Reading, PA – J.R. Todd and the DHL Toyota GR Supra team rolled into Maple Grove Raceway on Sunday looking to pick up their second Funny Car national event win at the picturesque track located in the hills of Pennsylvania. In 2018 Todd won this national event on the way to his first Funny Car world championship. After three qualifying runs that saw Todd post one of the quickest runs of the second session Todd, a 10-time national event winner, entered race day as the No. 6 qualifier with lane choice over driver Chad Green.

The pair of 11,000-horspower nitro Funny Cars were the first pair to hit the track for one of the toughest categories in the NHRA. Both cars left side-by-side but Todd quickly got the nose of his DHL Toyota Funny Car out front and kept his race car in the middle of the groove for a winning round. Todd’s scoreboard lit up 3.914 seconds at 330.72 mph beside Green’s 3.932 second pass at 324.59 mph. The margin of victory for Todd was approximately seven feet at the finish line and the run was a near mirror image to his quickest pass in qualifying.

In the quarterfinals Todd matched up with John Force who was making his 800th career start. The wily veteran rolled his Funny Car well into the staging beams as Todd positioned his DHL Toyota GR Supra to take off and when the tree flashed both Funny Cars flew off the starting line. They were side-by-side the entire length of the track but at the finish line Force lit the win light getting the finish line five feet in front of Todd who posted a 3.972 second pass at 327.95 mph in a losing effort.

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Reading PA – Doug Kalitta and the CMR Construction and Roofing Toyota Top Fuel dragster raced to the quarterfinals at Maple Grove Raceway from the No. 7 qualifier spot. After two days of solid runs in preparation for race day Kalitta was confident in his team’s potential heading into the first race of the Countdown. During the opening ceremonies all the Countdown competitors were recognized and celebrated by the near capacity crowd for the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals.

In the opening round facing a Countdown contending opponent Kalitta was at the top of his game grabbing a starting line advantage with a reaction time lead of .071 to .080 seconds and his CMR dragster never trailed in the drag race. He made his quickest run of the weekend a 3.720 second blast at 329.58 mph. The win moved Kalitta into the quarterfinals for the ninth time this season.

“That first round win was a big one for this CMR team,” said Kalitta, a 49-time Top Fuel national event winner. “You can’t afford first round losses in the playoffs with only six races on the line. I have a great team behind me and we want to build on the semifinal success we had at the U.S. Nationals. There is a chance to build momentum in the Countdown during these first three races.”

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Reading, PA – Doug Kalitta will open the first 2022 NHRA Countdown race at Maple Grove Raceway this weekend wheeling a new look CMR Construction and Roofing Top Fuel dragster and looking to make a move up the recalibrated point standings in pursuit of his first Top Fuel world championship. Kalitta sits ninth, just 90 points off the lead. The 2019 Reading Nationals runner-up and 2022 winner knows that a strong start in the first of six playoff races will position his CMR team in great shape as the playoffs unfold with three races in a row. The quick and fast track at Maple Grove Raceway should give the perennial championship contender a great opportunity to pick up qualifying bonus points Friday and Saturday and round wins on Sunday.

Two weeks ago, Kalitta raced to the semifinals at the biggest drag race of the season, the historic U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. The momentum from that strong finish has the 49-time Top Fuel winner looking for even more success this weekend. His crew chief tandem of Alan Johnson and Brian Husen have been working all season for a strong run in the playoffs.

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Reading, PA – This weekend at Maple Grove Raceway J.R. Todd and the DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car team will be looking to repeat history as they begin their campaign for a second Camping World NHRA Funny Car world championship. In 2018 Todd won the Reading Nationals on the way to his first Funny Car championship and the veteran driver who has 10 career Funny Car national event wins would like to duplicate that performance this weekend. This season Todd has most recently raced to a runner-up finish in Seattle and two quarterfinal finishes over the past four races.

“This is the time of the season when every run counts,” said Todd. “I won the race in 2018 on my way to the championship and we would love to start off the Countdown with a win. We have some ground to make up, but this DHL Toyota team is up to the challenge.”

