Bristol, TN – This weekend at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals Shawn Langdon will be looking to take home his third Top Fuel Wally from Bristol Dragway. The 2013 NHRA Top Fuel champion won the event in 2014 and 2016 and he would like nothing more than to see four win lights on Sunday in his DHL Kalitta Air Top Fuel dragster that is tuned by drag racing legend Connie Kalitta. In 2015 Kalitta was recognized as a Thunder Valley Legend for his contributions to growing drag racing in the area as well as setting the NHRA Top Fuel speed record in 1965 at Bristol Dragway at a speed of 209.72 mph.

“It is an honor to drive a race car tuned by Connie,” said Langdon. “He is a living legend, and you know that when you strap in you will be in a fast and quick race car. I know we have the capability to go to the top of the field every time we roll to the starting line.”

The DHL Kalitta Air Top Fuel team raced to the final round of the historic Gatornationals to start the season and throughout the rest of the year they have been making solid runs and collecting win lights on Sunday. Four more semifinal finishes throughout the season kept them solidly in the Top Ten heading into the Countdown playoff races. They are looking to add to those win totals over the final three races of the season starting with the Thunder Valley Nationals

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Bristol, TN – Every race in important during the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. Throughout the regular season teams are jockeying for position to qualify got the Countdown as one of the Top Ten teams. Once the Countdown seven-race playoffs begin drivers are working to move up or hold onto their point leads. J.R. Todd and the DHL Toyota Camry team are looking at this critical race at the Thunder Valley Nationals as a turning point in their championship aspirations. With three races left and sitting in fifth place they could easily make a move to get within striking distance of the Funny Car point leaders but that move must happen now.

“We have been in a tight group with the top Funny Car teams all season and even into the Countdown,” said Todd, a 10-time Funny Car national event winner. “Over the past couple of races a few cars have gotten some separation, but we are still in the mix. I love racing at Bristol Dragway and I am looking for some good runs this weekend.”

Todd started the season with a win at the historic Gatornationals and has showcased his team’s performance and his driving skills throughout the rest of the year. The 2018 Funny Car world champion added three more runner-up finishes to his 2021 record including back-to-back finals in Pomona and Topeka heading into the Countdown. During the playoffs Todd and his DHL Toyota team have been undefeated in first round match-up regardless of their qualifying position and the overall consistency of the team is something Todd feels will pay dividends over the final playoff stretch.

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Bristol, TN – Doug Kalitta and the Mac Tools Top Fuel team are ready to get back to Bristol Dragway for the first time since 2019. The 49-time Top Fuel winner has dominated the Thunder Valley Nationals over the past two decades and the team is eager hit the track in Thunder Valley. This season Kalitta has picked up two runner-up finishes and as the Countdown playoffs come to close the perennial championship contender is looking for a strong finish over the final three races.

“I am looking forward to getting to Bristol Dragway,” said Kalitta, who last weekend raced to the quarterfinals at the Texas Fall Nationals. “We have had some really good races there and it is a great facility. You know when you are racing a track owned by Bruton and Marcus Smith everything will be first class.”

Kalitta has raced to six final rounds over his career at the Thunder Valley Nationals. Most recently he was runner-up in 2014. His reign of terror at the track goes back to three wins over the course of five years when he took the title in 2001, 2005 and 2006. Three years later he raced to his fourth final round in Tennessee and added another runner-up in 2012. For the driver from Michigan the mountains of Tennessee have been a great place to hit the throttle on race day.

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Ennis, TX – The DHL Kalitta Air Top Fuel dragster and driver Shawn Langdon were looking to the Texas NHRA Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex as a chance to begin to advance towards the Camping World Top Fuel championship. Through two days of qualifying that included two runs on Friday and two runs on Sunday the team had considerable data to move into race day. The 2013 Top Fuel world champion wound up No. 9 in the sixteen Top Fuel field and would face veteran driver Clay Millican in the first round.

Langdon got the jump off the starting line with a stellar .020 reaction time, but his DHL Kalitta Ait Top Fuel dragster started to smoke the tire almost immediately. In the lane beside Langdon Millican was on a smooth run that got him to the finish line with a winning time of 3.766 seconds.  Langdon and the team’s efforts over the course of the weekend continued to gather data that they will use over the next three races of the Countdown.

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Ennis, TX – Doug Kalitta and the Mac Tools Top Fuel team rolled into the 36th annual Texas NHRA Fall Nationals this weekend looking for their third Top Fuel victory at the iconic Texas Motorplex. The first super-track built in 1986 has been the scene of several successful race days for the 49-time Top Fuel winner. This weekend Kalitta was looking improve on his Texas performance with his first win in the 2021 Countdown. Earlier this season Kalitta raced to a runner-up finish at the Houston national event. Through four rounds of qualifying the Mac Tools Top Fuel dragster made consistent passes and went into race day as the No. 10 qualifier in a very stout 16-car qualified field.

In the first round Kalitta was racing rival Antron Brown, the No. 7 qualifier, and fellow Countdown competitor.  Understanding the magnitude of the race Kalitta jumped off the starting line with a stellar .037 reaction time. His dragster ran into trouble almost immediately, but the veteran driver was able to get his 11,000-horsepower dragster back under control and continue storming towards the finish line. While Kalitta was hooked back up and charging Brown was trying to get his dragster under control, but he was never able to get enough traction to mount a serious charge at Kalitta. The win moved Kaitita to the quarterfinals and a match-up with point leader Steve Torrence. His round win was the only upset of the day in the first round of Top Fuel.

