NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Sometimes, being patient is not easy, but it’s what’s required at the moment for J.R. Todd and his DHL GR Supra team. 

Todd and team are in the process of refining the new tune-up first-year crew chief Dickie Venables is implementing. Everyone involved knows this process is a marathon, not a sprint, but two races into the new season, signs of progress are starting to appear. 

The team made four solid qualifying runs in Phoenix last weekend, and the elapsed times were all within .17 seconds. Todd’s quickest qualifying attempt was his Friday-evening run, a 3.939-second effort at 329.58 mph. Then Saturday, in the heat of a very warm Phoenix afternoon, Todd made a 3.943-second pass at 322.34 mph – almost as quick as the pass he made in far cooler conditions. 

“It’s a work in progress, but the more runs we make down the track, the more we’re learning; you can’t learn if you don’t go down the track,” Todd said. “We’re taking it step by step, and that’s the way to go. We made some really good runs in the heat on Saturday in Phoenix on new asphalt, so that shows we’re definitely making progress. We were the second quickest in the last qualifying session, so we’re definitely capable of running with these guys. We still have some work to do, but everybody’s being patient; we know it’s going to take some time.”

Todd has always enjoyed racing in Pomona — a track with a deep NHRA history — and looks forward to this weekend's Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals. The 2018 NHRA Funny Car champion has two wins in four final rounds at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip. 

“I like racing at Pomona — it’s the birthplace of drag racing pretty much, and Southern California has a cool vibe that I like,” Todd added. “We’re definitely going there hoping to run well; the conditions are looking like it’s gonna be a lot cooler than it was in Phoenix, so that usually allows for some runs where you can throw down. Qualifying Friday could be really important, but either way, you just need to go down the track, build a good baseline, and go to work on that for race day. I’m always excited getting in the car, and I’m just happy with the direction things are going.”