Todd is one of just three drivers in the long history of Maple Grove Raceway to have collected a Top Fuel and Funny Car national event win. Todd joins Hall of Famers Kenny Bernstein and Gary Scelzi on that short and illustrious list. Through his career which started in junior dragster Todd has been a successful driver with exceptional driving skills. He is one of the quickest drivers off the starting line and in the Countdown reaction times will come into play as the pressure ramps up with every race.

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Reading, PA – Shawn Langdon and the DHL Toyota Top Fuel team have been making positive strides throughout the back half of the 2022 NHRA regular season to position themselves for a strong run in the Countdown. With just six races left in the season the 2013 Top Fuel world champion is eager to grab his second championship starting with a strong event at Maple Grove Raceway. Langdon secured two runner-ups, a semifinal and three quarterfinal finishes over the final eight races of the regular season. His race day performances have highlighted his skill behind the wheel and on the starting line as he has won several rounds on Sunday as the lower seeded car. Recognized as one of the best drivers off the starting line Langdon will have the advantage of experience and confidence during the Countdown.

“The season has come down to six races now,” said Langdon. “We start with three races in a row and if you can get off to a good start then anything can happen. You want to be in contention going into the last race of the season and we have a team that can make a run for the championship.”

Langdon’s crew chief line-up of drag racing legend Connie Kalitta, Kurt Elliott and Jason McCulloch is one of the toughest and smartest collections of talent in the sport. Throughout the season they have given Langdon a race car that is quick and fast and the veteran driver, who also excels in the sportsman ranks, that can win races. Langdon won the Reading Nationals in 2013 on the way to his first Top Fuel world championship.

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YPSILANTI, MI – Top Fuel championship contender Doug Kalitta will start the 2022 NHRA Countdown racing an 11,000-horsepower blue and white CMR Construction and Roofing Top Fuel dragster at historic Maple Grove Raceway. The 49-time national event winner will be looking for his second national event win at the picturesque racetrack nestled in the hills surrounding Reading, Pennsylvania. The six-race battle for the NHRA Top Fuel championship will be underway this Friday with Kalitta along with Top Fuel teammate Shawn Langdon and Funny Car teammate J.R. Todd looking to capture another world championship for Kalitta Motorsports.

“This is a big weekend for our team getting the playoffs started and running this CMR Construction and Roofing Top Fuel dragster,” said Kalitta. “CMR has been a great sponsor and we love the opportunity to highlight their company especially on a FOX race. They have done work on a couple of our buildings including our shop in Ypsilanti and they also do a lot of charity work across the country. We are looking forward to getting the Countdown started with a strong race in Maple Grove.”

This season Kalitta has been building momentum with the new crew chief tandem of Alan Johnson and Brian Husen calling the shots and this weekend’s race should be a great opportunity for the CMR Top Fuel dragster to continue that positive trajectory. A semifinal finish in Sonoma combined with strong qualifying efforts throughout the season have Kalitta poised to make a move in the playoffs. Earlier this year he qualified No. 1 at the NHRA Arizona Nationals and most recently in five of the last six races he has qualified in the top half of the field.

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Indianapolis, IN – The 68th U.S. Nationals was Shawn Langdon’s chance to pick up his second Top Fuel win at the most prestigious drag race in the country and his third overall at the NHRA’s oldest national event. Langdon was racing the DHL Toyota dragster looking to improve his points position at the final regular season race of the season before the NHRA’s six-race Countdown starts in two weeks at historic Maple Grove Raceway. Through three days of qualifying that saw one of the five scheduled sessions face cancellation because of rain Langdon qualifying No. 15 in the quickest Top Fuel field in NHRA history. Two dozen of the quickest and fastest Top Fuel dragsters from across the country were vying for one of sixteen spots in the Monday race day field.

In the opening round Langdon squared off with Toyota teammate Justin Ashley, the No. 2 qualifier. In an epic race between two of the best drivers off the starting line it was Langdon taking the advantage with his DHL Toyota dragster leaving first with a strong .033 reaction time. His lead was short-lived as Ashley moved around him and crossed the finish line with a winning time of 3.690 seconds over his 3.788 second run. It took the quickest pass of the first round to end Langdon’s day.

