Kalitta Motorsports
No. 1 Seed in Countdown and Third U.S. Nationals Title Available to J.R. Todd
Indianapolis, IN – For J.R. Todd and the DHL Toyota Camry Funny Car team the NHRA U.S. Nationals is an event they look forward to every 
year. Since Todd took over the driving duties of the 11,000 horsepower Toyota Funny Car the team has racked up a 13-2 winning record over the past four years at the biggest race of the season. Back-to-back wins in 2017 and 2018 culminated in a Funny Car world championship two years ago and last season Todd raced to his third final round in four appearances.
“I have had some great races at the U.S. Nationals for sure,” said Todd, who is currently tied for second place in the Funny Car point standings. “We jump started our championship run by winning this race in 2018 and we dropped a close race last year. This year I feel like we are peaking at the right time, and we could have another really good race in Indy.”
Over the last three races Todd and his DHL Toyota Funny Car have raced to two final rounds and a semifinal finish to move from sixth to second place in a tight Funny Car point battle. Less than a round of race separates Todd from the top spot and the No. 1 seed going into the NHRA Countdown playoffs.
Shawn Langdon Pulling Double Duty with Eye on Back-to-Back Top Fuel U.S. Nationals Wins
Indianapolis, IN – Three-time U.S. Nationals winner and defending Top Fuel event champion Shawn Langdon is going to make the most of 
the Labor Day weekend race at Indianapolis Motorsports Park. The two-time Top Fuel winner will be racing the DHL Kalitta Air Top Fuel dragster as well as his Super Comp dragster at the biggest drag race of the season. Pulling double duty will keep the 2013 Top Fuel world champion laser focused on the racing action.
“I am going to be running Super Comp and Top Fuel this race so that will keep me busy,” said Langdon, who also won Super Gas at the U.S. Nationals in 2010. “I like running the extra class because with only one nighttime pro session on Friday I can get my mind into race mode all day running my Super Comp dragster. I think it makes me a better racer because I am thinking about driving better, having good reaction times and I am focusing on all the small details. Keeping your mind active and focused is a big deal when you have a race as important as the U.S. Nationals.”
The prestige of winning the U.S. Nationals is not lost on Langdon who last year was thrilled to win again racing for drag racing legend Connie Kalitta.
Kalitta Motorsports Hosts Two Special Guests from A Kid Again at U.S. Nationals
YPSILANTI, MI -Kalitta Motorsports will once again be hosting special guests from A Kid Again, a national nonprofit organization fostering 
hope, happiness and healing for children facing life-threatening conditions and their families. During the NHRA U.S. Nationals Caleb and Kaden Ratliff, a pair of 11-year-old Cystic Fibrosis warriors, and their family will be the guests of the team during the final day of qualifying on Saturday, September 4.
As part of this partnership, during the NHRA U.S. Nationals this weekend Caleb and Kaden will be spending Saturday with Kalitta Motorsports drivers Doug Kalitta, J.R. Todd and Shawn Langdon. In addition to Caleb and Kaden, the entire Ratliff family, parents Elizabeth and Brandon and sisters Melanie and Natalie will be hosted by Kalitta Motorsports.
“The U.S. Nationals is a special event for our team, and we are looking forward to sharing the excitement of our biggest race of the season with Caleb and Kaden from A Kid Again,” said Chad Head, Kalitta Motorsports General Manager. “We have hosted a number of families this year and after every day with these special kids and their families we are thankful the A Kid Again organization allows us to be a part of these kid’s lives by providing these adventures. “
Shawn Langdon Exit Early from Brainerd Nationals
Brainerd, MN – Following a semifinal finish last weekend Shawn Langdon and the DHL Kalitta Air Top Fuel team were looking to build some 
momentum over the final stretch of the regular season. Langdon was looking to pick up his first win at the Brainerd Nationals, one of just a handful of tracks where the 2013 NHRA Top Fuel champion has not celebrated in the winner’s circle. Through two days of qualifying the DHL Kalitta Air team worked to put Langdon in a position to go rounds on race day.
