FEEDING AMERICA: THE “RACE TO END HUNGER” UPDATE
FOLLOWING RACE TWO of SIX
Prior to the Toyota U.S. Nationals, Kalitta Motorsports launched the 2024 “Race to End Hunger,” a partnership among Kalitta Motorsports, DHL Express, Kalitta Air and five new partners, Applied Innovation, Dayco, Future Energy Solutions, Revchem Composites and Toyota, to accelerate the fight against food insecurity. For six NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series national events, starting with the U.S. Nationals and ending with the Nevada NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas, every time a Kalitta Motorsports driver turns on a race day win light, Kalitta Motorsports will donate $1,000 to Feeding America, and DHL, Kalitta Air and the new partners will match the donation making each race day win light worth $4,000 or 40,000 Feeding America meals. At the second race this past weekend, Kalitta Motorsports turned on four win lights:
Indianapolis: J.R. Todd (0), Doug Kalitta (0), Shawn Langdon (0).
Reading: Doug Kalitta (0), Shawn Langdon (3), J.R. Todd (1); money donated: $16,000; meals generated: 160,000
Totals To-Date: Money Donated $16,000; Meals Generated: 160,000
By clicking here, fans can join the fight with a personal donation and be entered into a drawing for a VIP experience for two at the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing event of their choice – donation not necessary to be entered into the drawing. Unfortunately, Team Kalitta did not win any rounds at the U.S. Nationals.
SHAWN LANGDON LOCKED IN TIGHT BATTLE FOR TOP FUEL TITLE
YPSILANTI, Mich. (Sept. 17, 2024) – Shawn Langdon is right where he wants to be with five races remaining in the season: in the thick of a tight battle for the Top Fuel title. The 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs resume Sept. 20-22, 2024 at the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals in Concord, N.C., the second of six playoff races.
Langdon raced to his seventh final round of the season in Reading, Pa., last weekend but came up a tick short of his third win. With the final-round showing, Langdon is in the middle of a tightly-bunched group of championship contenders. He is in third place five points behind second-place Antron Brown and six points behind points leader Justin Ashley. He leads his teammate, fourth-place Doug Kalitta, by 27 and fifth-place Steve Torrence by 52 points.
“Coming down to the last five races – everything counts whether it’s qualifying or race day,” Langdon said. “There’s still a lot of racing left, but there’s no room for error so we’re trying to carry the momentum from reaching the final last weekend. We have five runner-up finishes and two wins this season so statistically, we’ve been in the final almost half the races, but in order to get this done, we have to start turning the corner and getting some wins. If we can get a couple wins, we’ll be in a really good position.”
Langdon has two wins in seven final rounds this season. Kalitta has three wins in six final rounds, and the two raced in the final at Richmond, Va., in June. After 15 races of 20 in the 2024 NHRA season, a team Kalitta Top Fuel car raced in 12 of the 15 final rounds.
“That just goes to show all the hard work and changes that went into these cars and that we’re definitely heading in the right direction,” Langdon said. “At the beginning of the year, we didn’t have a good race at the four-wides in Charlotte, but we’re looking to turn that around this weekend. We’re pretty familiar with Charlotte and zMAX Dragway so we should be good to go this weekend.”
In addition to his 2013 NHRA Top Fuel championship, Langdon also has NHRA championships in Super Comp and Junior Dragster, but that doesn’t necessarily give him an edge of his competition.
“Not when you’re racing against guys like Doug Kalitta, Antron Brown and Steve Torrence who have been in this position a lot,” Langdon said. “Justin Ashley has been in this position; he hasn’t won a championship yet, but he’s driving like he’s won – he’s driving very well. It’s really anybody’s game at this point. Right now, with the cars that are out there, it’s competitive all the way through. There’s really no ‘qualify in the first couple spots and kinda get an easy round.’ No matter where you are, it’s gonna be a tough draw, and you’re gonna have to do your job. If you do your job four times on Sunday, hopefully everything falls your way.”
Race Information:
Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals
zMAX Dragway; Concord, N.C.
TV Schedule (All times eastern):
- Qualifying Show 1: 7-8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20 on FS1
- Qualifying Show 2: 1:30-3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22 on FS1
- Finals: 3-6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22 on FS1
2023 Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals Recap: Qualified No. 9; defeated Tony Schumacher; lost to Doug Kalitta.
Shawn Langdon Career Stats: 345 events, 19 wins, 26 runner-up, 372 round wins, 21 No. 1 qualifiers.
2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Results to Date (wins in italics):
Gainesville: Qualified No. 1; defeated Cody Krohn, Justin Ashley, Antron Brown and Billy Torrence.
Pomona: Qualified No. 7; defeated Krista Baldwin; lost to Tony Schumacher.
Phoenix: Qualified No. 5; defeated Josh Hart, Antron Brown, Steve Torrence and Justin Ashley.
