Championship Drag Racing

O'Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals
Ennis, TX
(September 21-24)

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Driver Profile

J.R. Todd Lucas Oil Octane Booster dragster

Dallas, prerace: J.R. Todd is anxious to go back to work. And, weather permitting he will be at the Texas Motorplex, competing for a Top Fuel win in the O’Reilly Fall Nationals, Friday through Sunday.

Todd, at 24 one of two frontrunners for the coveted NHRA rookie of the year honor, returns to the Motorplex, this time at the controls of the Dexter Tuttle-owned Skull Shine Car Care Products nitromethane-fueled dragster. Todd has experience racing on the only all-concrete quarter-mile race track on the NHRA POWERade Series tour, albeit coming when he drove Jr. Dragsters.

“I raced here in the nationals when I was driving a Jr. Dragster,” said Todd, who is seeking his third 2006 victory in the O’Reilly Fall Nationals. “I’m looking forward to this weekend. Hopefully we got all the bugs worked out of our tune-up during our time at the shop. We should be in good shape because we didn’t race at all last weekend at Reading (Pa., site of the postponed – until Sept. 29-Oct. 1 – Toyo Tires Nationals).”

Todd and the team now face a run of three straight races – the Skull Shine Nationals is scheduled Oct. 6-8 at Richmond, Va. – an obstacle he doesn’t mind, especially after completion of an eight races in a row stint prior to Reading. “It’s bad enough we had one weekend off,” he joked, “but now we’ve gone two weeks without a race.

“One thing three races in a row do is keep you fresh in the car.”

Todd upset the field in Denver to get his first NHRA Top Fuel victory (July 16) and came back two weeks later to win again at Sonoma, Calif., defeating Tony Schumacher in each of his title rounds.

Despite missing four races earlier in the year (before Evan Knoll brought Skull Shine sponsorship to the team), Todd has an opportunity to finish in the top 10. He is 105 points behind the No. 10 driver (710-815) with five races and 20 eliminations rounds remaining.

“We can make up some ground if we can win some rounds and get to the semifinals and finals,” said Todd. The mission begins Friday, and it still is possible.

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