‘Like a small earthquake’: A weekend in NHRA driver J.R. Todd’s shoes

By: Ryan Fagan CONCORD, N.C. — It’s a beautiful Friday afternoon just outside of Charlotte, but I’m not thinking much about the weather. I’m standing at the starting line at the zMAX Dragway, slightly terrified but mostly exhilarated by what will happen in a matter of seconds. 

To my left is the NHRA Funny Car driven by J.R. Todd. On my right is the car driven by drag racing legend John Force. I’m sandwiched in the middle, with both incredibly powerful vehicles maybe 15 feet away on either side. Have to admit, this is not at all how I originally expected my Friday afternoon to play out. 

See, Todd and I were supposed to jump out of a perfectly good airplane on Thursday. As writing assignments go, this was pretty exciting. Todd, who drives for drag-racing powerhouse Kalitta Motorsports, had never jumped out of a plane, and writing about a speed professional experiencing a completely different type of speed would make for a compelling story, right?  Full Story