J.R. Todd’s NHRA career saved by perfect timing
As J.R. Todd sat in Buffalo Wild Wings watching Kentucky play Louisville in last year’s Sweet 16, his mind was on the basketball game on the TV screens and the chicken wings and beer on his table.
Then his phone rang, and he had something far more important to think about.
On the line was Connie Kalitta, owner and crew chief of Kalitta Motorsports, asking if Todd could jump on a flight from Indianapolis to Las Vegas.
And fast.
It was a Friday night, and the first day of qualifying at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway already was completed, but Kalitta needed a replacement driver for one of his Top Fuel cars. So Todd flew out the following morning, and when the weekend was over, he had advanced to the second round of eliminations.
The team kept Todd, who went on to finish a career-best second in the season standings. After five years of searching for a full-time ride, including sitting out the entire 2010 and 2011 seasons, it was a remarkable rebirth for the NHRA’s top rookie of 2006.
Todd has further justified his team’s decision to make him full time by claiming the No. 1 qualifying spot at LVMS entering today’s eliminations in the SummitRacing.com Nationals, which begin at 11 a.m. He posted a time of 3.758 seconds (324.83 mph).
“I’ve never, ever had a job that was stable enough that I knew going into next season that I didn’t have to worry about looking for another job,” Todd said. “Once I got hired on here, it was nice to have that comfort. I could focus on driving the car, and I didn’t have to worry about going and finding a sponsor to keep the team going for next season. It was more than I could ever ask for.
“There were times when you’re thinking, ‘Is it time to get up and start looking for a 9-to-5 job?’ I don’t come from a wealthy family, so my bank account started drying up, and I needed a way to pay the bills.”
Las Vegas is a special place for Todd because it’s where he re-established his career. He celebrated his year-plus anniversary with the team by doing the SkyJump off the top of the Stratosphere on Thursday.
“It wasn’t my idea at all,” Todd said. “But after doing it, it’s not that bad.”
Todd, 33, always thought he could be successful in drag racing if given the chance, and his first season in 2006 was proof of that. He became the first African-American to win a Top Fuel race when he came in first in Denver, the first of three victories that season.
He finished in the top 10 in the standings his first two seasons and was 11th in 2008.
But funding became an issue, and Todd raced just three times in 2009 and then completely missed the following two years. He met Sheik Khalid Al Thani, a member of the Qatar ruling family and then-owner of Al-Anabi Racing, one of the more dominant Top Fuel teams before unexpectedly pulling out before this season.
Todd drove Pro Mod races for Al Thani in Qatar and the United States while he waited for his opportunity in NHRA. He also made sure he showed his face in various NHRA stops in case an opening developed.
“If you sit at home, people are eventually going to forget about you,” he said.
He got back into NHRA on a part-time basis in 2012 and 2013, racing a total of 13 times.
Then came the big break last year, and a move had been in the works with Kalitta Motorsports.
Driver David Grubnic, now the crew chief for Clay Millican’s Top Fuel team, had been wanting to get involved on the technical side and was discussing such a move with Kalitta.
So the change wasn’t surprising, just the timing.
“I’ve never heard of that happening in the middle of a race,” Todd said. “It all happened so fast that it took me to probably next week to realize everything that happened. It was pretty surreal, for sure.”
■ NOTES — Matt Hagan qualified first in Funny Car with a time of 4.007 seconds (318.02 mph), and Jason Line was the top qualifier in Pro Stock with a time of 6.606 seconds (208.75 mph). … Erica Enders-Stevens won the K&N Pro Stock Horsepower Challenge for the second year in a row, defeating Vincent Nobile. Enders-Stevens extended her Las Vegas winning streak to 14 rounds, finishing in 6.650 seconds (208.01 mph) to beat Nobile (6.694 seconds, 207.62 mph). Enders-Stevens won $50,000, and Nobile made $10,000.
Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65.