Las Vegas 4W: Qualified No. 8; lost to Doug Kalitta and Steve Torrence in the first round.
Charlotte 4W: Qualified No. 7; lost to Antron Brown and Brittany Force in the first round.
Chicago: Qualified No. 4; defeated Cody Krohn, Shawn Reed and Dan Mercier before losing to Antron Brown.
Epping: Qualified No. 4; defeated Shawn Reed and Billy Torrence before losing to Doug Kalitta.
Bristol: Qualified No. 4; defeated Shawn Reed; lost to Tony Schumacher.
Richmond: Qualified No. 1; defeated Lex Joon, Steve Torrence & Antron Brown before losing to Doug Kalitta.
Norwalk: Qualified No. 6; lost to Clay Millican.
Seattle: Qualified No. 13; defeated Justin Ashley, Josh Hart and Clay Millican; lost to Steve Torrence.
Sonoma: Qualified No. 4; lost to Tony Stewart in the first round.
Brainerd: Qualified No. 5; defeated Shawn Reed, Doug Kalitta and Ida Zetterstrom; lost to Justin Ashley.
Indianapolis: Qualified No. 16; lost to Brittany Force.
Reading: Qualified No. 5; defeated Ida Zetterstrom, Tony Stewart and Justin Ashley; lost to Antron Brown.
DOUG KALITTA ENTERS SECOND PLAYOFF RACE IN VERY SIMILAR POSITION TO 2023
YPSILANTI, Mich. (Sept. 17, 2024) – Entering the second playoff race, the similarities to 2023 are somewhat striking, and it might appear Doug Kalitta has the other drivers right where he wants them just one playoff race into the defense of his 2023 NHRA Top Fuel title. The 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs resume Sept. 20-22, 2024 at the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals in Concord, N.C., the second of six playoff races.
One year ago, Kalitta entered the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals in third place in points, with 10 top-four qualifying efforts to his credit and trailing the points leader by 26 points. This week, Kalitta enters the same event in fourth place in points, with 10 top-four qualifying efforts to his credit and trailing the points leader by 33 points.
Including last year’s win at the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals, Kalitta has two wins in seven final-round appearances at zMAX Dragway. Returning to a track where the Mac Tools team experienced recent success, winning last year and reaching the final round at the four-wide race in April, could come at a perfect time for Kalitta after three races at which the team did not meet its expectations.
“It’s just one of those deals lately; for whatever reason, we haven’t been going rounds,” Kalitta said. “I have an incredible team behind me so we just have to dust it off and make sure we double check everything. Each time you go to the starting line is a new opportunity. We want to stay towards the front. Qualifying is huge, and we’ve been qualifying up towards the front so it can give you a little better opportunity to let things settle in on race day. We’ll make sure we’re ready this weekend in Charlotte. I’m real proud of this effort.”
This weekend’s race is the second of six making up the NHRA Playoffs and the second of three races in three weeks. It’s a lot to start the playoffs, but success in these three weekends can go a long way in positioning a team to contend for a championship. Kalitta is not only fourth in points, but he has three race wins in six final rounds this season – this Mac Tools Toyota team clearly knows how to win rounds and races.
“For me, I just try to keep doing the same thing and hope that you can have everything come together,” Kalitta added. “Charlotte’s a great track; I think the conditions will be a little cooler than Reading, and we’ll be ready.”
Race Information:
Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals
zMAX Dragway; Concord, N.C.
TV Schedule (All times eastern):
- Qualifying Show 1: 7-8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20 on FS1
- Qualifying Show 2: 1:30-3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22 on FS1
- Finals: 3-6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22 on FS1
2023 Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals Recap: Qualified No. 3; defeated Steve Torrence, Shawn Langdon, Leah Pruett and Mike Salinas.
Doug Kalitta Career Stats: 601 events, 55 wins, 62 runner-up, 792 round wins, 58 No. 1 qualifiers.
2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Results to Date (wins in italics):
Gatornationals: Qualified No. 7; defeated Clay Millican; lost to Steve Torrence.
Pomona: Qualified No. 6; defeated Jasmine Salinas; lost to Billy Torrence.
Phoenix: Qualified No. 3; defeated Terry Totten; lost to Justin Ashley.
Las Vegas 4W: Qualified No. 1; defeated Shawn Langdon in the first round, Brittany Force and Josh Hart in the semifinals followed by Justin Ashley, Steve Torrence and Tony Stewart in the final round.
Charlotte 4W: Qualified No. 1; defeated Shawn Reed and Cody Krohn in the first round, Billy Torrence and Jasmine Salinas in the semifinals before beating Antron Brown but losing to Justin Ashley and Clay Millican in the final round.
Chicago: Qualified No. 3; lost to Justin Ashley.