“This wasn’t how we wanted our U.S. Nationals to go but we have six races to get after it for the championship,” said Langdon. “There is no quit in this DHL team. I won Reading when I won the championship in 2013 so I have great memories from that track.”

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Indianapolis, IN – J.R. Todd and the DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car were racing for their third win at the NHRA U.S. Nationals and with points and half on the line they were looking to hold off any pursuers as the regular season ended today. Over three days of qualifying Todd’s Supra Funny Car steadily improved and established themselves as a car to beat on race day. In the third and fifth qualifying sessions Todd posted the fourth quickest elapsed time picking up qualifying bonus points and positioning the team in the top half of the qualified field.

Entering the first round as the No. 8 qualifier Todd faced two-time Funny Car world champion Cruz Pedregon. This was the third time the pair had squared off this season with Todd holding a 2-1 edge in the races. It was Todd’s day once again as his Todd Smith and Jon Oberhofer tuned Funny Car blasted down the track with the quickest Funny Car run of the event, a monster 3.856 second pass at 330.88 mph in front of a tire smoking Pedregon. Todd never trailed in the drag race with a .036 to .043 reaction time advantage.

“That was a great run by these DHL yella fellas,” said Todd, at the top end. “Todd and Jon have been working on a run like that for a while. We knew we could put up a good number based on what we had done in qualifying. This is the kind of race car you want for the Countdown.”

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Indianapolis, IN – The Mac Tools Top Fuel dragster and driver Doug Kalitta rolled into the 68th NHRA U.S. Nationals looking to recapture their winning mojo from 2019 when Kalitta won the Top Fuel title for the first time in his illustrious career. This weekend’s race schedule with five qualifying runs over three days and race day today, on Labor Day Monday, mirrored the schedule Kalitta navigated on his way to victory three seasons ago. The team lost one qualifying session to rain on Saturday but entered race day as the No. 12 qualifier with a best elapsed time of 3.741 seconds at 324.44 mph in the quickest Top Fuel field in NHRA history.

The opening round had Kalitta taking on veteran Clay Millican and the 49-time Top Fuel champion came off the starting line with his quickest run of the event a strong 3.713 second pass at 328.06 mph which was enough to get the win over Millican’s 3.727 second pass by approximately four feet at the finish line.

In quarterfinals Kalitta was off the line first and never trailed as both dragsters chewed up their engines in an internal combustion war of attrition. As Kalitta’s Mac Tools Revchem dragster was reeling in the finish line Mike Salinas’ dragster was spitting fire behind him in the neighboring lane. The win moved Kalitta to the semifinals and a race against the No. 1 qualifier.

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Indianapolis, IN – Shawn Langdon started winning the U.S. Nationals, the NHRA’s most prestigious national event, over a decade ago when he captured the Super Gas title in Indianapolis in 2010. Since that hard fought win the 2013 Top Fuel world champion has added two more Top Fuel U.S. Nationals titles to his trophy case winning in 2013 and 2020. The driver who is the only full-time professional to have a junior dragster national championship, a Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series championship and a Camping World Drag Racing Series championship is eager to race for his fourth U.S. Nationals title. This weekend behind the wheel of the DHL Toyota Top Fuel dragster Langdon will be looking to pick up his third Top Fuel win at the biggest race of the year.

“I live here so this is a home race for me which is nice,” said Langdon, who has competed in Top Fuel and Super Comp at select events this season. “Winning the U.S. Nationals is a big deal no matter what class you are competing in. We almost won Super Comp and Top Fuel earlier this season in Bristol and I would love to double up this weekend at the U.S. Nationals.”

At the Thunder Valley Nationals Langdon took the Super Comp national event win and was runner-up in Top Fuel. This weekend the driver who has spent almost every weekend this season behind the wheel of some sort of race car will be competing in two classes as well as managing sponsor commitments.

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