Kalitta Motorsports
J.R. Todd and the DHL Funny Car Race to Semi-Final Finish
DENVER – Qualifying: J.R. Todd was the No. 7 qualifier at the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals. Todd reached the finish 
line in 3.998 seconds at 323.04 mph during the final qualifying session Saturday evening.
Eliminations: Todd raced to his third semifinal in the last four races. He defeated Tim Wilkerson and John Force before losing to Alexis Dejoria in the semifinals. Todd was ahead most of the race until the DHL Toyota encountered mechanical problems allowing Dejoria to advance.
Unofficial Point Standings: Todd leaves Denver in ninth place in the NHRA Funny Car point standings. He trails 8th-place John Force by 60 points and leads 10th place Cruz Pedregon by 26 points.
Todd on Denver: “Three semifinals in four races – that’s good momentum; the DHL Toyota GR Supra ran really well today. It’s just unfortunate that it dropped a cylinder in the semifinal. It spun the tires, then the boost rev deal went off and shut the car off, and when it did that, it put the chutes out so we were a sitting duck at that point. It’s a really unfortunate way to lose when we had the better car that could have contended for the win in the final round. We’ll put it behind us and go on to Seattle.
Kalitta and Mac Tools Top Fuel Dragster Race t Fist Final Round of the Year
DENVER – Qualifying: Doug Kalitta was the No. 2 qualifier at the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals. Kalitta’s best qualifying 
attempt came in the final round of qualifying Saturday evening when the Mac Tools Toyota team made a 3.779-second pass at 322.42 mph.
Eliminations: Kalitta raced to his first final round of the season. He defeated Terry Totten, Josh Hart and Steve Torrence before losing to Clay Millican in the final round. The Mac Tools Toyota team made seven eight runs in Denver, and seven of the eight elapsed times were all within .11 seconds.
Unofficial Point Standings: Kalitta leaves Denver in 8th place in the NHRA Top Fuel point standings. He trails seventh-place Mike Salinas by 13 points and leads ninth-place Josh Hart by eight points.
DOUG KALITTA SET FOR FINAL RACE AT “KALITTA-FRIENDLY” BANDIMERE SPEEDWAY
YPSILANTI, MI – Bandimere Speedway has been good to the Kalitta family over the years, and while he joins most in being sad about this 
weekend’s race being its last, Doug Kalitta would love nothing more than to take the last Top Fuel win light and get that elusive 50th race win this weekend. The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series resumes this weekend with the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals in Morrison, Colo., July 14-16, 2023.
Kalitta has one win in six final rounds at Bandimere Speedway, but that’s only part of Team Kalitta’s rich history at the suburban Denver race track perched some 5,800 feet above sea level. Team owner Connie Kalitta won there, and the late Scott Kalitta won three times. Throw in countless additional runner-up finishes, and the picture of decades-long Kalitta success at Bandimere comes into focus.
“We’ve had incredible luck there over the years,” Kalitta said. “Connie and Scott both won there multiple times. It was always a place that felt like Topeka where my cousin (Scott) always ran so well so we’ve always looked forward to racing at Bandimere Speedway. Obviously, it’s a beautiful area. It’s shame to see it get shut down. They must have gotten an offer that was too good to refuse, and I can appreciate that in business when opportunities present themselves. I imagine they want to keep the family operation going so maybe they’ll be able to find a new location for the next generation to take over.
J.R. TODD ENTERS FINAL DENVER RACE FOLLOWING TWO SEMIFINALS IN LAST THREE RACES
YPSILANTI, MI – It has been an “interesting” season for DHL Toyota Funny Car driver J.R. Todd. Plenty of highs and lows, but with 
semifinal appearances in two of the last three races, it appears Todd and team are moving in the right direction and perhaps headed to a winner’s circle in the near future. The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series resumes this weekend with the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals in Morrison, Colo., July 14-16, 2023.
