Kalitta Motorsports Texas Fall Nationals Post Race Report (1 Viewer)

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Post-Race Report
NHRA Texas Fall Nationals
Race 20 of 22 national events
Countdown Race 4 of 6
Texas Motorplex
Dallas, TX
October 16, 2022


Back-to-Back Semifinals for Langdon Propel Him to Las Vegas Nationals
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Statistics:

Qualified: Qual. 11 (3.788 sec, 312.52 mph)
Bonus points: 0

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For the second consecutive NHRA playoff race Shawn Langdon raced to a semifinal finish. Today at the Texas NHRA Fall Nationals the 2013 Top Fuel world champion raced the CMR Construction and Roofing Toyota Top Fuel dragster to the final four from the No. 11 qualifier position. Through two days of qualifying the Kalitta Motorsports driver took advantage of four qualifying runs and positioned his team for success on race day.
In the first round he faced fellow Countdown competitor Steve Torrence, the No. 6 qualifier. It was a battle of Top Fuel champions and Langdon took the win never trailing in the race. He got off the starting line first with a .052 reaction time and his CMR Toyota dragster stayed right in the groove. His winning elapsed time of 3.730 seconds was his quickest run of the weekend to advance him to the quarterfinals.
In the next round Langdon faced Brittany Force looking to get back to the semifinals and close the gap on the drivers in front of him in the points. With two races remaining Langdon and his CMR Toyota team were up to the task and Langdon took a huge advantage off the starting line and that proved to be the difference. Langdon’s dragster leapt off the starting line with a .039 second reaction time in front of Force’s .097. At the finish line Langdon had enough horsepower thanks to his Connie Kalitta, Kurt Elliott and Jason McCulloch tune-up to grab another round win with a 3.721 second pass. The CMR Toyota dragster continued to improve throughout the race as cloud cover and cooler temperatures equated to excellent performance conditions.
In the semifinals looking to race to his third final round of the season Langdon squared off with Toyota stablemate and points leader Justin Ashley. Each driver is recognized as a driver who is at the top of the category in reaction times and the fans in the stands knew this race would be a tough match-up. Ashley took a narrow lead off the starting line, but Langdon was once again strong with a .040 reaction time and stayed side-by-side all the way down the track. At the finish line it was Ashley by a nose with his 3.686 second run outpacing Langdon’s 3.723 seconds.
His performance on the starting line was strong combined with his team’s on track improvement is setting Langdon up for a strong finish over the final two races in Las Vegas and Pomona, California, respectively.
“We definitely feel a lot better and we have the best driver out here so that gives us a little leeway,” said Kurt Elliott, CMR Construction and Roofing co-crew chief. “When we get close we can go rounds. We are still trying to get there can consistently run in the 3.60s in these kinds of conditions. We ran well in St. Louis and we just need to get there consistently and we know we can. No one over here is hanging their heads. With the driver we have we always have a shot.”
For his efforts and two win lights Kalitta Motorsports and primary sponsor DHL donated 40,000 meals to Feeding America. Through three races the team has combined to donate 180,000 meals to the national company working to end food insecurity in America. In two weeks the four-race program will conclude and Langdon will be looking to add more win lights and meal donations.



J.R. Todd and DHL Chasing Win Lights as they Exit Texas Fall Nationals
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Statistics:

