The Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals saw J.R. Todd, driver of the DHL Funny Car, put on a consistent performance, finishing in the runner-up position.
During the qualifying rounds, Todd’s talents were on full display as he secured the No. 5 spot. His best effort came in a 3.967-second run at 323.81 mph. The final qualifying session on Saturday afternoon was nothing short of spectacular, setting the stage for an action-packed elimination day.
In the eliminations, Todd unleashed his competitive spirit, charging his way into the final round with a series of remarkable victories. He first dispatched Alex Laughlin, then bested Cruz Pedregon, and continued his dominance against Chad Green, all while setting up a showdown in the ultimate battle for the championship.
However, in the final round, Tim Wilkerson stood in Todd’s path to victory. Despite putting up an impressive fight, Todd ultimately had to settle for the runner-up spot.
“We had a really good car right off the trailer starting on Friday,” Todd said. “The way that DHL Toyota GR Supra ran the first three rounds today, I thought for sure it was gonna be our day, but that just shows how tough Funny Car is. I didn’t do us any favors in the final. I went up there and flinched at the starting line and ended up being late. Either way, those guys made a great run, and ours slowed down for whatever reason. Going into Sonoma, it’s one of my favorite tracks. We’ve run well there in the past, and I think we have really good momentum right now so hopefully we’ll just keep rolling.”
With the Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals now behind him, Todd leaves Seattle sitting in the ninth spot in the NHRA Funny Car point standings. While he trails John Force, who holds the eighth position, by 27 points, he maintains a lead of 70 points over Cruz Pedregon, who sits in tenth place.
This story was originally published on July 24, 2023. 