At the end of Saturday Langdon was solidly in the show as the No. 7 qualifier and would face Antron Brown for the second week in a row. Last week Langdon took the win on the way to his fourth semifinal finish of the season.
Langdon and his DHL Top Fuel dragster were half of the first pair of race cars to hit the track on Sunday morning with cool and quick track conditions on tap. The reigning U.S. Nationals champion was on his game cutting a nearly psychic reaction time of .028 but unfortunately due to an apparent malfunction his race car overpowered the track and completely lost traction. It was a jarring run for Langdon as the entire race car leapt forward almost lifting all four tires off the track simultaneously. There was no recovering the lost power and momentum as his opponent made a smooth run for the victory.
Doug Kalitta and Mac Tools Wrapping Up Regular Season with Eyes on Countdown
Brainerd, MN – On a cool and fast track at Brainerd International Raceway Doug Kalitta and the Mac Tools Top Fuel team were looking to 
pick up their third Brainerd Nationals title. Through three rounds of qualifying on Friday and Saturday the team worked on a consistent tune-up and rolled into race day as the No. 9 qualifier and a rematch of last week’s Topeka Nationals first round with Clay Millican. Kalitta’s best elapsed time in qualifying a 3.823 second pass was a solid starting point for the team to step up from in eliminations.
Kalitta faced Millican in the second pair of dragsters to hit the track on Sunday morning. The 49-time national event winner got a starting line advantage with a superior reaction time, .061 to .076, and both 11,000 horsepower race cars were charging down the track. The Mac Tools Top Fuel dragster was on its best pass of the weekend, but it wasn’t enough to get to the finish line first. Kalitta’s elapsed time of 3.809 second at 321.88 mph was an improvement over his qualifying time but not enough to move on to the next round.
“We are battling to get round wins with this Mac Tools team,” said Kalitta. “We are going to test tomorrow and get some things figured out before Indy and the Countdown. There is one more race left in the regular season and then the playoffs start.”
Semifinal Finish at Brainerd Nationals Has J.R. Todd Cruising Heading to Indy
Brainerd, MN – J.R. Todd and the DHL Toyota Camry Funny Car continued to dominate as the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series 
regular season comes to an end. Today the team raced to an impressive semifinal finish starting from the No. 11 spot in qualifying. Two upset wins in the first two rounds and a close race in the semifinals propelled Todd to the No. 2 spot in the Funny Car point standings. With one race remaining in the regular season the opportunity to enter the Countdown to the Championship as the No. 1 seed is a very real prospect for the 2018 NHRA Funny Car champion.
In the first round Todd was giving up lane choice to Robert Hight but it did not matter to Todd and his DHL Toyota Funny Car team. He took a starting line advantage and never trailed in the race posting a winning time of 3.933 seconds at 325.85 mph. It was a big improvement from his best qualifying time of 3.970 seconds and showed how well crew chief Todd Smith was handling the tune-up.
“That was a big match-up,” said Todd. “Those are guys we are going to be battling with for the championship. Right now, the top six Funny Cars are crazy close for the points lead. Qualifying didn’t work out for either one of us because that is not who you want to race first round. We had some luck on our side. They broke down track and we rebounded from Saturday to make a pretty good run.”
Doug Kalitta and Mac Tools Striving for Third Brainerd Win
Brainerd, MN – This weekend Doug Kalitta and the Mac Tools Top Fuel team will be looking to rekindle some northern magic when they 
return to Brainerd International Raceway for the NHRA Brainerd Nationals. Kalitta will be vying to join a select group of three-time Top Fuel winners at the track surrounded by 10,000 lakes. A third victory would tie him for second most wins at BIR. The wins for Kalitta came in 2003 and 2005 but the passage of time has made him a better and hungrier driver.
