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Toyota NHRA Charlotte Four-Wide Nationals Preview

TODD LOOKS FOR FOUR-WIDE SWEEP– After winning earlier this month in Las Vegas, J.R. Todd will look to complete the sweep this weekend and become the first driver in history to win two four-wide events in one season in his DHL Toyota Camry Funny Car. Todd will arrive in Charlotte on a two-race winning streak after triumphing at Houston last weekend. Since winning his first Funny Car race last July at the Toyota Sonoma Nationals, no driver in the series has won more than Todd, who now has earned victories in four of the last 15 NHRA events heading into this weekend’s action at zMAX Dragway.

BROWN EYES CHARLOTTE WIN #6 –Antron Brown enters this weekend’s action as the most successful Top Fuel driver in Charlotte history. He will be looking to secure his sixth career victory at the track and his third in the Four-Wide after previously triumphing in 2014 and 2015. With a victory, Brown also would become just the fourth driver in NHRA history to win 50 Top Fuel events along with Tony Schumacher, Larry Dixon and Joe Amato.


KALITTA LOOKS TO COMPLETE GRAND SLAM – No team has won more races through the season’s first five events than Kalitta Motorsports, which has seen three of its four drivers combine for four victories in 2018. J.R. Todd has won the two most recent Funny Car events at Las Vegas and Houston, while Doug Kalitta (Pomona) and Richie Crampton (Gainesville) have each won in Top Fuel. Shawn Langdon, who made the move from Top Fuel to Funny Cars this season, is looking to complete the Kalitta “Grand Slam” this weekend in Charlotte. Langdon has already reached two semi-finals in his first season behind the wheel of the Global Electronic Technology Camry.

TOYOTA SUCCESS IN CHARLOTTE – Four of the six Toyota-sponsored drivers competing this weekend have previously won at Charlotte in either Top Fuel or Funny Cars. Antron Brown leads the way with five wins at zMax Dragway, including a pair of Four-Wide triumphs. Doug Kalitta is the most recent Top Fuel winner in Charlotte after having defeated teammate Richie Crampton in the final round last September. Both Shawn Langdon (TF-2012) and Cruz Pedregon (FC-2010) have each been victorious in the fall.

Talking Charlotte:

Antron Brown, Matco Tools/U.S. Army Toyota Dragster:“Charlotte has always been a real special place for us. We just love going there. It’s one of those big arena-type tracks. It’s the biggest racetrack on the tour. It’s just a terrific place to race – the Taj Mahal of racetracks.  When you go there, you want to show out. Our Matco Tools/U.S. Army/Toyota team knows how much that track means and what a big event the Four-Wide is. Running two four-wide races within a month is just going to make it even more competitive.  Everyone is going to be more comfortable having run more four-wide rounds and be able elevate their game. The main thing is just making it to the finals. Once you get to the finals, it’s anybody’s game. We were close in Las Vegas, we just had a couple of mishaps and now we need to capitalize on it in Charlotte.”

J.R. Todd, DHL Toyota Camry Funny Car:“Charlotte is a track where I’ve had a lot of success, but just haven’t won. I’ve been the number one qualifier there and have been to some final rounds. We went to the final quad in last year’s Four-Wide there. So we’ll have some good notes to go off of. It would be pretty awesome to come out there with another four-wide win and be the only driver to have two in one year under your belt. Having run a four-wide race earlier this month, it will be fresh in everyone’s memory. Knowing the different drivers’ characteristics on the starting line will be a positive. Charlotte may be the nicest facility we race at all year long. Bruton Smith and his staff do everything first class. Vegas was a packed house with consecutive sell-outs on back-to-back days and, hopefully, we can do that again in Charlotte.

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