JR Todd makes no bones about it. After enjoying a season as the reigning Funny Car champion, he was disappointed to finish seventh last November. He was the third driver on the racetrack this last Thursday as the PRO preseason testing kicked off. He had a few aspects of the 2020 campaign he was curious about – “You never know what it's going to be like . . . different car, a couple different crew guys, cold track . . .” Whatever the question marks were, it was clear he was eager to get started.

The DHL Toyota Camry driver for Kalitta Motorsports was third-quickest among Funny Car testers that first day with a 3.95-second, 287-mph pass that even was a planned shutoff. In Friday’s session, he was fourth at 3.883 – in a bunch after leader Robert Hight who all ran in the 3.8-second range. But he knows testing simply is testing.

“We have the same goal we start every season off with: looking for another shot at the championship like we won with the DHL Toyota in 2018,” Todd said.

Although clearly he wanted to repeat as champion after finding himself locked into another struggle with Hight, Todd has it in perspective.

“We knew it was going to be tough to go out there and repeat what we did in 2018. It didn't live up to our expectations, whether it's teams taking shots at you and making it stick or breaks not falling your way. It could have been worse. But definitely not what we wanted,” he said.

“We didn’t have the season we were hoping for last year, but we’ve regrouped. We have some new crew guys this year and we’ve added some key associate sponsors on board. Things are looking up,” he said, “and we’re hoping on hitting the ground running in Pomona. 

“The pressure is off this year to win a championship. We’ll go out there and hunt down Robert now. With the changes in the Countdown or what have you, it's a long season,” Todd said. “You need to win races early to put yourself in a good position going into the Countdown and then get hot at the right time of the year.”

Todd won’t have any Funny Car partner on the track this time around. Shawn Langdon has moved back to a dragster, gunning for a second Top Fuel champion to match the one he earned in 2013. Todd indicated he isn’t worried about soloing in the Funny Car category this time, largely because of the effective support from Toyota and his dragster teammates at Kalitta Motorsports.

“There are pros and cons of multi-car teams,” he said. I think for us, with Toyota and TRD’s support and their focus on our DHL Toyota Camry, that’s a good thing for us. I don’t think it will hinder our performance being a one-car Funny Car team. We have two great dragster teams here at Kalitta Motorsports that we work really well with.”

He said his, crew chief Jon Oberhofer’s, and the organization’s relationship with TRD and Toyota is “great. We have a TRD-support center parked right next to us at every race. The information they provide us, whether it’s track conditions or different ideas on things we can try with the body and chassis, is great. I don’t think there’s any other manufacturer that provides support like that to the other teams out here. I’m really looking forward to this season. We have some things in the works with Toyota and TRD for 2021, so I expect to be testing some new things later this season.”

He didn’t specify what those are, but he was specific about his desire to win the Winternationals this year.

“With the 60th anniversary of the Winternationals this year, it’s a big race where everyone wants to get a win under their belt,” Todd said. “I’ve been fortunate to win the Winternationals in dragsters, so if I could add my name to that list to win in both nitro classes, that would be pretty special. You always want to start the season off with good momentum. It’s a long season, but if we can come out of Pomona with a win, it will set the bar high for us.”

He has a good example right in his own pit. Doug Kalitta won the 2019 Winternationals and went on to win the U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis and the Finals at Pomona to come within three points of claiming the Top Fuel championship. Kalitta won the 2018 Winternationals and that year recorded five final-round appearances and a perennial berth in the Countdown. Todd himself won the 2007 Winternationals and scored two victories in the inaugural Countdown and finished seventh.

He spoke about the effects Kalitta Motorsports’ new partners might have on the entire organization’s performance this season. Could some of them give Todd a secret weapon?

“It’s great, because the products they supply to us are exclusive to Kalitta Motorsports,” Todd said. “Getting NGK on board is huge. They’ve been around the sport for a long time and have a great history.  Mobil 1 has already put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into making sure this product was right. We did some testing with it last season, and they perfected it. It’s a great product and exclusive to our team, so I think that could be crucial for us in the performance area. We’ve seen the benefits of their oil by not tearing up parts with issues we’ve had in the past.

“When you look at things like that in the long run, it’s going to save our teams money and gives the crew chiefs a bit of advantage where they can stand on the tune-up a little harder because they know the oil is going to hold up to whatever they’re giving it,” he said. “That can make hundredths- or thousandths-of-a -second difference at the finish line. Little things like that can mean a lot and go a long way in this sport.”