Kalitta Motorsports
J.R. Todd and DHL GR Supra Chasing One More Win Light in Virginia
North Dinwiddie, VA – The DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car and J.R. Todd will be heading into the Virginia Nationals looking to improve 
on their 2019 performance. The last time Todd and the DHL Toyota team hit the track at Virginia Motorsports Park they raced to a runner-up finish as the No. 4 qualifier. That day Todd had the Funny Car to beat, but in the final round his Toyota overpowered the track so severely the parachutes deployed and his race car never made it to the finish line.
“We definitely want to get one more win light this weekend in Virginia,” said Todd. “They have a lot to passionate fans there and the last time we raced there we almost got the win. This weekend will be tricky with the weather, but I know these DHL guys will be ready when the time comes.”
Todd and his new look DHL GR Supra Funny Car have been steadily making improved runs as the team get accustomed to the new body design. The entire organization including Todd was involved in the redesign which has the 2018 Funny Car world champion excited about the performance possibilities.
Momentum Building for Langdon and CMR Top Fuel as They Head to Virginia
Concord, NC – Shawn Langdon and the CMR Construction and Roofing Toyota Top Fuel dragster continued to work towards qualifying and 
race day consistency this weekend at the Circle K Four-Wide Nationals. The 2013 Top Fuel world champion took full advantage of all four qualifying runs on Friday and Saturday. When the two sessions wrapped up Langdon was the No. 14 qualifier and set up to race in an opening quad with reigning Top Fuel champion and Toyota teammate Steve Torrence along with Josh Hart and veteran Clay Millican.
All four dragsters staged in the choreographed fashion without issue and the CMR Construction and Roofing Top Fuel dragster rolled into lane one. Langdon was quick off the line but as his 11,000-horsepower race car accelerated his Goodyear slicks began to haze. The 2019 Funny Car four-wide champion could not catch up and cruised across eth finish line with a 4.028 second at 225 mph pass.
“This wasn’t the weekend we were looking for but there are some positives we can take with us to Richmond,” said Langdon. “We are figuring a few things out and I know we are on the right track. This CMR Construction and Roofing dragster will get more chances to get into the winner’s circle later this season.”
Quick Runs and Strong Opening Peformance Power Todd and DHL Toyota in Charlotte
Concord, NC – On the heels of a semifinal finish last week in Houston J.R. Todd took the DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car continued to 
make performance strides this weekend at zMax Dragway. Todd gained valuable information during the four qualifying sessions and entered race day in the top half of the fifteen-car field as the No. 6 qualifier. Todd’s quickest qualifying effort of 3.893 seconds gave the 10-time Funny Car winner confidence that his DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car was moving in the right direction.
Todd took his first win light of the day with a quick win over second place finisher Ron Capps, Chad Green and Dale Creasy Jr. His winning time of 3.892 seconds was his best effort of the weekend.
“We’ve just been struggling for whatever reason and stupid little things happen and some things are out of our control, but nonetheless, don’t worry about the past,” said Todd. “We’re looking into the future. It would be a good day to win here at zMax for Toyota Gazoo Racing North America, DHL, CMR and all of our sponsors that are here this weekend. I was ready and I was third off the line and I thought I wasn’t that late. It’s tough out here right now in Funny Car.”
Kalitta Races Autodesk Top Fuel to Second Round at Four-Wide Nationals
Concord, NC – Racing for his first four-wide nationals event title Doug Kalitta and the Autodesk Toyota Top Fuel dragster were confident 
heading into race day. Over two days of qualifying at the Circle K Four-Wide Nationals Kalitta made consistent and quick runs in all four lanes at zMax Dragway. During the third qualifying session on Saturday Kalitta, a 49-time winner, posted the second quickest time of qualifying and earned two additional bonus points. The run was critical for the team considering it was closest to the race day conditions the team would see on Sunday.