“You like to go back to places where you have won and Brainerd is one of those tracks,” said Kalitta. “It has been a while since we won in Minnesota but we haven’t forgotten how to turn on win lights. We are searching for some consistency right now but we have a couple races before the Countdown so no one is panicking in the Mac Tools pit.”
The Mac Tools team has been in the championship conversation every year for almost two decade and this year is no different. The team isn’t where they want to be in the point standings but a strong performance in Brainerd followed by win lights at the prestigious U.S. Nationals can move Kalitta up before points are reset for a seven-race run to the championship. No matter where Kalitta finishes the regular season as long as he is in the top ten he will get a chance to race for the championship and the furthest he would start that chase would be 110 points behind the point leader heading into the playoffs.
Countdown Berth and Brainerd Win on Horizon for Langdon
Brainerd, MN – A semifinal finish at the Topeka Nationals last weekend has Shawn Langdon and the DHL Kalitta Air Top Fuel team solidly 
in the top five in Top Fuel points but more importantly created some momentum for the championship contending team. Back-to-back quarterfinal finishes at the previous two national events laid the groundwork for Topeka’s improvement at just the right time. The defending U.S. Nationals champion will be looking to the NHRA Brainerd Nationals this weekend to continue to grab win lights and consistency with the most prestigious race of the season around the corner.
“Brainerd is an important weekend for this DHL Kalitta Air team,” said Langdon. “We want to build on Topeka’s semifinal finish and keep the consistency that will carry us through Indy and into the Countdown. We are fifth in the points now and we have a good shot at moving up to fourth by the end of the regular season. That would put us forty points out of first place.”
A season opening runner-up finish at the Gatornationals got Langdon off to a hot start. That race was followed up by two semifinal and two quarterfinal finishes. There was a brief three race stretch of early exits before the current three race streak of improvement began.
Back-To-Back Finals Have J.R. Todd with Momentum Heading to Brainerd
Brainerd, MN – Another final round appearance jumped J.R. Todd and the DHL Toyota Camry Funny Car team into third place and firmly 
into the battle for the regular season Funny Car title. Todd is less than two rounds out of first with two races before the start of the Countdown. This weekend’s NHRA Brainerd Nationals will be another chance for the DHL Toyota team to continue their success on the track and put more distance between the 2018 Funny Car champion and the rest of their Funny Car competitors.
“There isn’t much separation between the Funny Cars at the top of the points that’s for sure,” said Todd. “This DHL Toyota Camry Funny Car has had two good races in a row and we just need that one last win light. We have been close in both of the last two final rounds. I have a lot of confidence in these Yella Fellas that’s for sure.”
The first win at Brainerd International Raceway is still on the horizon for Todd but the recent success has the 10-time Funny Car winner eager to get to the racetrack. Before he hits the track Todd along with his Kalitta Motorsports teammate Shawn Langdon will spend time with new sponsors Auto Value along with long-time sponsor MAHLE fishing before the sponsor representatives enjoy the weekend in the Kalitta Motorsports VIP hospitality area.
Auto Value Rides with Kalitta Motorsports in Brainerd
YPSILANTI, MI – During the upcoming Brainerd NHRA Nationals all three Kalitta Motorsports teams will add Auto Value to their race cars 
while they are pursuing victory at Brainerd International Raceway (BIR). Through an association with long-time sponsor MAHLE, Auto Value Parts Stores and their Certified Service Centers, who are part of one of the largest auto parts program groups in the world, will enjoy three days of on-track entertainment. Kalitta Motorsports will be hosting representatives from Auto Value throughout the event as well as showing them the behind-the-scenes action from the pit side VIP hospitality area.
“Part of the Kalitta business-to-business model means we work with our sponsors to bring them added value to their partners as well,” said Chad Head, Kalitta Motorsports General Manager. “MAHLE has a great relationship with Auto Value and we wanted to support both of these great companies at the race in Brainerd.”
