DSR FUNNY CAR STREAK SNAPPED AS TODD EARNS FIRST GATORNATIONALS WALLY

Written by Larry Crum, photos by Roger Richards    Mon, 2021-03-15 18:55

 

It has been 517 days, 56 competitive passes and 14 national events since a driver not associated with Don Schumacher Racing last won an NHRA race in Funny Car.

On Sunday, that streak was snapped by round two.

With Matt Hagan eliminated in round one and top qualifier Ron Capps falling out one round later, that opened the door for a new driver to earn a Wally trophy in Funny Car for the first time since October 14, 2019, when Robert Hight hoisted the hardware.

And J.R. Todd took full advantage of that opportunity.

Todd put together four masterful rounds Sunday at the 52nd annual AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, ending in a dramatic pedalfest with a returning Robert Hight to earn his 19th career NHRA Camping World Racing Series victory and 10th in Funny Car.

It was also Todd’s first win at the historic Gatornationals as Todd has now swept the remaining NHRA “majors” associated with the biggest races in the sport.

“It is awesome. I keep saying I wish Englishtown was still on the schedule so we could try and knock that one off, but to have all of the majors that are left on the schedule checked off, that has been a goal of mine for a long time,” Todd said. “This is an extra special race just because of my buddy Eric Medlen who we lost here. I’ve been wanting to win here so bad in his honor. This is just awesome.”

Todd’s win Sunday at Gainesville Raceway came in thrilling fashion. Matched up against Robert Hight, who was making his return to the class after more than a year away from the sport, both drivers instantly lost traction and went up in a cloud of smoke moments after taking the green light.

After a few throttle hits, Todd regained enough traction to power his DHL Toyota Camry to the finish with a 5.184-second pass at 286.38 mph. Hight attempted to match his opponent, but was not able to find the needed grip in limping to the finish line with a 6.591 at 144.41 mph.

“It was a little warm and the sun was on the track and at this place, the later in the day with the sun out, the track can just get hot and nasty. That was definitely the case in the final,” Todd said. “The starting line wasn’t as good as it was early and we both blew the tires off. What instantly goes through your mind is you expect to see Robert go driving away from us and I never saw him. It is at that point you have to let this thing calm down. It seems like an eternity when you have to do that. You then roll into the throttle and try to have patience.

“I never saw him next to me or driving away from me so it is at that point you go wide open and start searching for that win light. When I saw it come on, I couldn’t wait to climb out of the roof hatch and celebrate.”

Fortunately, the rounds leading up to the final were much more mundane - in nitro terms - with three solid passes in wins against Blake Alexander, Tim Wilkerson and Cruz Pedregon.

Todd’s quickest pass of the weekend came in a round one win over Alexander as Todd powered to a 3.933 at 327.35 mph to set the tone for the day. He did much of the same in rounds two and three, dispatching of Wilkerson in the closest race of the day - a 3.940 to a 3.977 - before reaching the final with a 3.970 against Pedregon.

Hight had wins over Bob Bode, John Force and Bob Tasca to reach his first final round since the NHRA Finals at Pomona Raceway in November of 2019.

While neither of the final round competitors were directly responsible, when Bob Tasca eliminated Matt Hagan and Ron Capps in back-to-back rounds, it opened the class up to a driver not associated with Don Schumacher Racing for the first time in almost 16 months. Before that, DSR had won 14 consecutive races including a sweep of the 2020 season.

But with the return of John Force Racing - specifically his final round opponent - combined with a more traditional NHRA schedule, it felt like a return to normal for Todd.

“DSR hands down whipped everyone last year. To have JFR and a majority of the teams back out here and to run more races and not half the schedule, it felt like we are starting to return to normal,” Todd said. “No disrespect to all of the other drivers out there, but in my opinion Robert Hight is hands down the best driver in Funny Car. That team sets the benchmark for the rest of us. When you can knock them off in the final round, that makes you feel like you really accomplished something.”

While Sunday was just the beginning of a grueling season, drivers have to start somewhere and there is no better place to start than on top.

“It was nice to put our DHL Toyota Camry in the winner’s circle. Our goal every week is to show up and win. 2021 is a new year and it’s a good way to start off the season with a win here at one of the biggest races of the year,” Todd said. “Now we need to ride that momentum as long as we can. This is one you want to check off the list when you see the schedule whether it’s the first race or the third race. It’s the first time this has ever been the first race of the season and I guess we’re the points leader until we get out west.”

 

 
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