KALITTA MOTORSPORTS GR SUPRA GOES TO FINAL ROUND IN SEATTLE
J.R. Todd Makes His First Final Round Appearance of 2022
KENT, Wash. (July 31, 2022) – With the NHRA Drag Racing Series making its final stop on the ‘west coast swing,’ the Kalitta Motorsports Funny Car team made the most of the extreme heat in the race track and the air temperature. J.R. Todd drove his Toyota GR Supra Funny Car to the final round and ultimately lost by only three one-thousandths of a second to Robert Hight.
In Top Fuel competition, Justin Ashley drove his Toyota dragster to the semi-finals, but his car smoked the tires ultimately ending his day. The Toyota dragsters of Doug Kalitta, Shawn Langdon and Steve Torrence were eliminated in round two while Antron Brown fell out in the first round.
Toyota Post-Race Recap
NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series
Pacific Raceways
Race 13 of 22
TOYOTA TOP FUEL FINISHING POSITIONS
| Name | Car | Final Result | Round-by-Round |
| Justin Ashley | Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | Semi-Finals | W. 3.782 vs. A. Prock (3.796) W. 3.785 vs. S. Torrence (6.333) L. 5.131 vs. T. Schumacher (4.485) |
| Steve Torrence | Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | Round 2 | W. 3.794 vs. R. Smith (No Time) L. 6.333 vs. J. Ashley (3.785) |
| Doug Kalitta | Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | Round 2 | W. 3.837 vs. A. Laughlin (3.856) L. 3.827 vs. L. Pruett (3.818) |
| Shawn Langdon | DHL Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | Round 2 | W. 3.796 vs. M. Salinas (No Time) L. 3.797 vs. T. Schumacher (3.827) |
| Antron Brown | Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | Round 1 | L. 3.796 vs. L. Pruett (3.781) |
TOYOTA FUNNY CAR FINISHING POSITIONS
| Name | Car | Final Result | Round-by-Round |
| J.R. Todd | DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car | Final Round | W. 3.955 vs. B. Alexander (3.990) W. 3.980 vs. B. Tasca III (7.751) W. 3.984 vs. BYE L. 3.978 vs. R. Hight (3.975) |
| Alexis DeJoria | Bandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car | Round 2 | W. 3.964 vs. J. Campbell (4.045) L. 5.142 vs. R. Hight (3.960) |
| Ron Capps | NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota GR Supra Funny Car | Round 1 | L. 4.674 vs. R. Hight (3.914) |
TOYOTA QUOTES
J.R. TODD, DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Kalitta Motorsports
Final Result: Final Round
What can you say about the progress of this race team and today’s final round appearance?
“This DHL team has really been working hard to get our GR Supra to the point of consistently going rounds and today we were able to do that. Really proud of our whole team and all the effort these guys put into today and this whole weekend. It’s hot out here and it was hot on the race track, but they never gave up. I would have loved to have gotten the win, but it was a close race and we know we’re right there knocking on the door. We’ll get one soon.”
How has this team been able to continue slowly improving performance week after week?
“It seems like it came together there in Q3 and then again in first round. Todd and John just keep picking away at it and trying stuff. I also have to give a shout out to the track here at Pacific Raceways and NHRA for this track. They’re doing a hell of a job with the track temp and the track is hanging in there. The fans sitting in those aluminum seats, they’re the brave ones out here. Thanks for spending your hard-earned money to come out here and watch us try to put on a good show.”
JUSTIN ASHLEY, Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Davis Motorsports
Final Result: Semi-Finals
What happened in the semi-finals when you struggled down the track and crossed the center line?
“Just went up in smoke and that’s what happens when you’re racing. Just tried to give it a run and I saw Tony (Schumacher) having some trouble in the other lane. Just tried to give our Phillips Connect Toyota a shot so we tried to pull some of that Vita-C Energy we needed. Real proud of the guys this weekend. I thought we ran well and the real magic number is 47. These guys turned this car around in this weather in 47 minutes and really proud of them. We’ll regroup and move onto the next one.”
#
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs more than 48,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 43 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With the more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, more than a quarter of the company’s 2021 North American sales were electrified.
Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