Qualified: No. 7 (3.908 sec, 327.01 mph)
Bonus points: 0
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J.R. Todd and the DHL Toyota GR Supra were racing to support several initiatives this weekend at the Texas NHRA Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex. The 2018 Funny Car world champion swapped out his traditional yellow and red DHL Supra Funny Car for a remarkable pink DHL nitro Funny Car for the final three races of the NHRA playoffs. The team will be casting attention to support breast cancer research and men’s health in October and November. Additionally, all three Kalitta Motorsports teams are racing for Feeding America and through three races have raised a cumulative 180,000 meals in conjunction with DHL and Kalitta Air.
“It is cool to be supporting Feeding America and also raising awareness for breast cancer research and men’s health with our sponsor DHL,” said Todd, during a sponsor meet and greet in the Kalitta Motorsports hospitality area. “We want to win on the track and also win by supporting important causes. We spent some time with kids from A Kid Again on Saturday and that was cool too. You get a whole new perspective when you meet kids who are battling some serious medical conditions.”
On the track Todd was focused on his pursuit of a second NHRA Funny Car championship trying to make the most of the four qualifying runs. His quickest run of 3.908 seconds landed him in the top half of the field as the No. 7 qualifier. The weather conditions for the runs Todd and his DHL Toyota GR Supra changed dramatically from Saturday to Sunday as a cool front and rain showers moved over Texas Motorplex.
In the first round Todd was racing veteran Paul Lee in front of an impressive Texas Motorplex crowd. Todd launched hard and was flying down the left lane as his Funny Car began pushing to towards the guardwall. Todd was working feverishly to steer his 11,000 horsepower nitro Funny Car back towards the groove but the dramatic acceleration was too much and the pink DHL Funny Car made a strong move to the right costing Todd the chance to advance to the quarterfinals.
“These Funny Cars can be a handful and that run was a prime example,” said Todd. “I was doing everything I could to try and keep it in the groove. We have another race to get win lights for Feeding America and in two weeks at Las Vegas I am going to be looking to get some win lights.”
The Las Vegas NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in two weeks will be Todd’s next chance to move up in the point standings.



Stampede of Speed Early Exit Does Not Deter Doug Kalitta and Mac Tools
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Statistics:

Qualified: No. 7 (3.712 sec, 327.75 mph)
Bonus points: +1 (3rd quickest of Q4
)
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The familiar red and white Mac Tools Top Fuel dragster and driver Doug Kalitta took on the Texas NHRA Fall Nationals looking to add a third Top Fuel Fall Nationals title to their extensive record of success. The 49-time Top Fuel winner entered the fourth Countdown playoff race as the No. 7 qualifier on the strength of his 3.712 second pass at 327.75 mph. The veteran driver collected a qualifying bonus point for making the third quickest pass of the final qualifying session. It was enough to give the team a great combination going into race day.
Conditions changed dramatically overnight as track temperatures went from the mid-90s to the low-70s on race day. Kalitta faced a tough first round opponent in Toyota teammate Justin Ashley who was also the points leader. When the tree flashed both dragsters took off and accelerated down track as breakneck speeds. The Mac Tools Top Fuel dragster was just a few ticks off its best qualifying effort, but Ashley was in the neighboring lane making his quickest and fastest pass of the weekend for the win.
“We just had a tough first round, but we have a race car that can win rounds,” said Kalitta. “We have two races and this Mac Tools team is hungry for a win. We will be back at it in Las Vegas.”


Unofficial NHRA Camping World Championship Standings:
Top Fuel


1Justin Ashley2422
2Brittany Force2340
3Antron Brown2338
4Steve Torrence2326
5Mike Salinas2304
6Josh Hart2272
7Austin Prock2262
8Doug Kalitta2251
9Shawn Langdon2234
10Clay Millican2218

Funny Car
1Robert Hight2486
2Ron Capps2476
3Matt Hagan2408
4John Force2349
5Bob Tasca III2312
6Tim Wilkerson2228
7Alexis DeJoria2219
8J.R. Todd2218
9Cruz Pedregon2191
10Blake Alexander2118

About Kalitta Motorsports:
Based in Ypsilanti, Mich., Kalitta Motorsports is a Top Fuel and Funny Car drag racing team in the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) Camping World Drag Racing Series. The team was founded and is owned by drag racing icon Connie “the Bounty Hunter” Kalitta. Celebrating over 60 years of Kalitta Motorsports, Connie has been involved in the sport as a driver, tuner, and an owner. Kalitta Motorsports is one of the most successful teams in the history of auto racing with seven world championships and over 100 national event titles in five different professional drag racing sanctioning bodies since it was established by Connie in 1959.


 
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