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Post-Race Report
Event 16: NHRA Midwest Nationals
Race 3 of 7 Countdown races
World Wide Technology Raceway
St. Louis, MO
September 26, 2021
St. Louis Quarterfinal Finish for Todd and DHL Toyota Camry Funny Car
Heading into race day at the NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway J.R. Todd and the DHL Toyota Camry Funny Car were looking to continue their move up the Funny Car point standings. After two days of qualifying Todd entered race day as the No. 9 qualifier in a tight Funny Car field. His best run of 3.915 seconds at 330.39 mph locked him into a first round race with fellow Countdown contending Funny Car driver Tim Wilkerson.
In an impressive display of stepping up on race day Todd blasted into the quarterfinals with his best run of the weekend, a blistering 3.895 second run at 330.39 mph. The run was flawless from start to finish. Todd left the starting line first and his Todd Smith tuned Toyota Camry Funny Car stayed glued to the track to continue his streak of first round wins. The 2018 Funny Car champion has only failed to reach the quarterfinals one time this season.
In the quarterfinals Todd pulled up beside No. 1 qualifier and eventual race winner Matt Hagan. It was a great race with Todd racing beside Hagan for the first 400 feet and then his Goodyears lost traction. Todd’s Camry made a sudden move to the left and he was forced to lift to stay in his lane.
"We knew we needed to be aggressive in the second round,” said Todd. “We had a really good run in the first round to get the win over Wilkerson. If we could have duplicated that in the quarterfinals, I would have liked our chances. There are four races left and we need to go deeper on race day to be in the mix in Pomona. This DHL team is definitely battling.”
Todd will head to Texas Motorplex and the Texas NHRA Fall Nationals in fifth place in the Funny Car point standings.
Statistics:
Qualified: No. 9 (3.915 sec, 330.72 mph
Bonus points: 0
Race Details:
First Round
Driver Qual R/T ET MPH
J. R. Todd 9 .082 3.895 330.39 (W)
Tim Wilkerson 8 .088 4.220 222.22
Second Round
Driver Qual R/T ET MPH
J. R. Todd 9 .078 4.571 182.21
Matt Hagan 1 .065 3.894 332.18 (W)
Fifth Midwest Nationals Title Eludes Doug Kalitta and Mac Tools Team
As the second winningest Top Fuel driver at World Wide Technology Raceway, Doug Kalitta, was looking to pick up his fifth win at the NHRA Midwest Nationals. The Mac Tools Top Fuel dragster came off the trailer with a solid run on Friday night. Kalitta posted a 3.747 to end the first day of qualifying as the No. 5 driver. On Saturday with two qualifying runs Kalitta stepped up with an even quicker run to end the day with a solid 3.743 second pass and went into race day as the No. 9 Top Fuel dragster.
In the opening round Kalitta lined up beside Tripp Tatum and the pair of pros put on one of the quickest and cleanest races of the first round. Kalitta got a slight jump off the starting line and both 11,000 horsepower land rockets powered down the track. As the finish line closed in Tatum’s race car was able to get in front of the Mac Tools dragster to turn on the win light. Kalitta’s elapsed time of 3.724 second was his quickest of the weekend but not enough to outpace Tatum’s 3.714 second run. The race cars hit the finish line at over 325 mph.
“Our Mac Tools made some big improvements this weekend and I felt really good going into the first round,” said Kalitta. “We have four more races and I like the direction we are going. This Mac Tools team is digging. The fans this weekend were great and we have won a lot of races here.”
Statistics:
Qualified: No. 9 (3.743 sec, 325.92 mph)
Bonus points: 0
Race Details:
First Round
Driver Qual R/T ET MPH
Doug Kalitta 9 .062 3.724 325.30
Tripp Tatum 8 .067 3.714 331.36 (W)
Improved Performance Is Big Step for Langdon and DHL Top Fuel Team
Coming into race day at the NHRA Midwest Nationals Shawn Langdon and the DHL Kalitta Air Top Fuel team had an uphill battle drawing the eventual race winner Steve Torrence in the first round. Langdon’s best run of qualifying 3.787 seconds was enough to get him into the third quickest Top Fuel field in NHRA history. The field at World Wide Technology Raceway was wide open and stacked with drivers that could take home a victory.
The first round was a clash of champions and each of the dragsters capable of putting up monster numbers. Langdon showed the strength of the DHL Kalitta Air team with a top to bottom excellent performance. Langdon was the first off the line with a stellar .033 reaction time combined with a best of the weekend run of 3.762 seconds. As good as that run was for Langdon, Torrence made the quickest run of the first round to grab the win.
“The first round pass was where we are looking to be on Friday,” said Langdon. “That was a good run for the DHL Kalitta Air team and we just need to duplicate that for the rest of the season. I know we have the team that can get on a roll. We have a week off and we will be ready for the final four playoff races.”
Statistics:
Qualified: No. 14 (3.787 sec, 322.42 mph)
Bonus points: 0
Race Details:
First Round
Driver Qual R/T ET MPH
Shawn Langdon 14 .033 3.762 325.98
Steve Torrence 3 .056 3.669 329.42 (W)
Unofficial NHRA Camping World Championship Standings:
Top Fuel
| 1 | Steve Torrence | 2373 |
| 2 | Brittany Force | 2337 |
| 3 | Billy Torrence | 2247 |
| 4 | Mike Salinas | 2239 |
| 5 | Justin Ashley | 2235 |
| 6 | Leah Pruett | 2222 |
| 7 | Antron Brown | 2188 |
| 8 | Shawn Langdon | 2164 |
| 9 | Clay Millican | 2157 |
| 10 | Doug Kalitta | 2096 |
Funny Car
| 1 | Matt Hagan | 2354 |
| 2 | Ron Capps | 2295 |
| 3 | John Force | 2282 |
| 4 | Cruz Pedregon | 2255 |
| 5 | J.R. Todd | 2239 |
| 6 | Bob Tasca III | 2234 |
| 7 | Robert Hight | 2194 |
| 7 | Tim Wilkerson | 2194 |
| 9 | Alexis DeJoria | 2163 |
| 10 | Blake Alexander | 2120 |
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