two Countdown races. We probably needed to win St. Louis to have a good shot at it, but it’s not over until someone tells us it’s over. Either way, we just need to go out there and try to win – that’s always the gameplan.
“The pressure is not on us at this point – I’d rather be in that top four where they’re really mixing it up. It’s gonna go down to Pomona unless one of them falters, but for us, we have nothing to lose so it kind of changes your mindset. Those top four are probably pretty tense with the competitive juices flowing whereas, for us, we have nothing to lose so we’ll go out there and try to win.”
2022 Texas NHRA FallNationals Recap: Qualified No. 7; lost to Paul Lee in the first round.
J.R. Todd Career Stats: 295 events, 323 round wins, 20 wins, 45 final rounds, 14 No. 1 qualifiers
2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Results To Date:
Gainesville: Qualified No. 6; defeated Blake Alexander, Robert Hight, Chad Green; lost to Matt Hagan in final.
Phoenix: Qualified 15th; lost to Alexis DeJoria in the first round.
Pomona: Qualified No. 5; lost to Alex Laughlin in the first round.
Las Vegas: Did not qualify.
Charlotte: Qualified No. 6; lost to Robert Hight and Mike McIntire in the first round.
Chicago: Qualified No. 3; lost to Bob Tasca in the first round.
Epping: Qualified No. 8; defeated Cruz Pedregon and Matt Hagan before losing to John Force in the semifinals.
Bristol: Qualified No. 7; lost to John Force.
Norwalk: Qualified No. 7; defeated John Force and Ron Capps before losing to Matt Hagan in the semifinals.
Denver: Qualified No. 7; defeated Tim Wilkerson and John Force before losing to Alexis Dejoria in the semifinals.
Seattle: Qualified No. 5; defeated Alex Laughlin, Cruz Pedregon and Chad Green before losing to Tim Wilkerson by .0522 seconds in the final round.
Sonoma: Qualified No. 8; defeated Blake Alexander, Bob Tasca, Matt Hagan and Chad Green earning his first win of the season.
Topeka: Qualified No. 7; defeated Chad Green and Ron Capps before losing to Matt Hagan in the semifinals.
Brainerd: Qualified No. 2; lost to Dale Creasy in the first round.
Indianapolis: Qualified No. 10; defeated Blake Alexander, Bob Tasca and Cruz Pedregon before losing to Ron Capps in the final round.
Reading: Qualified No. 11; lost to Matt Hagan in the first round.
Charlotte: Qualified No. 8; lost to Paul Lee in the first round.
St. Louis: Qualified No. 11; defeated Bob Bode, lost to Blake Alexander in the second round.
Current Point Standings: Todd enters Dallas in sixth place in the NHRA Funny Car point standings. He trails fifth-place Chad Green by 31 points and leads seventh-place Tim Wilkerson by 11 points.
J.R. Todd Career Stats: 295 events, 323 round wins, 20 wins, 45 final rounds, 14 No. 1 qualifiers
2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Results To Date:
Gainesville: Qualified No. 6; defeated Blake Alexander, Robert Hight, Chad Green; lost to Matt Hagan in final.
Phoenix: Qualified 15th; lost to Alexis DeJoria in the first round.
Pomona: Qualified No. 5; lost to Alex Laughlin in the first round.
Las Vegas: Did not qualify.
Charlotte: Qualified No. 6; lost to Robert Hight and Mike McIntire in the first round.
Chicago: Qualified No. 3; lost to Bob Tasca in the first round.
Epping: Qualified No. 8; defeated Cruz Pedregon and Matt Hagan before losing to John Force in the semifinals.
Bristol: Qualified No. 7; lost to John Force.
Norwalk: Qualified No. 7; defeated John Force and Ron Capps before losing to Matt Hagan in the semifinals.
Denver: Qualified No. 7; defeated Tim Wilkerson and John Force before losing to Alexis Dejoria in the semifinals.
