TOYOTA NHRA: Las Vegas Nationals Preview

Las Vegas, NV – Todd In Championship Hunt…After reaching the finals at Bristol, J.R. Todd enters this weekend’s race in Las Vegas in third place, just 83 points of the series lead as he looks to earn a second Funny Car world championship. By advancing to the finals at Bristol, Todd has reached the semifinals or beyond in six of the last nine races and three times in five Countdown events. The DHL Toyota driver has won three of the last six events held at The Strip, including the 2018 Countdown event that put him in position to claim the title.

DeJoria Looks To Make It Two In A Row…After a dominating performance at Bristol, Alexis DeJoria will be looking for her second consecutive victory this weekend in Las Vegas. DeJoria captured the number one qualifier on Saturday, then ran the quickest pass of the day on Sunday in defeating fellow Toyota driver J.R. Todd in the Bristol finals. This weekend she will return to the track where she’s had more success than any other with previous wins at ‘The Strip’ in 2014 and 2016 where she defeated her then teammate and now current crew chief and team partner Del Worsham in the final. She currently stands seventh in points, just 70 points out of fourth.

Vegas A Special Place For Brown…Antron Brown heads into this weekend’s action with five career wins at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the most of any active Top Fuel driver. Yet, Las Vegas has been a special place for Brown for more than just wins. The Strip was where Brown clinched his 2015 and 2016 Top Fuel championships. It also was where he captured the prestigious 300th win for Don Schumacher Racing in 2017. This weekend will mark Brown’s final Vegas event with DSR before he officially kicks off his AB Motorsports team in 2022.

Quotes:

J.R. Todd, DHL Toyota Camry Funny Car: (On the championship) “We were in a little better position in 2018. Going into the Countdown this year I knew that we had a good enough car and team to contend for a championship. We have had some hiccups along the way, but we are still in the hunt.”

Alexis DeJoria, Bandero Tequila Toyota Camry Funny Car: “Once you get a win, it feels like anything is possible. Vegas has been very good to me. I’ve won there twice. I feel good about Vegas and then winning at Pomona would just be icing on the cake.”