In the opening session racing from lane four in the first quad Kalitta and his Autodesk 11,000-horsepower land rocket launched hard and never trailed once he moved beyond the Christmas Tree. Kalitta posted the quickest elapsed time of the first round for Top Fuel with his winning time of 3.725 seconds at 327.19 mph. Kalitta was followed across the finish line by Mike Salinas, Alex Laughlin and Doug Foley.
In the second round quad the No. 4 qualifier Kalitta was once again in lane four. His Autodesk race car was charging down the track but as it approached half-track it overpowered the track surface losing momentum. The veteran driver was forced to watch as two of his opponents reached the finish line first.
A KID AGAIN GUEST AURORA LUNA WOWED AT FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS
CHARLOTTE – For the second consecutive race this season Kalitta Motorsports hosted a special guest at the races. Today Aurora Luna, an 
11-year-old from Concord, North Carolina, along with her parents, Aly and Tim, and two of her siblings Josh (14), and Mia (8) spent the day with Kaliita Motorsports drivers Doug Kalitta, Shawn Langdon and J.R. Todd. Aurora enjoys watching racing with her dad and her mom has fond memories of Aurora being propped up in her highchair as early as six months old clapping and watching races with her family. Today she was able to sit in Doug Kalitta’s Autodesk Toyota Top Fuel dragster and talk with all the drivers about what it is like to race at speeds over 330 miles per hour.
“Today was so much fun,” said Aurora, who also enjoys makeup, fashion, singing, and dancing. “The drivers were very nice. This was a fun day with my family and I want to thank J.R., Doug and Shawn for making me feel special.”
Through their ongoing partnership with A Kid Again, a nonprofit organization fostering hope, happiness and healing for children facing life-threatening conditions and their families, Kalitta Motorsports will host children and families like Aurora throughout the 2022 NHRA season at select events. At two and half years old, Aurora began having episodes where she would pass out and experience an extremely low heart rate. Over the next several years of visiting multiple doctors and adding new symptoms, one of her doctors suggested a scan to try to pinpoint what was going on. At 6 years old, Aurora was diagnosed with Periventricular Nodular Heterotopia. This is a brain malformation where the neurons have not spread to the gray matter. This causes epilepsy and seizures, both of which Aurora battles with each day.
Langdon Returns to CMR Construction and Roofing Top Fuel Chasing Second Four-Wide Win
Concord, NC – Shawn Langdon will return to the CMR Construction and Roofing Toyota Top Fuel dragster for this weekend’s Circle K NHRA 
Four-Wide Nationals with one goal on his agenda, adding another North Carolina four-wide win to his record. The 2019 Funny Car four-wide winner earned his first career Funny Car title with his first win the fan-favorite format. This weekend he will be looking to build on the momentum of a quarterfinal finish at the NHRA SpringNationals that features a wild first round pedalfest win.
As the No. 10 qualifier Langdon knew he would need to have a total package, quickest reaction time and solid elapsed time, to get the upset win over his opponent. Langdon was up to the task getting a significant jump off the starting line before his Goodyear’s overpowered the track. He was able to pedal his DHL dragster and power down the track for the win with his parachute prematurely blossoming behind him. It was a dramatic round win that advanced his to the quarterfinals.
“That first round win was big for us,” said Langdon. “We just need to build some momentum and get a little bit of luck on our side. I am looking forward to heading to Charlotte for the four-wide nationals. That race you can make a mistake or have something go wrong and still advance. Our goal will be to make four quick runs in qualifying and then get three win lights on Sunday.”
J.R. Todd and DHL GR Supra Ready to Grab Charlotte Four-Wide Win
Concord, NC – The DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car team made significant progress last weekend racing to the semifinal round of the 
NHRA SpringNationals in Houston and driver J.R. Todd is confident he can build on that at the Circle K NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway this weekend. The first win for the brand-new Toyota body style is still up for grabs and Todd would like to get a DHL double winning his first four-wide race in Charlotte and getting the first Supra Funny Car win.
“I would definitely like to get that first win with GR Supra Funny Car body,” said Todd. “To get it winning my first four-wide race in Charlotte would be pretty cool. We have won the four-wide in Las Vegas so I would like to get a win at both of Bruton and Marcus Smith’s race tracks.”
