J.R. Todd scored his second straight victory and took the Funny Car division points lead in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship opener on Sunday at Maple Grove Raceway. Photo: NHRA Media
J.R. Todd opened up the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship with a win that moved him into the Funny Car points lead at the Dodge NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway.
Other winners on the day included Steve Torrence in Top Fuel, Vincent Nobile in Pro Stock and Hector Arana, Jr. in Pro Stock Motorcycle at the first of six playoff events.
Coming off his second consecutive Indy win, Todd stayed hot and went 3.972-seconds at 319.90 mph to defeat Tim Wilkerson’s 4.196 at 249.95 in the final round, earning his fourth win of the season and 12th in his career. It also marked the 100th career win for Kalitta Motorsports and team owner Connie Kalitta.
With the win, Todd now has a 23-point lead on defending world champion Robert Hight.
“It’s awesome to keep the momentum going, but we’ve got a long road ahead of us,” said Todd, who also has a Top Fuel win at the track. “These guys know how to win. A lot of them were there for the 2015 championship with Del Worsham, and we just want to keep winning. It was nice to come out with a win and now we just have to keep it rolling. We had a really good car and they just go up there and race smart, and not beat ourselves. The consistency is really coming around.”
Todd beat Bob Tasca, Mike Smith and defending event winner Ron Capps to reach the final round. Wilkerson beat Terry Haddock, John Force and Hight to secure his 41st career final round and move to sixth in the points standings.
In Top Fuel, Torrence maintained his points lead after going 3.819 at 325.45 to beat Tony Schumacher’s 4.196 at 234.82 and pick up his sixth victory in 2018 and 22nd of his.
To reach his 36th career final round, Torrence knocked off Bill Litton, Mike Salinas and No. 1 qualifier Clay Millican, opening up a 50-point lead against Schumacher and Millican thanks to his first career victory at Maple Grove.
“We’re not here to be second-best,” Torrence said. “Winning the championship is fresh on our minds and we want to do everything we can to solidify that. I think this is a great way to start the Countdown. We’re here to win and that’s the only job we have. We’re going to have to do everything we can to win and just stay focused on what we’re doing. We’ve got a little bit of a lead and we need to maintain that, and keep going in that direction.”
Eight-time world champion Schumacher advanced to his seventh career final round at Maple Grove Raceway and 152nd in his career after defeating Dave Mercier, Scott Palmer and Antron Brown on Sunday, moving into a tie for second in points with Millican.
Pro Stock’s Nobile grabbed his third victory of the season and 13th in his career after going 6.586 at 210.01 in the final round to defeat Drew Skillman’s 6.580 at 211.53. Nobile, who knocked off Matt Hartford, Erica Enders and Greg Anderson to reach his 25th career final round, moved to second in the points standings with his second career win at the track.
“All in all, what a great way to start the Countdown,” Nobile said. “If you really look at it, every single team out here can win the race. It’s just a matter of who has their stuff together the best that weekend. You just have to do the best you can. I think we have a pretty good racecar and as long as we can be in the top six in qualifying, I think we can get the job done.”
Skillman was seeking his first victory of the 2018 season, but did climb to fifth in points after beating Fernando Cuadra, defending world champion and event winner Bo Butner, and points leader Tanner Gray on Sunday. Gray maintained his points lead and currently holds an 18-point advantage over Nobile.
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Arana, Jr. earned his second victory of 2018 and 13th of his career with a run of 6.842 at 197.74 on in his final-round matchup against No. 1 qualifier Matt Smith, who slowed to a 7.306 at 145.88. Arana, Jr. jumped to second in points after his second career win at the track and trails Eddie Krawiec by just three points.
Arana, Jr. picked up wins against Ron Tornow, Joey Gladstone and points leader Krawiec en route to the final.
“What matter are the wins in the Countdown and that’s what we’re working on,” said Arana, Jr., who earned his second win at the facility. “We’re working on consistency and we’ve been working on that all year. We’ve got a strong championship contender with this bike and I can’t thank my team enough. They work super, super hard. We’re definitely working really hard for a championship.”
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The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series continues September 21-23 with the second race in the Countdown to the Championship, the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Illinois.
NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series
Maple Grove Raceway – Mohnton, PA
Dodge NHRA Nationals – September 16, 2018
Sunday’s Final Results
Top Fuel – Steve Torrence, 3.819 seconds, 325.45 mph def. Tony Schumacher, 4.196 seconds, 234.82 mph.
Funny Car – J.R. Todd, 3.972, 319.90 def. Tim Wilkerson, 4.196, 249.95.
Pro Stock – Vincent Nobile, 6.586, 210.01 def. Drew Skillman, 6.580, 211.53.
Pro Stock Motorcycle – Hector Arana Jr, 6.842, 197.74 def. Matt Smith, 7.306, 145.88.
Point Standings (Top 10)
Top Fuel
1. Steve Torrence, 2,219; 2. (tie) Clay Millican, 2,169; Tony Schumacher, 2,169; 4. Leah Pritchett, 2,118; 5. Antron Brown, 2,116; 6. Doug Kalitta, 2,103; 7. Mike Salinas, 2,067; 8. Terry McMillen, 2,062; 9. Scott Palmer, 2,053; 10. Brittany Force, 2,052.
Funny Car
1. J.R. Todd, 2,166; 2. Robert Hight, 2,143; 3. Courtney Force, 2,141; 4. Ron Capps, 2,137; 5. Matt Hagan, 2,112; 6. Tim Wilkerson, 2,101; 7. Tommy Johnson Jr., 2,090; 8. Jack Beckman, 2,080; 9. John Force, 2,064; 10. Shawn Langdon, 2,054.
Pro Stock
1. Tanner Gray, 2,183; 2. Vincent Nobile, 2,165; 3. Greg Anderson, 2,153; 4. Erica Enders, 2,131; 5. Drew Skillman, 2,128; 6. Jeg Coughlin, 2,127; 7. Jason Line, 2,073; 8. Deric Kramer, 2,072; 9. Bo Butner, 2,064; 10. Chris McGaha, 2,032.
Pro Stock Motorcycle
1. Eddie Krawiec, 2,184; 2. Hector Arana Jr, 2,181; 3. Matt Smith, 2,147; 4. LE Tonglet, 2,144; 5. Andrew Hines, 2,137; 6. Jerry Savoie, 2,082; 7. Steve Johnson, 2,073; 8. (tie) Scotty Pollacheck, 2,062; Angie Smith, 2,062; 10. Angelle Sampey, 2,033.
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