NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

This offseason marked the first time J.R. Todd has been involved with bringing an entirely new body to a nitro class. Rest assured, the former Funny Car champ has enjoyed every bit of it, giving him an added dose of excitement heading into the 2022 NHRA season.

When Toyota unveiled its outstanding new GR Supra body late last year, Todd knew the potential for something special was there. He worked with Toyota and its TRD department while the project came to fruition, and then made some initial test hits last month to see if any adjustments were necessary.

It wasn’t a performance test, but Todd was immediately impressed.

“It’s been awesome working with Toyota and TRD, and it’s been pretty exciting to witness,” Todd said. “Testing went well, and anytime Toyota puts the time and resources into a project like they did with the Supra, they do it all the way. This may change the game in Funny Car.”

Before heading to the official test session in Phoenix this weekend, Todd was confident that was the case. 

He praised the previous Camry body but noted the improvements on the GR Supra are significant and could pay dividends in a number of ways. Plus, it just plain looks cool.

“There wasn’t anything wrong with what we had, but Toyota just made it better,” Todd said. “From a fan perspective, it looks like the Supra street car. It’s pretty crazy how similar the Funny Car body looks to the Supra. Hopefully, that’s the path we’re going down.

“There’s also a night and day difference with the visibility in the car. We wanted to see better out of the car. They got the driver to sit up higher, made the roll cages higher, and it’s going to be safer and more comfortable. It’s almost like looking out of a dragster. It blew my mind.”

It was a huge feather in the cap of the developers, especially in the name of safety, but Todd is also eager to see what the car is capable of when it comes to performance in competition. 

Go Time.@ToyotaRacing | @DHLUS #TGRNA #TeamToyota pic.twitter.com/9fcUnQXJG7

— Kalitta Motorsports (@TeamKalitta) February 5, 2022

The styling lines and characteristics speak to the sleek design of the new body, giving the car more front downforce, which presents a world of possibilities in Todd’s eyes.

“For drag racing, the GR Supra is the better fit and what the drag racing version of Toyota should represent,” Todd said. “I think it will be one of the better performing bodies we’ve ever had.”

Of course, it may take some time to find the sweet spot, but Todd and his Kalitta Motorsports team have big expectations for the DHL Toyota GR Supra. 

He won the season opener in Gainesville a year ago and remained in championship contention throughout the year, but the team could never get over the hump late in the year. Todd advanced to four more final rounds after the Gatornationals win and finished seventh in points, but he was third with two races remaining after a runner-up in Bristol.

The season didn’t end as planned with a pair of first-round losses, but that is in the rearview mirror as Todd prepares for a 2022 campaign with championship aspirations and a new championship-caliber Funny Car body. 

“I definitely think there’s a learning curve with the new body, but I don’t see any reason why we can’t show up in Pomona and shoot for a win,” Todd said. “It would be a nice way to introduce the new body. We’re definitely ready to contend for a championship as well.”