J.R. Todd and his DHL Toyota team are on a roll – the team reached at least the semifinals in four of the last five races and is headed to a track on which Todd has multiple wins. The 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series resumes with the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals in Sonoma, California, July 28-30, 2023.
The DHL GR Supra team raced for the win in Seattle last weekend; Tim Wilkerson won the race, but it was another strong showing from Todd and his team. It’s been a good Western swing for the 2018 NHRA Funny Car champion, and now is the time keep it going.
“This is the time of the year to start rolling and making moves,” Todd said. “I keep saying we’ve got to start going to the later rounds and getting points, gaining on these guys in front of us, and hope they go out early so we can pick up some positions going into the countdown. This is the time of the year to make that happen.
“I have a handful of wins at Sonoma, and we’ve just run well there in the past; it’s one of my favorite places to go on the tour. With the momentum we have going right now, we need to keep it going, hopefully go to another final and finish the deal. Funny Car is so tough right now; it humbles you. Just when you think you have things figured out, you get shown up there in the final. You can’t take things for granted – you just have to keep digging.
“When we make good, consistent runs, it gives Todd and John-O (co-crew chiefs Todd Smith and John Oberhofer) something to go off of and make adjustments. That gives me confidence as a driver, and it gives the guys confidence working on the car. If we keep running like we are now, I feel like a win is coming soon.”
