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Post-Race Report
Event 1: NHRA Winternationals
Race 1 of 22 national events
Auto Club Raceway at Pomona
Pomona, CA
February 20, 2022
J.R. Todd Starts Season with Quarterfinal Finish at Pomona
Racing a brand-new Toyota GR Supra J.R. Todd and the DHL Funny Car team were looking to repeat as season opening winners on the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. Last year Todd won the NHRA Gatornationals, which for the first time in NHRA history was the season-opener. This year Todd was driving a completely new body style which was already turning heads when it was unveiled at the 2021 Auto Club Finals in November.Over two days of qualifying Todd and his DHL Toyota Funny Car team worked on fine tuning his race car to give them the best chance of success on race day. Their best qualifying effort lit up the scoreboard with a time of 3.985 seconds at 324.59 mph. The run was quick enough to position Todd as the No. 8 qualifier and give him lane choice over second generation driver Bobby Bode.
The DHL GR Supra and Todd were not taking Bode lightly in the opening round of racing today at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. Crew chiefs Todd Smith and Jon Oberhofer loaded up the tune-up and Todd blasted down the track with his best run of the weekend a winning 3.957 second run at 325.22 mph. The win was a great first step for the new Supra program and Toyota Gazoo Racing North America.
In the second round Todd drew the No. 1 qualifier with a chance to race to the semifinals. When the tree fired both 11,000 horsepower Funny Cars launched off the starting line and Todd was charging down his lane as the finish line was closing in rapidly. As his Funny Car crossed half-track it began to mix up cylinders robbing Todd of power. He was unable to get to the finish line ahead of his opponent.
“This DHL Toyota GR Supra is a great race car and we are going to have a lot of success this season,” said Todd. “I can’t wait to get to Phoenix in five days. This DHL team is coming together and we will be ready for the Arizona Nationals. It was great to win the first round and see that win light for this Supra Funny Car.”
Todd will head to the NHRA Arizona Nationals sitting in the No. 6 position in the NHRA Camping World points standings.
Quotable:
J.R. Todd on staring season at Winternationals: “I am always excited at the beginning of the season. There are a lot of good cars and you really don’t know who is doing what. We have been making good runs and this Supra is going down the track. That is encouraging and gives everybody confidence.”
Statistics:
Qualified: No. 8 (3.985 sec., 324.59 mph)
Bonus points: 0
Race Details:
First Round
Driver Qual R/T ET MPH
J.R. Todd 8 .069 3.957 325.22 (W)
Bobby Bode 9 .052 4.039 290.94
Second Round
Driver Qual R/T ET MPH
J.R. Todd 8 .097 4.234 220.58
Ron Capps 1 .054 3.890 324.05 (W)
Shawn Langdon and DHL Top Fuel Leave Pomona Focused on Success in Phoenix
In a rematch of the 2021 NHRA Gatornationals final round Shawn Langdon and the DHL Kalitta Air Top Fuel dragster took on Josh Hart in the first round today at the NHRA Winternationals. Langdon battled through two days of qualifying at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona to qualify No. 8 in a tough Top Fuel field. During the last session of three Langdon ran to the No. 6 qualifying position with a 3.740 second run at 325.22 mph. By the end of qualifying, he was shuffled back to the No. 8 spot. He earned lane choice in the first round against the No. 9 qualifier.This season the team added crew chief Jason “Jake” McCulloch to the DHL Top Fuel team led by Connie Kaliita and Kurt Elliott. With the drag racing legend Connie Kalitta making the tuning decision this season is set to be a strong one for Langdon, the 2013 Top Fuel world champion. Langdon worked with McCulloch when they were teammates during his championship run. He is excited to see the progress the team will make over the course of the season.
“This is going to be my fourth season with Connie and I started working with Kurt when I was driving Funny Car. I am very familiar with them and I raced with Jason years ago,” said Langdon. “We have a really good chemistry and we understand each other. We have a lot if similar philosophies and our racing mentality is on the same path. This is a great group of guys and we have a great DHL Kalitta Air team over here. This is a team that is ready to win. We just have to keep putting in the work.”