Epping: Qualified No. 1; defeated Scott Farley, Tony Stewart, Shawn Langdon and Tony Schumacher.
Bristol: Qualified No. 14; defeated Antron Brown, Steve Torrence, Brittany Force; lost to Tony Schumacher.
Richmond: Qualified No. 2: after first-round bye, defeated Josh Hart, Tony Stewart and Shawn Langdon.
Norwalk: Qualified No. 1; defeated Kyle Wurtzel, Billy Torrence and Steve Torrence; lost to Antron Brown.
Seattle: Qualified No. 4; defeated Billy Torrence and Jasmine Salinas; lost to Steve Torrence.
Sonoma: Qualified No. 1; lost to Ron August, Jr.
Brainerd: Qualified No. 4; defeated Antron Brown; lost to Shawn Langdon.
Indianapolis: Did not qualify.
Reading: Qualified No. 3; lost to Dan Mercier.
J.R. TODD, DHL TEAM HAVE DESIRE, NEED PERFORMANCE
YPSILANTI, Mich. (Sept. 17, 2024) – J.R. Todd is in the thick of a battle for his second NHRA Funny Car title, but the time for this team to perform and make a push is right now. The 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs resume Sept. 20-22, 2024 at the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals in Concord, N.C., the second of six playoff races.
The 2024 regular season was good overall for the 2018 NHRA Funny Car champion. He won the season-opening race, advanced to at least the semifinals at six of the season’s first eight races and led the point standings following the first three races. Since that time, he’s hovered around fourth in points yet unable to catch the teams at the top of the standings.
“We’ve been a little behind on performance for the last four races, and we have to find something here soon or won’t be able to do any better than fourth and fifth place,” Todd said. “The guys in front of us are consistently going to the later rounds so it’s that much harder to catch them because they don’t mess up. You’re gonna have to win and hope they mess up early. We’re not in a must-win situation yet, but we’re getting close.”
Todd has three runner-up finishes at zMAX Dragway, and he’d like nothing more than to notch his first win at the suburban Charlotte track and make a move up in the standings. Despite a second-round loss in the first Countdown race last weekend, Todd is fourth in points, 28 points behind third place and 41 points behind second place. A significant move is, indeed, possible, but the team needs to return to the form it showed earlier in the season to have a chance of climbing in the standings. This driver knows not only the level of excellence required to perform at that high level but also that his DHL GR Supra team can absolutely get it done.
“I have the desire win every time I sit in the race car,” Todd said. “I know we’re a better team than what we’re showing right now. We just need to go out there and perform. That’s what keeps you going. Knowing you have a team capable of winning and beating these guys. We’re just not showing it. The Friday night qualifying run is the key everywhere we go. You have to make that run count, and we seem to miss it by a little bit on those runs. Hats off to my DHL guys – they work hard. They don’t give up, and we’re not one to quit. It’s not over till it’s over.”
Race Information:
Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals
zMAX Dragway; Concord, N.C.
TV Schedule (All times eastern):
- Qualifying Show 1: 7-8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20 on FS1
- Qualifying Show 2: 1:30-3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22 on FS1
- Finals: 3-6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22 on FS1
2023 Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals Recap: Qualified No. 8; lost to Paul Lee.
Funny Car Career Stats: 313 events, 21 wins, 26 runner-up, 348 round wins, 14 No. 1 qualifiers.
2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Results to Date (wins in italics):
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.
Phoenix: Qualified No. 5; defeated Cruz Pedregon and John Force before losing to Austin Prock.
Las Vegas 4W: Qualified No. 3; defeated D. Wilkerson, D. Richards before losing to M. Hagan and R. Capps
Charlotte 4W: Qualified No. 12; defeated Ron Capps and Buddy Hull in the first round, Cruz Pedregon and John Force in the semifinals before beating John Force but losing to Matt Hagan and Daniel Wilkerson in the final round.
Chicago: Qualified No. 12; lost to Alexis DeJoria.
Epping: Qualified No. 3; defeated Dave Richards and Bob Tasca before losing to John Force.
Bristol: Qualified No. 11; defeated Terry Haddock, Ron Capps, John Force; lost to Austin Prock.
Richmond: Qualified No. 7; lost to Matt Hagan.
Norwalk: Qualified No. 2; defeated Chris King; lost to Ron Capps.
Seattle: Qualified No. 4; defeated Buddy Hull and Bob Tasca; lost to Austin Prock.
Sonoma: Qualified No. 6 defeated Jason Rupert, lost to Ron Capps.
Brainerd: Qualified No. 8; defeated Paul Lee, Austin Prock; lost to Matt Hagan.
Indianapolis: Qualified No. 10; lost to Ron Capps.
Reading: Qualified No. 11; defeated Matt Hagan, lost to Jack Beckman.
3 – G Sports PR