Why not Denver? It’s where Todd earned his first professional win in 2006, and he won again there in 2014 although both in Top Fuel. Todd reached the semifinals at the delayed New Hampshire eliminations and then again at the last race in Norwalk, Ohio where the Indiana native knocked off John Force and Ron Capps before losing a tight race to Matt Hagan in the semifinals.
“I’m hoping we can carry that momentum from the semifinals at New Hampshire and Norwalk to a win soon, and it would be nice to get one on the Western Swing at Bandimere Speedway since it’s the last race there,” Todd said. “It’s definitely a track where I’ve always enjoyed going – it’s the most scenic place we race on the tour, and the Bandimere family does such a great job with our races. I really hate to see it go, but with it being the last time there, it would be a really good one to win especially since it’s also the site of my first professional win.”
SHAWN LANGDON FLIES SEALMASTER COLORS AT FINAL BANDIMERE SPEEDWAY RACE
YPSILANTI, MI – Past NHRA Top Fuel champion Shawn Langdon knows a thing or two about running well at Bandimere Speedway near 
Denver where the elevation is 5,800 feet above sea level. One year ago, he went to the final round, but this race track holds a more significant part of the California native’s history, too. The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series resumes this weekend with the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals in Morrison, Colo., July 14-16, 2023.
Way back in 1997, Langdon won the 1997 NHRA Junior Dragster championship at Bandimere Speedway where he first met J.R. Todd who was competing in the same event. It was his first NHRA national championship, and he would go on to add national titles in Super Comp in 2007 and ‘08 and Top Fuel in 2013. Last year, the team reached the Denver final round, and this year, with SealMaster on the side of the Team Kalitta Toyota entry, Langdon hopes the team can break out of its slump and turn on Bandimere’s final Top Fuel win light.
“You always hate to lose a race track, and Bandimere Speedway is one of my favorite tracks on tour,” Langdon said. “I really enjoy going there. It’s just a really cool atmosphere, and the Bandimere family does a great job promoting our races. More than losing a track, we’re losing a family atmosphere at the race track and great promotors. I think the Bandimere and Bader families probably do a better job promoting the teams and the drivers than anyone else. Losing them is unfortunate, but hopefully it’s only temporary, and they start a new race track in the future.
FES LIGHTING JOINS KALITTA MOTORSPORTS CORPORATE PARTNER FAMILY AS PRIMARY AND ASSOCIATE PARTNER
YPSILANTI, MI – In its first sports marketing effort of any kind, Future Energy Solutions (FES) Lighting, a national “lighting-as-a-service” 
provider is joining the Kalitta Motorsports corporate partner family as a primary partner on Shawn Langdon’s Top Fuel dragster. The 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series resumes July 14-16, 2023 at the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mike-High Nationals near Denver.
Through this recently-executed agreement, FES will be the primary partner on Langdon’s car at the NHRA Nevada Nationals set for The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Oct. 26-29, 2023. In addition, starting with this weekend’s Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mike-High Nationals, FES will be an associate partner on both Langdon’s and Doug Kalitta’s Top Fuel cars and will have associate branding on all Team Kalitta support vehicles.
Kalitta Air is currently undergoing a complete lighting upgrade at more than 30 buildings that comprise its facilities in Oscoda and Ypsilanti, Mich., and Kalitta Motorsports will follow. This approximately nine-month process will provide Kalitta Air and Kalitta Motorsports with not only state-of-the-art LED lighting but also significant savings.
“We are thrilled that Kalitta have seen the value that FES can offer through our service, from energy and maintenance savings, reducing their carbon footprint, achieving an operational environment enhancement and obtaining energy and tax credits, all through the turnkey FES partnership,” FES Chief Operating Officer Marcus Brodin said. “Not only will Kalitta see substantial financial and non-financial benefits from the day after the upgrade completes, they can achieve this utilizing FES’ zero upfront cost LaaS model.”
Shawn Langdon, Kalitta Air Bounty Hunter Top Fuel Dragster
Norwalk, OH – Qualifying: Shawn Langdon was the No. 14 qualifier at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals. His best run came in 
the final qualifying session Saturday afternoon with a 3.777-second pass at 326.56 mph. Qualifying was shortened to three sessions due to Friday’s persistent rain showers.