Seattle: Qualified No. 5; defeated Alex Laughlin, Cruz Pedregon and Chad Green before losing to Tim Wilkerson by .0522 seconds in the final round.
Sonoma: Qualified No. 8; defeated Blake Alexander, Bob Tasca, Matt Hagan and Chad Green earning his first win of the season.
Topeka: Qualified No. 7; defeated Chad Green and Ron Capps before losing to Matt Hagan in the semifinals.
Brainerd: Qualified No. 2; lost to Dale Creasy in the first round.
Indianapolis: Qualified No. 10; defeated Blake Alexander, Bob Tasca and Cruz Pedregon before losing to Ron Capps in the final round.
Reading: Qualified No. 11; lost to Matt Hagan in the first round.
Charlotte: Qualified No. 8; lost to Paul Lee in the first round.
St. Louis: Qualified No. 11; defeated Bob Bode, lost to Blake Alexander in the second round.
Current Point Standings: Todd enters Dallas in sixth place in the NHRA Funny Car point standings. He trails fifth-place Chad Green by 31 points and leads seventh-place Tim Wilkerson by 11 points.
LANGDON, KALITTA AIR CAREERS TEAM ENTER DALLAS CONFIDENT AFTER COUNTDOWN TEST SESSION
Shawn Langdon is confident. He and his Kalitta Air Careers Toyota team have just two round wins in the Countdown, but now, he has reason to be confident entering the season’s final three races. The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series resumes this weekend at the NHRA FallNationals in Ennis, Texas, the fourth of six races that make up the Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs.
Langdon entered the last race near St. Louis after having made a modest move up the point standings, but a first-round loss, to eventual runner-up Leah Pruett, relegated him back to 11th in points – right where he was when the Countdown began. Having not had the Countdown they hoped they’d enjoy, the Kalitta Air Careers team tested in Indianapolis on the way back to Michigan from St. Louis, and now, the team is more confident than it’s been in some time.
“We were able to make some decent runs in testing so we’ll take what we learned there, apply it in Dallas and hopefully do well this weekend,” the 2013 Top Fuel champion said. “A lot is different when you get to a national event from testing, but you try to have a gameplan going into testing, try some things, hopefully make some good runs and go into the next race with some confidence. We have a lot of confidence.”
And that is something Langdon hasn’t said very often this season. Except for a runner-up finish at the season’s second race and two western swing semifinals, the Kalitta Air Careers team struggled. It’s not for a lack of effort – things just haven’t come together, but the good news is that three opportunities remain to end the season on a positive note.
“Our main focus is getting our car back in the top 10, hopefully we’ll be able to do that, and then see how far we can go for all the great people who support us like Kalitta Air, Toyota, Revchem and Safety-Kleen,” Langdon added. “Winning the championship is a pretty big stretch at this point, but anything’s possible. If we could win the last three races, we’d have a good shot at it, but we’ll have to take it race-by-race, see how these next couple of races go and do the best we can.”
2022 Texas NHRA FallNationals Recap: Qualified 11th; defeated Kyle Steve Torrence and Brittany Force before losing to Justin Ashley in the semifinals.
Shawn Langdon Career Stats: 327 events, 345 round wins, 17 wins, 38 final rounds, 19 No. 1 qualifiers
2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Results To Date:
Gainesville: Qualified 11th and lost to Antron Brown by two 10 thousandths of a second.
Phoenix: Qualified No. 8; defeated Antron Brown, Doug Kalitta and Leah Pruett; lost to Justin Ashley
Pomona: Qualified No. 7; defeated Tony Schumacher, lost to Brittany Force.
Las Vegas: Qualified No. 6; defeated Krista Baldwin and Clay Millican before losing to Steve Torrence and
Josh Hart in the semifinals.
Charlotte: Qualified 11th, lost to Leah Pritchett and Pat Dakin in the first round.
Chicago: Qualified No. 6; lost to Clay Millican in the first round.
