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POINTS LEADER J.R. TODD, DHL FUNNY CAR TEAM LOOK FOR FIRST PHOENIX VICTORY

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JR Todd
02
Apr

YPSILANTI, Mich. (April 2, 2024) – One year ago, J.R. Todd and his DHL GR Supra arrived in Phoenix searching for consistency; in 2024, they enter the season’s third race as the points leader looking to make it two wins in the first three races of the young season. The 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Season resumes April 5-7, 2024 at the NHRA Arizona Nationals in Chandler, Ariz.

Todd won the season-opening Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals in Florida and enters the season’s third race as the Funny Car points leader. While the Pomona, Calif., outing two weeks ago, with its rain-shortened qualifying and rain-delayed final rounds, left plenty to be desired overall, Todd followed his Gainesville, Fla., win with a Pomona semifinal winning the season’s first six rounds of eliminations.

“We’ve definitely had some luck on our side, but I’ll take round wins any way we can get them,” the 2018 Funny Car champion said. “I definitely can’t complain about getting to the semifinals at Pomona, but we know we have some work to do to get our GR Supra running the way we know it can. It’s definitely nice to head into Phoenix with the points lead. It’s still way early in the season to worry too much about points, but it definitely feels good to be the points leader. It’s also good to be going into Phoenix getting to run the Mission Foods deal again.”

When Todd advanced to the semifinals, he earned a spot in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge at this week’s race. During Phoenix qualifying, the drivers who reached the Pomona semifinals will re-run the semifinals and final earning additional purse and bonus points. Todd will race Matt Hagan in the semifinals rematch, and if he wins, he would face the winner of the other semifinal between Ron Capps and John Force with the overall winner earning $10,000 and championship bonus points.

“I’m always glad to go back to Phoenix – especially when we thought we weren’t going back,” Todd added. “It’s a place that’s been around a long time with some history to it, and they put a lot of people in that place. I haven’t won there but definitely want to so I hope we can keep going there for years to come. You never want to lose a race track so we’re happy to go back there so we can hopefully put on a great show for everybody.”

Race Information: NHRA Arizona Nationals Firebird Motorsports Park, Chandler, Ariz.

TV Schedule (All times eastern):   

  • Qualifying 1: 9:30-11 p.m. Friday, April 5 on FS1
  • Qualifying 2: 10:30-Noon Sunday, April 7 on FS1
  • Finals: 6:30-9:30 p.m. Sunday, April 5 on FS1

2023 NHRA Arizona Nationals Recap: Qualified No. 15; lost to Alexis Dejoria.

Funny Car Career Stats: 299 events, 21 wins, 25 runner-up, 329 round wins, 14 No. 1 qualifiers.

2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Results To Date:

  • Gainesville: Qualified No. 6; defeated Blake Alexander, Ron Capps, Bob Tasca and Austin Prock.
  • Pomona: Qualified No. 11; defeated Cruz Pedregon and Paul Lee; lost to Matt Hagan.