Eliminations: Langdon raced Brittany Force in the first round. The 2013 Top Fuel champ was in a great drag race until the Kalitta Air dragster experienced mechanical difficulties allowing Force to pull away and win the race.
Unofficial Point Standings: Langdon leaves Norwalk in 10th place in the NHRA Top Fuel point standings. He trails his teammate, ninth-place Doug Kalitta, by 44 points and leads 11th-place Tony Schumacher by nine points.
Langdon on Norwalk: “Our Kalitta Air Bounty Hunter Toyota team made some good runs in Qualifying, but unfortunately, we didn’t keep that going in eliminations,” Langdon said. “It’s really unfortunate because I know how hard everybody is working, and we all really want to get some results to show for the effort. It’s just not happening right now. All we can do is keep working on it and keep trying to get better. We have two off weeks before we go on the western swing so hopefully, that extra time will be positive.”
Doug Kalitta, Applied Innovation Top Fuel Dragster
Norwalk, OH – Qualifying: Doug Kalitta was the No. 4 qualifier at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals. Kalitta’s best effort came 
in Saturday’s first qualifying session when he posted a 3.707-second run at 330.07 mph. It was seven thousandths of a second off his Friday-night elapsed time of 3.700 seconds. Qualifying was shortened to three sessions due to Friday’s persistent rain showers.
Kalitta raced in his second Mission Foods#2Fast2Tasty Challenge of the season which paired the semifinalists from the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals two weeks ago. Kalitta defeated Antron Brown in the semifinal rematch but lost to Justin Ashley in the special-event final.
Eliminations: Kalitta raced Canadian driver Dan Mercier in the first round. The tires on the Applied Innovation dragster lost traction immediately, and Mercier got the win with a 3.892-second run,
Unofficial Point Standings: Kalitta leaves Norwalk in ninth place in the NHRA Top Fuel point standings. He trails 8th-place Josh Hart by 45 points and leads his teammate, Shawn Langdon, by nine points.
J.R. Todd, DHL Toyota Funny Car
Norwalk, OH – Qualifying: J.R. Todd was the No. 7 qualifier at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals. His quickest qualifying 
attempt came during the first session Saturday afternoon when the DHL driver reached the finish line in 3.918 seconds at 333.07 mph. Qualifying was shortened to three sessions due to Friday’s persistent rain showers.
Eliminations: Todd advanced to his second semifinal in the last three races. He defeated John Force and Ron Capps before losing to Matt Hagan by five thousandths of a second in the semifinals putting the DHL GR Supra team on the wrong end of a great drag race.
Unofficial Point Standings: Todd moves up one spot to ninth place in the NHRA Funny Car point standings. He trails eighth-place John Force by 65 points and leads 10th-place Cruz Pedregon by four points.
LANGDON, KALITTA AIR BOUNTY HUNTER TEAM HUNT PROGRESS AT NORWALK
YPSILANTI, MI – Veteran Top Fuel driver Shawn Langdon knows how it feels to run well like he did when he won at Norwalk in 2016, and 
he also knows how it feels when things aren’t going as planned. Unfortunately for the Kalitta Air Bounty Hunter team, the latter is teh prevalent trend at the moment, but it’s a trend that could change directions at any time. The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series resumes this weekend at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals June 23-25, 2023 in Norwalk, Ohio.
Despite the team’s constant, resilient effort, progress is not coming easily, but a bounty hunter only eats what it kills. This team will continue hunting its prey regardless of its current trend.
“It’s been a few races now that we’ve been out in the first round,” the Kalitta Air driver said. “We have a really good group of guys and a great team – we’re just kind of in a rut right now. We have to keep working at it. It’s the highs and lows of drag racing. Sometimes you’re on top, sometimes you’re not. We just have to keep working at it, and eventually, we’ll get the car back. We’ll keep at it until we get there.”
