NHRA Mello Yello Series drag racing at the fabulous “Strip at Las Vegas” entered a new era when that track hosted it’s first ever Four-Wide National event following an off-season construction makeover.

(For the first time in event history – NHRA’s fuel Funny Car racing was 4-wide at Las Vegas)

Highly skilled racer J.R. Todd scored his first Las Vegas win and 12th career win during the Denso Spark Plugs presented Four Wide Nationals.

The weekend did not start the way the DHL team would have liked. After Friday’s two sessions, the DHL Camry was not in the show. However, Jon Oberhofer and Todd Smith made the right adjustments and Todd moved from 17th all the way to the third starting spot with a bonus points earning 3.952 second pass in the final qualifying session. That gave Todd his best start of the season, and allowed him to be one of three drivers that have earned bonus points in all four races to start the year.

(JR Todd won for the 12th time in his NHRA racing career – it was his 3rd victory in the fuel FC category)

The success continued on Sunday. In the first quad, Todd was matched up with his teammate Shawn Langdon, Bob Tasca III and John Force. Todd and the DHL team were ready. Todd was stout on the tree, and the DHL Camry blazed the track in 3.959 seconds. That gave Todd the best elapsed time in the first round and gave him lane choice in the quarterfinals over Tommy Johnson Jr., Del Worsham and John Force.

In the second round quad, Tommy Johnson Jr. was able to cross the finish line first, but Todd got there second on a double holeshot. The DHL Toyota was the slowest that session, but thanks to Todd’s reaction time he defeated Worsham and Force.

The holeshot victories were not finished. Todd would line up in the third lane with Courtney Force, Jack Beckman and Tommy Johnson Jr. beside him. Johnson was done at the line with a red light start, but Todd’s reaction time was the best of the remaining three. That would come into play as he was able to holeshot Courtney Force to the stripe. He then outran Beckman to claim his first Four-Wide Nationals win, first Vegas win, third Funny Car win and 12th of his career.

The win moved Todd from eighth to sixth in the point standings as Kalitta Motorsports earned his third win in four races to start the 2018 season.

(Overall points leader “Fast Jack” Beckman was runner-up)

Event Essentials:   NHRA Denso Four Wide Nationals (April 6-8th, 2018) 

(Courtney Force set low ET and top speed of the event and advanced to the event’s “final quad”.

Posted with files by Cody Poor and Bruce Biegler
Photos by: Bob Johnson and Gary Nastase