Epping: Qualified No. 2; lost to Tony Schumacher in the first round.
Bristol: Qualified 14th; lost to Steve Torrence.
Norwalk: Qualified 14th; lost to Brittany Force.
Denver: Qualified No. 9; defeated Greg Carrillo and Rob Passey before losing to Clay Millican in the
semifinals.
Seattle: Qualified No. 8; defeated Antron Brown and Mike Salinas before losing to Steve Torrence by .0609 seconds in the semifinals.
Sonoma: Qualified No. 5; defeated Leah Pruett before losing to Josh Hart in the second round.
Topeka: Qualified No. 9; lost to Brittany Force in the first round.
Brainerd: Qualified No. 9; lost to Antron Brown in the first round.
Indianapolis: Qualified No. 9; defeated Josh Hart before losing to Steve Torrence in the second round.
Reading: Qualified No. 6; defeated Dan Mercier before losing to race winner Doug Kalitta in the second round.
Charlotte: Qualified No. 9; defeated Tony Schumacher before losing to Doug Kalitta in the second round.
St. Louis: Qualified No. 9; lost to Leah Pruett in the first round.
Point Standings: Langdon enters Dallas in 11th place in the NHRA Top Fuel point standings. He trails 10th-place Austin Prock by 29 points and leads 12th-place Josh Hart by 35 points.
Shawn Langdon Career Stats: 327 events, 345 round wins, 17 wins, 38 final rounds, 19 No. 1 qualifiers
2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Results To Date:
Gainesville: Qualified 11th and lost to Antron Brown by two 10 thousandths of a second.
Phoenix: Qualified No. 8; defeated Antron Brown, Doug Kalitta and Leah Pruett; lost to Justin Ashley
Pomona: Qualified No. 7; defeated Tony Schumacher, lost to Brittany Force.
Las Vegas: Qualified No. 6; defeated Krista Baldwin and Clay Millican before losing to Steve Torrence and
Josh Hart in the semifinals.
Charlotte: Qualified 11th, lost to Leah Pritchett and Pat Dakin in the first round.
Chicago: Qualified No. 6; lost to Clay Millican in the first round.
Epping: Qualified No. 2; lost to Tony Schumacher in the first round.
Bristol: Qualified 14th; lost to Steve Torrence.
Norwalk: Qualified 14th; lost to Brittany Force.
Denver: Qualified No. 9; defeated Greg Carrillo and Rob Passey before losing to Clay Millican in the
semifinals.
Seattle: Qualified No. 8; defeated Antron Brown and Mike Salinas before losing to Steve Torrence by .0609 seconds in the semifinals.
Sonoma: Qualified No. 5; defeated Leah Pruett before losing to Josh Hart in the second round.
Topeka: Qualified No. 9; lost to Brittany Force in the first round.
Brainerd: Qualified No. 9; lost to Antron Brown in the first round.
Indianapolis: Qualified No. 9; defeated Josh Hart before losing to Steve Torrence in the second round.
Reading: Qualified No. 6; defeated Dan Mercier before losing to race winner Doug Kalitta in the second round.
Charlotte: Qualified No. 9; defeated Tony Schumacher before losing to Doug Kalitta in the second round.
St. Louis: Qualified No. 9; lost to Leah Pruett in the first round.
Point Standings: Langdon enters Dallas in 11th place in the NHRA Top Fuel point standings. He trails 10th-place Austin Prock by 29 points and leads 12th-place Josh Hart by 35 points.
Photos Courtesy: Kalitta Motorsports
TV Schedule:
Qualifying Show: 1-3 p.m. eastern Sunday, Sept. Oct. 15, 2023 on FS1.
Finals: 3-6 p.m. eastern Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023 on FS1.
TV Schedule:
Qualifying Show: 1-3 p.m. eastern Sunday, Sept. Oct. 15, 2023 on FS1.
Finals: 3-6 p.m. eastern Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023 on FS1.
