J.R. Todd would love nothing more than to keep his No. 1 spot in the Top Fuel field at the NHRA AAA Finals in Pomona, but he’s a realist considering Saturday’s qualifying schedule.

“The dragsters run second on Saturday,” Todd explained. “There’s a very good likelihood they will have the cooler session to run in the evening.

“You always have to watch out for that Army car and Alan Johnson. As soon as you count them out they will come back and bite you.”

This comment comes from the only driver to defeat Schumacher dating back to July. J.R. Todd would love nothing more than to keep his No. 1 spot in the Top Fuel field at the NHRA AAA Finals in Pomona, but he’s a realist considering Saturday’s qualifying schedule.

“The dragsters run second on Saturday,” Todd explained. “There’s a very good likelihood they will have the cooler session to run in the evening.

“You always have to watch out for that Army car and Alan Johnson. As soon as you count them out they will come back and bite you.”

This comment comes from the only driver to defeat Schumacher dating back to July.

Todd has seen Tony Schumacher go from zero to hero too many times in Pomona for it not to be in the back of his head what they are capable of accomplishing. Schumacher is 20th after two sessions.

Todd and teammate/team owner Morgan Lucas both had mechanical issues on their lone Friday pass.

“We broke a rocker arm and when I stepped on the gas, I shook the tires,” Todd admitted. “I’m glad that happened now and not in Sunday’s eliminations. We’ve held up the No. 1 for two days, hopefully we can do it one more day.”

Todd has his eye on the top spot and to keep it might make Lucas patriarch Forrest Lucas smile.

“He hasn’t had a lot to smile about this year,” Todd said. “That’s what we planned to do, that’s the concept – hopefully they can meet in the final round.”