Information By: ROB GOODMAN / KALITTA MOTORSPORTS – YPSILANTI, MI
FEEDING AMERICA: THE “RACE TO END HUNGER” UPDATE FOLLOWING RACE THREE 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. In the first three races, Kalitta Motorsports turned on seven 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
Charlotte: Doug Kalitta (2), Shawn Langdon (1), J.R. Todd (0); money donated: $12,000; meals generated: 120,000
Totals To-Date: Money Donated $28,000; Meals Generated: 280,000
THIRD PLACE SHAWN LANGDON KNOWS TITLE IS STILL “ANYBODY’S BALLGAME”
For a baseball guy, it’s a perfect description for the third race of the playoffs: “it’s anybody’s ballgame.” The 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs resumes Sept. 27-29, 2024 at the NHRA Midwest Nationals in Madison, Ill., the third of six playoff races.
Shawn Langdon played a lot of baseball and passed on a career in America’s pastime to focus on his passion: drag racing. His assessment after the first two races is perfect. The top-four Top Fuel drivers are separated by just 67 points, and second through fourth are separated by only 14 points. Antron Brown leads second-place Justin Ashley by 53 points with Langdon nine points back in third followed by Doug Kalitta just five points behind Langdon.
“We’ve done ok so far,” Langdon said. “We went to the final at the first (Countdown) race and are still third in points so we’re still in contention – we’re good so far. Super excited to have the opportunity to race with the best of the best in NHRA Drag Racing. We don’t really need to change anything – we just need to start winning races again. We don’t have any issues – the Kalitta Air Careers car is running well. We just have to win.”
Langdon won two races early in the season, and since that time, he has five runner-up finishes. He’s been in the top-three in points all season and is a legitimate threat to win at any time. The 2013 NHRA Top Fuel champion has two St. Louis wins in three final-round appearances, and he knows winning championships requires winning races. The points are tight – a win this weekend could shake things up…in a good way.
“It’s anybody’s ballgame,” Langdon said. “It’s not over till Pomona so we’re going to St. Louis, try to do the best we can and try to make up some ground. It’s nice going to a track like St. Louis that does a nice job promoting their race and filling the stands. Racing in front of full grandstands is always good.”
Race Information:
NHRA Midwest Nationals
World Wide Technology Raceway; Madison, Ill.
TV Schedule (All times eastern):
Qualifying Show 1: 7:30-8:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27 on FS1
Qualifying Show 2: 2-3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29 on FS1
Finals: 3-6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29 on FS1
2023 NHRA Midwest Nationals Recap: Qualified No. 9; lost to Leah Pruett.
Shawn Langdon Career Stats: 344 events, 19 wins, 25 runner-up, 369 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.
Charlotte: Qualified No. 6; defeated Josh Hart; lost to Doug Kalitta.
DOUG KALITTA, MAC TOOLS TEAM “DIGGING HARD” FOR ST. LOUIS SUCCESS
It’s playoff time in drag racing – Doug Kalitta and his Mac Tools Toyota team find themselves right where they want to be: in the thick of the battle for the 2025 NHRA Top Fuel championship. The 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs resumes Sept. 27-29, 2024 at the NHRA Midwest Nationals in Madison, Ill., the third of six playoff races.
The top of the standings is tight in Top Fuel, and the reigning champ is right there. Kalitta is locked in a tight battle with points leader Antron Brown, second-place Justin Ashley and his teammate, third-place Shawn Langdon, just five points ahead of him. The top-four positions are separated by just 67 points, and second through fourth are separated by 14 points.
“That’s what makes this fun,” Kalitta said. “This championship battle is the opportunity we all pray for at the beginning of the year – to be in it at the end. We’re in the hunt and all my guys are hungry to win. Alan and Mac (Crew Chief Alan Johnson and Assistant Crew Chief Mac Savage) have this Mac Tools Toyota group focused on the task at hand – they’re digging hard. It was nice to go some rounds in Charlotte last weekend – we want to keep that going and see what we can do in these last four races.”
World Wide Technology Raceway has been good to Kalitta over the years. He has four wins in six final rounds at the suburban St. Louis race track, and notching win No. 5 this weekend would be perfect timing for a playoff push.
“I’m looking forward to St. Louis,” Kalitta said. “We’ve had some luck there, and I know everybody will be hungry; we’ll have to work our tails off there. My guys are up to the challenge, and I’m real proud of the job they’re doing. We all know what these Countdown races mean, and we’re working hard. We’re trying to make it happen, and there’s plenty of rounds to go so we’re in a good spot.”
Race Information:
NHRA Midwest Nationals
World Wide Technology Raceway; Madison, Ill.
TV Schedule (All times eastern):
Qualifying Show 1: 7:30-8:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27 on FS1
Qualifying Show 2: 2-3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29 on FS1
Finals: 3-6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29 on FS1
2023 NHRA Midwest Nationals Recap: Qualified No. 1; defeated Lex Joon; lost to Leah Pruett.
Doug Kalitta Career Stats: 600 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
Charlotte: Qualified No. 3; defeated Tony Stewart and Shawn Langdon; lost to Antron Brown.
J.R. TODD FOCUSING ON PERFORMANCE IN THIRD PLAYOFF RACE
J.R. Todd and his DHL GR Supra team need more performance, and the time is now. The 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs resumes Sept. 27-29, 2024 at the NHRA Midwest Nationals in Madison, Ill., the third of six playoff races.
The first two playoff races were frustrating for the DHL GR Supra team. With one round win in two races, the team is now sixth in points – its lowest points position of the season. This team needs a trip to the later rounds of this weekend’s race to stay in the conversation.
“We just need to go out there, figure out how to perform with the front runners and do our thing,” Todd said. “We don’t need to worry about where we are in the points or what we need to do there – just focus on our performance. It’s not hard to do that at this point because we need a miracle to get back in the championship hunt. I don’t need to change my approach as far as how I drive the car; there’s only so much you can do in the seat, but it would be nice to go out there and win another race before the season’s over.”
That said, 16 of the 24 rounds making up the NHRA Playoffs remain. St. Louis is one of the tracks on which Todd has never won, and the old saying, “there’s no time like the present” appears to apply.
“Anything can happen – especially with how the points work in Pomona (points and a half), but the position we’re in – we’re more than two races out of first place so it’s definitely a long shot. We definitely have chance to finish in the top five – I haven’t done that since I won the championship so that’s a realistic goal for us.”
A win this weekend could certainly change that outlook and make more goals realistic while potentially propelling the DHL Toyota team closer to the top of the standings.
“Each track is different, and St. Louis has its own characteristics with some bumps here and there. When it’s cool and the conditions are right, it can definitely be fast. It’s another track that’s somewhat close to Indy so it draws in that Indy crowd of people. It’s somewhat of a home race for a lot of people in our sport that live there. It’s another track where we haven’t won that I’d like to check off the list.”
Race Information:
NHRA Midwest Nationals
World Wide Technology Raceway; Madison, Ill.
TV Schedule (All times eastern):
Qualifying Show 1: 7:30-8:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27 on FS1
Qualifying Show 2: 2-3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29 on FS1
Finals: 3-6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29 on FS1
2023 NHRA Midwest Nationals Recap: Qualified No. 11; defeated Bobby Bode; lost to Blake Alexander.
Funny Car Career Stats: 312 events, 21 wins, 26 runner-up, 347 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.
Charlotte: Qualified No. 6; lost to Dan Wilkerson.