Last year Todd nearly grabbed the title finishing with a runner-up effort as the No. 4 qualifier. The unique format continues to be a challenge for all the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series competitors but Todd enjoys mixing the formats up.
Doug Kalitta and Autodesk Team Up for NHRA Charlotte Four-Wide Nationals
YPSILANTI, MI – This weekend Top Fuel driver Doug Kalitta will trade in his familiar red, white and black Mac Tools dragster for a new look 
Autodesk 11,000 horsepower land rocket during the NHRA Charlotte Four-Wide Nationals. The 49-time Top Fuel national event winner will be leading the charge for Kalitta Motorsports with one of their longtime sponsors Autodesk, a global leader in 3D design, engineering, and entertainment software. As the primary sponsor of Kalitta’s Top Fuel dragster Autodesk will be drawing attention to the over 1,000 parts designed and made in the Kalitta Motorsports CNC, chassis, and fabrication shop using Autodesk solutions.
“The Autodesk software is an integral part of our success at Kalitta Motorsports and Kalitta Air. We started in 2015 machining our clutch assemblies and now we are doing the assemblies as well as cylinder heads and so many more parts,” said Chad Head, Kalitta Motorsports General Manager. “We have built our entire parts manufacturing and design program with the help of Autodesk technology and their support staff. The cost savings and efficiency has been a game changer for us.”
Doug Kalitta and Mobil1 Top Fuel Exit Houston Focused on Charlotte
Houston, TX – The winningest Top Fuel driver in Houston Raceway Park history, Doug Kalitta, was looking to add to his win total with the 
Mobil 1 Toyota Top Fuel dragster this weekend at the 35th NHRA SpringNationals. Through two days of qualifying the 49-time winner entered race day as the No. 3 qualifier on the strength of his final run of 3.696 seconds at 328.70 mph which earned him two qualifying bonus points. The veteran driver and his 11,000-horsepower dragster improved throughout the weekend and were confident entering a race where they were runner-up last season.
Facing Billy Torrence in the first round Kalitta got the jump off the starting line and was pulling away just past half-track. Kalitta moved first with a .056 reaction time and that was almost enough to keep him out in front at the finish line. As Kalitta was approaching the finish line his Goodyear tires lost traction for a moment and that opened the door for Torrence to move around him for the win.
“We qualified third and this Mobil1 Toyota dragster has been running good,” said Kalitta. “We were running one of the Torrence cars and they just outran us. My lights are getting better this weekend. Everyone is working their tails off on this race car. Just real proud to be racing this Mobil1 dragster. I am confident heading to Charlotte.”
Langdon and DHL Race to Quarterfinals at Houston SpringNationals
Houston, TX – Shawn Langdon and the DHL Toyota Top Fuel dragster continued to make progress as the young NHRA Camping World 
Drag Racing Series season made its turn into the warmer spring and summer months. Racing at Houston Raceway Park, in 80-degree temperatures which translated to temps well over 100 degrees on the track Langdon and his DHL Toyota team battled through two days of qualifying to head into eliminations as the No. 10 Top Fuel dragster in a 16-car field.
In a wild first round race Langdon picked up the win as he pedaled and muscled his DHL Toyota Top Fuel dragster down the right lane. Both race cars had traction issues but as Langdon was working to regain power his parachutes deployed just beyond half-track, and he carried that extra drag to the finish line. The 2013 NHRA Top Fuel champion had enough of a lead and skill to get to the finish line first.
“This is a good track but getting through the tough section is a little bit difficult to navigate,” said Langdon after the win. “I was just a little aggressive getting back on the pedal. I was a little quick and it kept smoking the tires. I really got lucky to get that round win. I didn’t do a great job, but I was better than my opponent and that is all that matters. I got a round win and that was good for DHL, CMR Roofing and Construction, Toyota and everybody. We have had some goofy stuff happen and that win light wasn’t completely goofy for us.”
