NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

J.R. Todd has been part of the Kalitta Motorsports fold since 2014, and although he can now be found behind the wheel of the DHL Toyota GR Supra, Todd actually got his start with the team in a Top Fuel dragster. Since that time, he's claimed at least one win in all but one season with Team Kalitta, and his 2018 Funny Car victory at Houston Raceway Park placed him in an exclusive group. 

Todd's first Houston win was in Top Fuel in 2007, and he heads back to Baytown for the 33rd annual NHRA SpringNationals as one of just three Pro drivers to have won in more than one category there. Mike Dunn claimed the Houston Top Fuel trophy in 1995 (and 2001) and locked down the Funny Car event win in 1988, and Del Worsham — now crew chief to Todd's Toyota teammate Alexis DeJoria — won Funny Car in 2001 and 2008, as well as the Top Fuel title in 2011.

"That's a pretty cool accomplishment to have," said the driver who has also claimed both Funny Car and Top Fuel wins in Reading, Pomona, and Sonoma. Todd also enters this final national event at Houston Raceway Park with an impressive accolade: the track record for speed, set in 2020 at 333.49 mph. 

"If this ends up being the last race in Houston, you want to be able to say you were the fastest one," he said. "It would be nice to leave with the track record, but more than anything, we want to leave there with a trophy. If this is the last event, that trophy is going to be more special than anything." 

Todd was strong throughout 2021, all the way until the last two races. The driver who hails from Indiana and now calls Florida home battled all the way up to the No. 3 position in the Countdown to the Championship before early exits in Las Vegas and Pomona sent him down to No. 7 for the year.

The disappointing conclusion left Todd eager to start the new season of NHRA's Camping World Drag Racing Series, particularly as he and DeJoria would be the only two drivers armed with the sleek new Toyota GR Supra Funny Cars. So far this season, they've both claimed round-wins, and the race is on to see who will be the first to claim victory. 

"This Toyota GR Supra is definitely different than the body we had in the past, in a good way," said Todd. "For one thing, I can see better, and that makes me more comfortable as a driver. There really hasn't been much of a learning curve on my end, and the crew chiefs are doing a good job of getting everything fine-tuned." 

Todd's biggest concern has nothing to do with the capabilities of the car or his team — like most everyone else in the category, he acknowledges that the challenge is just how competitive Funny Car is right now. 

"The whole class, top to bottom, is tough," said Todd. "You have to be on your game from the time you unload on Friday. [Robert] Hight, [Ron] Capps, and [Matt] Hagan make it look easy, but it's tough to win these things.

"Drag racing can test your patience, but in the back of my mind, I know I have a championship-capable team. You're not going to win every race, but we have the ability to win every race we show up to. If you put in the work and stay focused, you'll be a contender once the Countdown comes around, if not sooner."