Longtime NHRA Funny Car crew chief Dickie Venables has been appointed as the crew chief for Team Kalitta’s DHL Funny Car driven by J.R, Todd, the team announced Wednesday. The 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series will begin March 7-9 at the Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida.
Venables replaces Todd Smith who joined Kalitta Motorsports in 2016, and will be assisted by longtime Kalitta Motorsports team member Jon Oberhofer.
Venables, 60, is a four-time NHRA Funny Car championship crew chief, having won the title in 2007 with driver Tony Pedregon. He was also the assistant crew chief for Pedregon during his 2003 championship run at John Force Racing and most recently worked with Matt Hagan at Don Schumacher Racing.
At Don Schumacher Racing, Venables led Hagan to championships in 2014, 2020, and 2023. He replaces Todd Smith at Kalitta Motorsports, who had been with the team since 2016, and joins from Tony Stewart Racing, where he and Hagan collaborated since the team’s inception.
“I’m happy to be in Michigan and getting to know everybody,” Venables said. “Kalitta Motorsports has a lot of resources, and I’m glad to be part of it.”
Venables emphasized the need for gradual progress and strong teamwork in achieving success. “There is no magic wand you can wave over one of these cars; it’s something we have to take one step at a time,” he added.
Chad Head, Team Kalitta General Manager, praised Venables as a significant addition to the DHL GR Supra team. “Dickie’s talents and experience will put the DHL team in a position to challenge for the 2025 Funny Car championship,” Head said.
In the 2024 season, Team Kalitta’s Top Fuel squads finished second and fourth overall. Crew Chief Alan Johnson and Assistant Crew Chief Mac Savage will return to the Mac Tools team, while Crew Chief Brian Husen remains at the helm of the Kalitta Air Careers Top Fuel team after a successful first season.
