TWO FINAL ROUND APPEARANCES FOR TOYOTA DRIVERS AT GAINESVILLE
Todd, Torrence Kick Off NHRA Season with Final Round Runs
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 12, 2023) – Two Toyota drivers made final round appearances in the season kickoff race for the NHRA at Gainesville Raceway. J.R. Todd drove his GR Supra Funny Car through three rounds against Blake Alexander, Robert Hight and Chad Green to make a final round appearance against race-winner Matt Hagan.
Toyota Top Fuel dragster driver Steve Torrence worked his way past Scott Palmer, Tony Schumacher and Doug Kalitta to make it into the final round against race-winner Mike Salinas.
Toyota Post-Race Recap
NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series
Gainesville Raceway
Race 1 of 21
TOYOTA TOP FUEL FINISHING POSITIONS
| Name | Car | Final Result | Round-by-Round |
| Steve Torrence | Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | Final Round | W. 3.689 vs. 3.871 (Palmer)W. 3.741 vs. 4.348 (Schumacher)W. 3.779 vs. 5.773 (Kalitta) |
| Doug Kalitta | Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | Semi-Finals | W. 3.646 vs. 3.804 (Massey)W. 3.716 vs. 7.799 (Brown)L. 5.773 vs. 3.779 (Torrence) |
| Antron Brown | Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | Round 2 | W. 3.706 vs. 3.704 (Langdon)L. 7.799 vs. 3.716 (Kalitta) |
| Justin Ashley | Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | Round 1 | L. 3.754 vs. 3.669 (Salinas) |
| Shawn Langdon | CMR Construction and Roofing Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | Round 1 | L. 3.704 vs. 3.706 (Brown) |
TOYOTA FUNNY CAR FINISHING POSITIONS
| Name | Car | Final Result | Round-by-Round |
| J.R. Todd | DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car | Final Round | W. 3.893 vs. 3.953 (Alexander)W. 3.913 vs. 23.626 (Hight)W. 3.903 vs. 3.967 (Green) |
| Alexis DeJoria | Bandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car | Semi-Finals | W. 3.900 vs. 8.424 (Pedregon)W. 3.931 vs. 9.617 (Capps)L. 3.912 vs. 3.896 (Hagan) |
| Ron Capps | NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra Funny Car | Round 2 | W. 3.855 vs. 6.478 (Haddock)L. 9.617 vs. 3.931 (DeJoria) |
TOYOTA QUOTES
STEVE TORRENCE, Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Torrence Racing
Final Result: Final Round
How do you feel about your performance on this opening race weekend?
“Great weekend overall. Really a good way to start the season. Don’t know what it did, but we’ll keep working at it. This is a huge step in the right direction for the Capco Toyota dragster. I’m really excited and really optimistic about what’s in store because this thing just keeps getting better with every lap. We just need to figure out the game plan on it and our tune-up then I think we’re going to be a contender for certain.”
What did you feel on the last run?
“Just a good lap, but it was probably a little soft in the middle. Cloud cover coming and going, you don’t know what to do. Those guys (Scrappers Racing) have been pretty stout all day, but we just went up there and ran our own race and maybe it wasn’t enough.”
J.R. TODD, DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Kalitta Motorsports
Final Result: Final Round
What happened on the final run?
“Running really well all day and then in the final round, it’s running really well again and didn’t see him (Matt Hagan) and spun the tires and stayed with it and it blew up.”
How do you feel about starting off the season with a final round appearance?
“Really good. We tested really well. The car is definitely more consistent than what we’ve had in years past. I feel like it responds to what the crew chiefs are telling it to. Definitely shows that it has a lot of potential so it definitely has me excited for the rest of the season. Starting out in the final round, it’s always nice to finish off a final round, but can’t really complain starting off the season like this compared to last year.”
DOUG KALITTA, Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Kalitta Motorsports
Final Result: Semi-Finals
How was your race today overall and how do you feel about the start to your season?
“I was hoping to make it to the final for sure. The car was running strong all day and just super excited about the way things are going so far. Everyone is working together really well and the crew chiefs are really happy with what they’re seeing. Kind of the way it was in testing as well so I’m glad we were able to roll it into the first race. I don’t know what happened on that last run, but it was unfortunate to just smoke the tires. You know drag racing, it happens. Looking forward to getting to Phoenix.”
Your first round win was a career-best pass. Tell me about that run.
“That was a cool run. For whatever reason, I was trying to steer it to the middle and it was drifting to the center towards the end. I could tell I wasn’t going to go over or anything, but it was just one of those things where I knew this thing was really running. We really appreciate everything Toyota does for us and look forward to having a good season.”
About Toyota
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