Rolling into the first round Langdon got the jump off the starting line with a reaction time advantage of .045 to .066. As his dragster accelerated down track, he was slightly down on power with a dropped cylinder slowing his dragster to a 3.920 second run at only 300.20 mph. That reduction in power was enough for Langdon’s opponent to get around him for the win light.
Langdon will head to the second race of the season sitting No. 10 in the Camping World Top Fuel points standings.
Quotable:
Langdon on starting season with some new team additions: “I always enjoy going back to Pomona and it is a track great track for me. I have had some success there. We have had a lot of changes this year, so we have been working on a lot of things in testing. We have some guys in new positions so getting them acclimated has been a big focus for the team.”
Statistics:
Qualified: No. 8 (3.740 sec., 325.22mph)
Bonus points: 0
Race Details:
First Round
Driver Qual R/T ET MPH
Shawn Langdon 8 .045 3.920 300.20
Josh Hart 9 .066 3.740 327.82 (W)
Doug Kalitta and Mac Tools Team Make Positive Strides at Winternationals
Coming into the season opening race Doug Kalitta and the Mac Tools Top Fuel team were ready for another championship run. The addition of world champion crew chiefs Alan Johnson and Brian Husen had Kalitta eager to get the season started. The past five seasons the NHRA season has begun in Pomona, California, Kalitta has raced to the final round and the perennial championship contender has a three-race win streak at the most recent February Winternationals. With a new team this season Kalitta knew he had a good chance of extending that streak.Through two days of qualifying the Mac Tools dragster continued to improve and entered race day as the No. 5 qualified Top Fuel team in a tough, experienced field. His best time in qualifying was a strong 3.720 second pass at 326.87 mph. As the first round began right before Kalitta made his run there was a lengthy delay to clean the track. The track continued to warm up while Kalitta and his team made adjustments to give the 49-time Top Fuel national event winner the best chance of success.
Kalitta was racing the No. 12 qualifier but from top to bottom the Top Fuel field was stacked with former national event winners and world champions. The Mac Tools Top Fuel dragster made a strong run of 3.730 seconds at 327.11 mph a near duplication of his best qualifying effort, but his opponent was slightly quicker to the finish line and by about 16 feet he was edged out of victory.
“We did a lot of things right this weekend from qualifying to that first round,” said Kalitta. “We made a solid run and just came up a little short at the finish line. This is a long season and we will be back on the track in a couple days in Phoenix.”
Kalitta will leave the NHRA Winternationals sitting No. 9 in the Top Fuel point standings.
Quotable:
Doug Kalitta on season opening Winternationals: “This place just means a lot to me. It is just a cool place to race and start the season. I have been very fortunate to have a good racecar that has gone there and won rounds and races there the last couple of years.”
Statistics:
Qualified: No. 5 (3.720 sec., 326.87 mph)
Bonus points: 0
Race Details:
First Round
Driver Qual R/T ET MPH
Doug Kalitta 5 .086 3.730 327.11
Tony Schumacher 12 .057 3.726 324.28 (W)
Unofficial NHRA Camping World Championship Standings:
Top Fuel
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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. For more than 60 years, 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.Kalitta Motorsports fields three full-time entries in the NHRA Camping World nitro classes. Connie Kalitta’s nephew, Doug Kalitta, pilots the Mac Tools Top Fuel dragster while 2013 NHRA Top Fuel world champion Shawn Langdon drives the DHL/Kalitta Air Top Fuel dragster. In Funny Car, 2018 NHRA Funny Car world champion J.R. Todd is the driver of the DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car. Connie Kalitta serves as head tuner for all Kalitta Motorsports entries. He is assisted by crew chiefs Todd Smith and Jon Oberhofer on the DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Kurt Elliott and Jason McCulloch on the DHL Top Fuel dragster and Alan Johnson and Brian Husen with Ronnie Thompson lead the efforts on the Mac Tools Top Fuel dragster.