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Ennis, TX – In a strong performance J.R. Todd raced to the semifinals during the Stampede of Speed at the Texas Motorplex’s NHRA Fall Nationals. The DHL Toyota Camry took out Tim Wilkerson and No. 1 qualifier Robert Hight before dropping a tough race to Matt Hagan. Through four rounds of qualifying the DHL Toyota Camry driven by Todd made strong runs including the quickest pass of the third session which was good for three qualifying bonus points. Todd moved into race day as the No. 8 qualifier

In a repeat of the first round of St Louis’ NHRA Midwest Nationals two weeks ago Todd outran veteran driver Tim Wilkerson. At that race it was Todd as the No. 9 qualifier getting the win but today, he was able to choose his lane as the No.8 Funny Car. The race was recognized during the Stampede of Speed opening ceremonies as the marque match-up and it lived up to the hype. Both race cars left together and were side by side the whole way down the all-concrete racetrack. Todd was able to get the win light with the quickest run of the entire event, a blistering 3.867 second pass at 331.36 mph. Wilkerson was right beside him with a strong 3.886 second pass at over 330 mph. It was the best race of the first round and catapulted Todd to a second round race against No. 1 qualifier Hight.

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YPSILANTI, MI – Beginning with this weekend’s 36th annual Texas NHRA Fall Nationals all three Kalitta Motorsports race cars will be supporting new sponsor CMR Construction and Roofing’s Ragin Country Crawl charity concert. Doug Kalitta’s and Shawn Langdon’s Top Fuel dragsters along with J.R. Todd’s Toyota Camry Funny Car will each be adorned with Cajun Country Crawl logos promoting the charity concert on November 7, featuring music from Lee Brice, Randy Houser, Colt Ford and Dee Jay Silver. The team will race with the Cajun Country Crawl logos for the next three NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series national events.

The Ragin Country Crawl is a one-night only country music benefit concert, with 100% of the proceeds from ticket revenue being donated to organizations supporting Louisiana Hurricane relief. The people and communities of Louisiana have been hit hard by recent natural disasters, and CMR is looking inspire hope and support relief efforts for those in need through the event.

“We have had a great relationship with CMR Construction and Roofing all season and we thought this was the least we could do to support their outstanding charity efforts,” said Scott Duncan, Kalitta Motorsports Business Development. “We heard about this event during our sponsor summit before the Charlotte Countdown race and knew we needed to get involved right away. As soon as we knew all the details we got to work on a plan to help promote this great event.”

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Ennis, TX – The 36th annual Texas NHRA Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex will be Doug Kalitta and the Mac Tools Top Fuel team’s opportunity to finish their twentieth season together on a high note. For two decades Kalitta has raced the familiar red and white 11,000 horsepower race car to 49 Top Fuel national event victories. This weekend Kalitta as well as his two teammates will also be representing associate sponsor Ferguson Supplies and their Purell and Ecolab brands for the fourth and final race of the 2021 season.

Two of those Mac Tools wins came at the wildly popular Countdown national event at the historic Texas Motorplex located just 30 minutes from downtown Dallas. In addition to wins in 2013 and 2002 Kalitta has a runner-up finish in 2001 to his credit.

“Racing at the Texas Motorplex is always a big deal,” said Kalitta. “Billy Meyer built the first super-track and you can run really low numbers on that all-concrete track. This year we will be gunning for that low qualifier spot on Friday night thanks to that $15,000 bonus.”

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Ennis, TX – Three races into the 2021 NHRA Countdown and J.R. Todd and his DHL Toyota Camry Funny Car are right in the thick of the Funny Car championship battle. The 2018 Funny Car champion could use a long race day at the Texas NHRA Fall Nationals to move up in the points and put pressure on the rest of the Funny Car field. He has had one of the most consistent race cars all season and his ability to avoid early exits has paid dividends throughout the 2021 season. The Texas NHRA Fall Nationals will also mark a significant milestone for the racer from Indiana as he enters his 100th Funny Car race. His win at the season opening Gatornationals put him briefly in the points lead and since the beginning of the Countdown has been within striking distance once again as the season begins to wind down.

“The Funny Car class has been close all season,” said Todd, a nineteen time national event winner in Funny Car and Top Fuel. “A lot of guys have had the points lead this season and since the start of the Countdown it seems like there is a new points leader after race. If we can keep going rounds on Sunday and knock out some of these Countdown cars will be in a good position for the final races of the playoffs.”

Todd won at the Texas NHRA Fall Nationals in 2008 when he was behind the wheel of a Top Fuel dragster and six years later, he posted a runner-up finish at the fall classic. In 2018 his championship season he raced to the final but did not get the elusive fourth win light. He did prevail for the championship that season and he is looking to try and recapture some of that momentum this weekend.

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Ennis, TX – Heading into October Shawn Langdon and his DHL Kalitta Air Top Fuel dragster will be looking to highlight the quest to find a cure for breast cancer. Langdon along with his two Kalitta Motorsports teammates will be flying pink breast cancer awareness ribbon decals and they will be turning their car numbers and names pink as well on their 11,000 horsepower race cars. Langdon, Doug Kalitta and J.R. Todd will also be promoting a special charity concert to support hurricane victims in Louisiana by new Kalitta Motorsports sponsor CMR Construction and Roofing starting this weekend.

The inaugural Stampede of Speed event will keep Langdon busy starting with an appearance at the Fan Fest event in downtown Waxahachie on Thursday night from 7:00 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. where the 2013 Top Fuel world champions will be signing autographs for fans from across the state. For the first time this season Langdon and the rest of the Camping World Drag Racing Series fields will get four qualifying sessions in advance of race day. The added qualifying time is something Langdon is looking forward to taking advantage of in his DHL Top Fuel dragster.

“Getting four runs in qualifying will be a big deal for our team and really all the teams out here,” said Langdon. “I think our team especially can really take advantage of that extra session. We will be making a run at the $15,000 bonus on the line during the nighttime session on Friday but really the two sessions on Saturday will give us the best info for race day.”

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