The NHRA raced this weekend in Brainerd, Minn., but for a moment, it looked like the 1986 NHRA U.S. Nationals all over again. J.R. Todd rolled to the starting line in the semifinals sporting a Ron Capps NAPA Auto Parts Toyota body, albeit with a few DHL Toyota decals. 

Those who have been around the sport for more than a couple of decades were teleported to 1986 when Billy Meyer disintegrated a Ford Tempo body in qualifying at the Big Go. He then received a loaner body from Kenny Bernstein, when both drivers were part of a Ford factory team.

In this instance, when Todd suffered his second engine explosion of the weekend, damaging his Toyota Supra, he was effectively out of the event. But it was Capps, the newest kid on the Toyota block, who remembered how much his factory teammates helped him transition from another manufacturer.

"There wasn't even a decision to be made, as we are all Toyota," Capps said. "We even looked into if we could just bring our backup chassis down to [Todd’s team] that was in the trailer. There's a few things I have different on my car, like my brake handle. J.R. is a great driver, and he can adapt. Unfortunately, there are differences between our car, the one of Del Worsham [driven by Alexis DeJoria], and the Kalitta's and the Toyota bodies on the chassis."

It was a community effort as Capps and Worsham's teams jumped into action with the Kalitta team to keep Todd in the event. 

"When you are Team Toyota, you do what it takes to make it work," Capps said. 

Todd made a race of it in the semifinals, leaving on Matt Hagan, but the lead disappeared by the time they passed the Christmas tree and Hagan powered away. 

"I can't thank everybody enough," Todd said. "Ron Capps ... it's great being part of Team Toyota. We are one big family. These GR Supras are not interchangeable between the teams’ chassis, so they had to work on that NAPA body to make it fit on our chassis. Del Worsham and his team were helping us out, and there were other teams. 

"The Yella Fellas [DHL team], I always give them props for busting their ass, but they have had one hell of a weekend. They definitely deserve to go out in The [Brainerd] Zoo and get tanked tonight.

"We have a lot of work to get ready for Indy."

Todd admits that even though he knows there’s camaraderie between the Toyota teams, he initially believed the quarterfinal incident ended his weekend.

"That's why I threw my gloves," Todd admitted. "I had watched the win light come on, and with damaging two bodies and I wasn't sure there was chassis damage. My guys don't quit until it is over with. Dragging it back up there [to race] was almost like a victory in itself. Once I saw Hagan driving away, I just shut it off because I didn't want to blow another body up. Hopefully, we can go to Indy and redeem ourselves, start making a move when it counts."