J.R. Todd Flying Under The Radar Despite Strong 2026 NHRA Funny Car Season

Through the first eight races of the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season, J.R. Todd has quietly put together one of the most consistent campaigns in the Funny Car category.

The 2018 NHRA Funny Car world champion has reached four semifinal rounds, advanced to the final quad at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte, won the season’s first Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, earned two No. 1 qualifying positions, and led the Funny Car standings after the first two race weekends. For all but one week during that stretch, Todd never fell below third place in the points standings.

Yet much of the attention in the Funny Car class has focused on drivers such as Ron Capps, Chad Green, Matt Hagan, Jordan Vandergriff, and Austin Prock.

Todd doesn’t seem bothered by that.

And perhaps that’s exactly why he’s a champion.

Having battled Robert Hight for the 2018 championship, Todd understands the twists, turns, and timing required to win a title. He’s won races in both Top Fuel and Funny Car and has led the points standings in both nitro categories, an accomplishment achieved by only a handful of drivers in NHRA’s 75-year history.

Consistency Over Headlines

“I guess in a media sense, we’re under the radar, just because for whatever reason they choose not to talk about us. I don’t know if it’s because we’re not flashy and we don’t win every race we go to or anything like that,” Todd said.

“But I think we’ve had one of the more, if not the most consistent cars. That’s why we’re up there in points without winning a race yet. I don’t know. If you go through the pit area, people might not think we’re flying under the radar. Either way, I don’t mind it. I just hope at the end of the year we’re up on stage collecting that championship trophy. Then they almost have to talk about us.”

Todd’s focus remains firmly on the bigger picture.

“Of course we all like being talked about in a good way, but I’d rather us just keep our heads down and keep working hard. If we keep going to the later rounds, if we keep going to the semifinals and finals, eventually the wins will come.

“But if they don’t come until the end of the year, I’m perfectly fine with that because I’d rather save up all the good stuff for later in the season when you have to make a big run for the championship.”

Experience Matters In The Countdown

Todd knows exactly how quickly things can change once the NHRA Countdown to the Championship begins.

In his championship season, he entered the Countdown in fifth place before vaulting to the points lead with a victory at Reading. After a semifinal finish at the following event, Todd reached four final rounds during the playoffs and secured the championship in his 200th career Funny Car start.

The Countdown format ensures the championship remains competitive.

“It definitely keeps it interesting with the points getting wiped out after Indy,” Todd said. “It gives everybody that’s full-time out here a shot at going for the championship.”

One recent addition to the format is a cash bonus for the regular-season champion. While Todd would love to collect that prize, his priorities remain focused on the ultimate goal.

“With that added bonus for the regular-season championship, we’re definitely in a good position going into that. That would be awesome to win,” he said. “But bigger picture, I’d rather win the overall championship.”

Confidence In The DHL Toyota Supra Funny Car

Todd believes his current DHL Toyota Supra Funny Car is the best race car he’s had in years.

Crew chiefs Todd Smith and Dickie Venables have consistently adapted to changing track conditions while delivering a competitive and reliable race car.

“I feel like Todd and Dickie are doing a great job adapting to the different conditions that we go to week in and week out,” Todd said. “We have a really good car that we honestly haven’t had in a handful of years.”

When asked if this is the best Funny Car he’s ever driven, Todd didn’t hesitate.

“In my opinion, I think so. We don’t have the results that say that we do so far, but I think so,” he said.

“To be up there at the top of the points like we have been at this point in the season, we haven’t had this kind of success going back to 2018. We won a couple races early on that year and then really got hot at the end when we needed to. But I just feel like we have a really good, consistent car, and that’s what it takes to compete for a championship.”

The Importance Of Qualifying Well

Todd believes one of the biggest challenges in today’s Funny Car class is simply surviving the first round.

The depth of talent throughout the category means qualifying performance has never been more important.

“Capps and Hagan, you can pretty much guarantee they’re going to be in the top five at the end of the year every season,” Todd said. “As a driver, you always want to be in that position because that typically means you’re competing for a championship.”

He added that consistency has been the missing ingredient since his title run.

“For whatever reason, since we won in 2018, we just haven’t been able to repeat that success. So, you’ve got to have a consistent car that can go down the track in different conditions. I think that’s back to where we are now.”

Life After Toyota Factory Support

Toyota officially ended its NHRA factory support program in late 2025, but Todd says Kalitta Motorsports prepared well for the transition.

“I don’t think it’s affected us in a negative way,” Todd said. “We definitely still hear from the higher-ups at Toyota, especially with the dragsters and the way they’ve been kicking butt this year.”

While Toyota no longer provides trackside engineering support, Kalitta Motorsports created its own internal solution.

“At Kalitta Motorsports, Chad Head brought in a full-time track guy, and that’s his job. My phone starts lighting up first thing in the morning until late at night. He’s out there reporting track conditions, sending messages, and filming runs.”

“Pretty much everything Toyota did for us, we have that in-house now. We haven’t really missed a beat.”

A Unified Kalitta Motorsports Team

Although Todd is the lone Funny Car driver within Kalitta Motorsports’ current three-car lineup, he doesn’t feel isolated.

In fact, he believes the smaller operation has strengthened communication between teams.

“There were pros and cons of having the second Funny Car here, but it’s also kind of nice being by ourselves with the Funny Car,” Todd said.

“We switched over to some parts this year that the dragsters have been running, so we can utilize more information than we could in the past.”

“There was a time we had five cars at Kalitta Motorsports. Now we’re down to three, so it keeps things a little calmer. The dragster guys aren’t afraid to help the Funny Car team and vice versa. I think that’s helped the success of the DHL car this year.”

Championship Focus Remains The Goal

Whether he’s receiving media attention or not, J.R. Todd remains one of the most dangerous drivers in the NHRA Funny Car category.

With a consistent race car, experienced crew chiefs, strong organizational support, and years of championship experience, Todd continues to position himself for another title run.

With or without an early-season victory, with or without factory Toyota support, and with or without the spotlight, J.R. Todd is quietly building momentum toward what could become one of the biggest championship stories of the 2026 NHRA season.