Post-Race Report
Event 13: NHRA U.S. Nationals
Indianapolis Raceway Park
Indianapolis, IN
September 5, 2021
J.R. Todd Wraps Up Regular Season with U.S. Nationals Quarterfinal Finish
Looking for his third NHRA U.S. Nationals Funny Car title J.R. Todd and the DHL Toyota Camry Funny Car came into Indianapolis Raceway Park with confidence and determination. The team took one qualifying run on Friday before the second and third sessions were washed away by and extended rainstorm on Saturday. His lone run added up to a 3.905 second, 326.63 mph run which was the fifth quickest of the class and paired him with veteran Jim Campbell in the first round.
In a wild race that harkened back to a round win in Sonoma and this year’s final round win at the Gatornationals Todd stole a win light after his DHL Toyota Funny Car overpowered the racetrack. At the hit of the throttle Todd leapt off the starting line first but he immediately had his hands full settling his tire smoking Funny Car down. Campbell, in the lane beside him, sped down his lane but Todd regained control and began tracking him down as he ran into his own issues and lost power just past half-track. Todd flew past Campbell at the finish line for another round win at Indianapolis.
In the quarterfinals Todd matched up with two-time Funny Car champion and No. 4 qualifier Cruz Pedegron. The Funny Cars each executed their burn outs and as Todd was attempting to stage he had to man-handle his Funny Car into the beams. He grabbed a tremendous starting line advantage with a .059 reaction time and he was charging towards the finish line. Unfortunately, he drove into tire smoke and that opened the door for Pedregon to drive around just before the finish line.
“Definitely not the day we wanted here at Indy,” said Todd. “It’s the biggest race of the year and you’ve got high hopes. We have run really well here in the past, but all in all, it could have been worse. From here on out, it’s all about winning races. We’ve got seven races to go out there and run as hard as we can and get as many round wins as we can. We’re in the hunt and our DHL Toyota and this Kalitta Motorsports team is capable of winning a championship. That’s our goal.”
Todd will enter the 2021 NHRA Countdown as the No. 4 Funny Car. He will have 2,060 points and will be 40 points out of the lead. The next event in Reading, Pennsylvania will be the first of seven play-off races.
Statistics:
Qualified: No. 5 (3.905 sec, 326.63 mph)
Bonus points: 0
Race Details:
First Round
Driver Qual R/T ET MPH
J.R. Todd 5 .064 6.401 292.58 (W)
Jim Campbell 12 .112 8.388 74.06
Second Round
Driver Qual R/T ET MPH
J.R. Todd 5 .059 4.328 224.36
Cruz Pedregon 4 .132 3.920 324.20 (W)
Kalitta and Mac Tools Race to Quarterfinals at NHRA U.S. Nationals
In the first round Kalitta faced third-generation upstart Krista Baldwin and her Golden Greek tribute Top Fuel dragster. The veteran took a starting line advantage and never trailed in the race. His winning time of 3.794 seconds at 319.75 mph was just a tick off his qualifying time and gave his Mac Tools team valuable information as they headed to the quarterfinals.
In the second round Kalitta drew No. 6 qualifier Billy Torrence. In 2019 Kalitta defeated Torrence in the final round for his U.S. Nationals win. Today, in an awesome display of driving skill and tire smoke Kalitta almost took another victory over Torrence. Kalitta got a starting line advantage by virtue of his .065 reaction time and his Mac Tools dragster lost traction as it cleared the Christmas Tree. Kalitta lifted off the throttle just as Torrence was also having traction issues. Both drivers were on and off the throttle and shuffled the lead as they moved towards the finish line. Torrence was able to edge Kalitta for the win and Kalitta will head into the Countdown as the No. 10 Top Fuel team.
“We wanted to get another win at the U.S. Nationals and we felt good about our chances,” said Kalitta. “We tested after Brainerd and felt good coming into the race. It was tough losing the runs yesterday. We made a good first round run and that second round was just a tough situation. I was really working the throttle in the car for sure. We will look at these playoff races as our chance to finish strong.”
Statistics:
Qualified: No. 3 (3.751 sec, 317.05 mph)
Bonus points: +2 (3rd quickest of Q1)
Race Details:
First Round
Driver Qual R/T ET MPH
Doug Kalitta 3 .108 3.794 319.75 (W)
Krista Baldwin 14 .125 8.768 90.36
Second Round
Driver Qual R/T ET MPH
Doug Kalitta 3 .065 6.840 168.18
Billy Torrence 6 .083 6.641 217.70 (W)
Bounty Hunter Tribute Dragster Huge Hit at U.S. Nationals for Langdon and DHL Team
Shawn Langdon traded in his familiar yellow and red DHL Top Fuel dragster for a retro look Connie Kalitta Bounty Hunter Top Fuel dragster. The design celebrated the first car to break 200 mph at an NHRA national event while qualifying at Indianapolis Raceway Park in 1964 and the first major win of Connie’s career, the 1964 Smokers Fuel & Gas Championship in Bakersfield, California when he defeated Don Garlits in the final. Langdon and his team unveiled the race car on Friday before the first qualifying run. In that session Langdon used all his driving skill to pedal the race car down the track and into the top 16. It was a critical effort considering the second day of qualifying was lost to rain. Langdon’s time of 4.553 seconds at 188.86 mph was enough to give the three-time U.S. Nationals champion and defending Top Fuel event winner a spot in the show on Sunday.
By virtue of being the No. 16 qualifier Langdon drew No. 1 qualifier Brittany Force. When the tree flashed amber Langdon grabbed a huge starting line advantage with a nearly perfect .029 reaction time versus Force’s .070. It was not enough to hold onto the lead as Force made a smooth run and Langdon’s racecar lost traction early and ended his plans for becoming the first back-to-back Top Fuel champion at Indy in over a decade.
“I knew we needed to have everything go our way in the first round,” said Langdon. “I love racing this Bounty Hunter dragster and I definitely wanted to go more rounds today. We are in the Countdown and we have seven races to get this Camping World NHRA Top Fuel championship.”
Next week Langdon will be back in the DHL Top Fuel dragster for the Reading Nationals. He will enter the Countdown as the No.5 Top Fuel dragster.
Statistics:
Qualified: No. 16 (4.553 sec, 188.86 mph)
Bonus points: 0
Race Details:
First Round
Driver Qual R/T ET MPH
Shawn Langdon 16 .029 10.623 82.33
Brittany Force 1 .070 3.702 332.34 (W)
Unofficial NHRA Camping World Championship Standings:
Top Fuel
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