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Event 7: NHRA Norwalk Nationals
Summit Motorsports Park
Norwalk, Ohio
June 27, 2021
J.R. Todd Races to Quarterfinals at Norwalk Nationals
The DHL Toyota Camry Funny Car team and driver J.R. Todd came into the NHRA Norwalk Nationals looking to maintain their position as one of the leaders for the 2021 NHRA Camping World Funny Car world championship. Following two days of qualifying and a quarterfinal finish Todd knows he is within striking distance of the top spot. On a tough race day that saw four of the top five Funny Car teams exit the race in the quarterfinals Todd knows his team has the chance to take on any challenge.In the first round Todd and the DHL Funny Car made a solid statement run to get race day started getting the win over fellow Toyota driver Mike McIntire. The 2018 Funny Car world champion blasted down the right lane with a winning time of 3.968 seconds at 323.74 mph which was his quickest elapsed time of the weekend. Crew chief Todd Smith and the DHL crew knew they could give their race car more power and it would respond in a positive fashion. The win moved him to the quarterfinals and a match-up with the No. 1 qualifier.
Conditions began to change providing a moving target for many of the crew chiefs to try and match a tune-up with as the race moved further into the day. Todd and his team knew they needed to be aggressive, but the line for an over-aggressive adjustment was changing by the minute. When Todd lined up his DHL Funny Car he was ready to make a strong pass that unfortunately did not materialize. At the hit of the throttle his race car overpowered the track and forced the 19-time national event winner to lift and work to regain momentum in an attempt to catch his opponent. Too much power was lost and Todd crossed the finish line with a 9.087 second elapsed time. He will now turn his attention to the upcoming Western Swing in two weeks.
“We made a great run in the first round and that gave our whole team a big boost,” said Todd. “That 3.96 second run was strong and felt great inside my DHL Toyota Funny Car. I knew we would need another run like that in the second round and we just didn’t get it. These race cars are not easy to drive or tune. Todd Smith and the guys are doing a good job and I am looking forward to finishing the regular season strong. We didn’t get hurt too bad in the points but I am really looking to win races and have the points take care of themselves.”
As the No. 3 driver in Funny Car points Todd is eager to get back on track starting at the Mile-High Nationals in Denver.
Statistics:
Qualified: No. 9 (3.986 sec., 322.58 mph)
Bonus points: 0
Race Details:
First Round
Driver Qual R/T ET MPH
J.R. Todd 9 .073 3.968 323.74 (W)
Mike McIntire 8 .073 6.231 109.61
Second Round
Driver Qual R/T ET MPH
J.R. Todd 9 .062 9.087 86.85
Ron Capps 1 .031 4.015 322.04 (W)
Doug Kalitta Makes Strides with Applied Imaging at Norwalk Nationals
In one of the closest races of the first round of the NHRA Norwalk Nationals Doug Kalitta and his Applied Imaging Top Fuel dragster came up one car length short of advancing to the quarterfinals. After two tough days of qualifying the team made their best pass of the weekend in the opening round of eliminations. The 2015 Top Fuel winner was looking to win the Norwalk Nationals for the second time at “America’s Racetrack,” Summit Motorsports Park.On Saturday the team made two qualifying passes and rolled into race day as the No. 11 qualifier. The Applied Imaging team worked overnight on improving their performance for race day. Their efforts were rewarded with a much improved 3.855 second run at 312.35 mph.
In spite of Kalitta’s improved performance Antron Brown also stepped up and got the win. Kalitta’s race car dropped a cylinder as it was passing half-track robbing the Applied Imaging Top Fuel dragster of critical horsepower.
“We were excited to be representing Applied Imaging again at the Norwalk Nationals,” said Kalitta. “Today just didn’t go our day and really we battled through two days of qualifying as well. I have a lot of confidence in this team and we will get it figured out. There are races coming up where we have won a lot of races and we will get back to our winning ways, I know it.”
Kalitta will head into the break leading up to the historic Western Swing solidly in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten. The perennial championship contender will return to his traditional red and white Mac Tools Top Fuel dragster for the remainder of the regular season.
Statistics:
Qualified: No. 11 (3.864 sec., 287.41 mph)
Bonus points: 0
Race Details:
First Round
Driver Qual R/T ET MPH
Doug Kalitta 11 .083 3.855 312.35
Antron Brown 6 .065 3.767 328.14 (W)
Langdon and SealMaster Top Fuel Battle Norwalk Nationals
A tough weekend of qualifying at the NHRA Norwalk Nationals continued on race day for Shawn Langdon and the SealMaster Top Fuel dragster. On Thursday Langdon displayed his race car for SealMaster and ThorSports employees in Sandusky, Ohio, in advance of this weekend’s race. The team rolled into Friday looking to post solid qualifying numbers and grab another NHRA Norwalk Nationals victory.
In 2016 Langdon took the win at the Norwalk Nationals but this weekend after three sessions he made the field as the No. 16 qualifier. He was slotted to run against the point leader and No. 1 qualifier Steve Torrence as the first round unfolded for the 2013 Top Fuel world champion.
Langdon was aggressive off the starting line with an amazing .024 reaction time to get his dragster out in front but his lead was short lived as his dragster lost traction almost immediately in the left lane. Torrence moved around him and Langdon attempted to pedal his race car to start tracking down his opponent. There was too much lost momentum for the Gatornationals runner-up and his weekend at the Norwalk Nationals came to a close.
“This was a tough weekend and there isn’t much more to say,” summed up Langdon. “I am glad we were able to represent SealMaster before the race for all their employees and we also hosted a lot of sponsors in our hospitality this weekend. We are going to take the time between races to figure out this DHL Top Fuel dragster. No one over here is giving up and there are a lot more rounds to win.”
The DHL Top Fuel team will return for the Western Swing sitting fifth in points with the historic Western Swing looming in two weeks.
Statistics:
Qualified: No. 16 (4.101 sec., 227.08 mph)
Bonus points: 0
Race Details:
First Round
Driver Qual R/T ET MPH
Shawn Langdon 16 .024 9.536 77.66
Steve Torrence 1 .063 3.915 305.98 (W)
Unofficial NHRA Camping World Championship Standings:
Top Fuel1 Steve Torrence 733
2 Antron Brown 518
3 Billy Torrence 448
4 Brittany Force 442
5 Shawn Langdon 385
6 Justin Ashley 337
7 Doug Kalitta 332
8 Leah Pruett 320
9 Mike Salinas 318
10 Josh Hart 310
Funny Car
1 Bob Tasca III 590
2 John Force 537
3 J.R. Todd 502
4 Robert Hight 485
5 Ron Capps 453
6 Matt Hagan 434
7 Cruz Pedregon 417
8 Alexis DeJoria 399
9 Tim Wilkerson 397
10 Terry Haddock 252
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.
