Three Toyotas Advance To Second Round At NHRA Lucas Oil Summernationals
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – Doug Kalitta and Antron Brown each advanced to the second round in Top Fuel, while J.R. Todd did the same in 
Funny Car to lead Toyota in the NHRA Mello Drag Racing Series’ Lucas Oil Summernationals at Lucas Oil Raceway, Sunday. The event’s final round was postponed due to rain and will be run at the U.S. Nationals on Labor Day weekend.
Before the rain set in, upsets ruled the day in Top Fuel, as three drivers seeded eighth and above advanced to the semifinals. Despite the early exit, Kalitta remains on top of the Top Fuel point standings with a 95-point advantage over second place. Brown is currently sixth.
After qualifying in the top five on Saturday, both Shawn Langdon and Tony Schumacher were upset in the opening round.
In Funny Car, Todd began the day seeded fifth and defeated Jim Campbell before losing to Matt Hagan in round two. Alexis DeJoria and Alex Miladinovich each were defeated in their opening runs of the day.
The Mello Yello Drag Racing Series is scheduled to return to Lucas Oil Raceway for the NHRA Indy Nationals, Aug 8-9.
Toyota Driver Results – NHRA Lucas Oil Summernationals Eliminations Round-by-Round
Top Fuel
Qual./Fin.
Rd. 1 Results
Rd. 2 Results
Doug Kalitta
6/Rd. 2
W – Foley, 3.808-3.968
L – Ashley, 3.811-3.830
Antron Brown
4/Rd. 2
W – Dakin, 3.851-3.880
L – McMillen, 3.796-3.927
Shawn Langdon
3/Rd 1
L – Ashley, 3.829-3.841
—
Tony Schumacher
5/Rd. 1
L – McMillen, 3.765-4.441
—
Funny Car
Qual./Fin.
Rd. 1 Results
Rd. 2 Results
J.R. Todd
5/Rd. 2
W – Campbell, 4.030-5.325
L – Hagan, 3.949-4.028
Alexis DeJoria
9/Rd. 1
L – Lee, 3.997-4.381
—
Alex Miladinovich
16/Rd. 1
L – Tasca, 4.019-6.286
—
Notes:
– Despite having his streak of three consecutive final rounds snapped, Doug Kalitta continues to hold down the Top Fuel point lead with a 95-point advantage over second place Leah Pruett.
Quotes:
Doug Kalitta, Osborne Toyota Top Fuel dragster: “That was just racing. A second-round loss – that’s one of those deals that you just hope doesn’t happen. We had a pretty strong run in going from A to B. We were right there. Overall, it was good having Osborne on the car with us this weekend. I love running this place. We’ll just keep our heads down and move on to the next one.
Antron Brown, Matco Tools/Global Electronic Toyota Top Fuel dragster: “Race day didn’t go the way we wanted to, that’s for sure. After talking to Brian (Corradi) and Mark (Oswald), the track got tighter, better with the cloud cover and we just nuked the clutch out of it. That being said, we’re going to get ready and we’re in a good spot in the points. We have to progress and take it one race at a time. We’re now running four races here in Indy, two of them are done. There’s plenty left on this 2020 schedule. We didn’t lose any ground to Doug (Kalitta), the points leader, and the main goal is to get better each race. We’re doing that. We’re making some great strides. We qualified well with both cars. What doesn’t break you makes you stronger and we’re ready to get another crack at this track in three weeks, hopefully with our and Tony’s car. We’ll be ready.”
J.R. Todd, DHL Toyota Camry Funny Car: “These guys going to the later rounds like Hagan are throwing out big numbers and it shows that the track is capable of holding it. We just need to figure out how to run with those guys. We’re showing consistency, but we just need that little more to win these rounds and gain some points. The biggest thing is we’re not gaining on the guys in front of us. The DHL Toyota guys have come a long way in these two races. Hopefully, when we come back here for the third race, we will be in contention to win.”
Tony Schumacher, Global Electronic Technology Toyota Top Fuel dragster: “It’s been a fantastic couple of weeks. I’ve really enjoyed racing and being back at the track. We really should have taken the right lane, but hindsight is 20/20 and you have to give credit to Terry (McMillen). They made a phenomenal run with low E.T. of the weekend. When you run against our DSR cars that’s what you do. We’ve seen that in the past. I had a great time representing Global Electronic Technology. It’s a great company and Steve and Samantha Bryson gave me an amazing opportunity that I’m very thankful for. Also, Mark Weiler and the Rydin Decal folks, and it was great to meet and work with everyone at Toyota. That entire group is fantastic. We all worked very well together, and I would love to be back out here again soon.”
