The Funny Car field had reason to take notice of the “Yella Fellas” after J.R. Todd and Kalitta Motorsports closed the Professional Racers Organization preseason test with the quickest Funny Car run of the private session.
Todd capped four days in Gainesville with a string of consistent 3.80-second passes from two brand-new cars, signaling that the offseason changes had produced immediate results.
For a team that historically built momentum deeper into preseason testing, the early consistent frontrunning elapsed times stood out. Todd acknowledged the difference from previous years.
“I feel like we’re definitely optimistic with the changes that we made this offseason going into ’26, with bringing Todd [Smith] back on to work with Dickie [Venables], two brand new cars, which that’s what we were working out in Gainesville and just hit the ground running,” Todd said. “Definitely gives you, a lot of optimism going into the season.”
That optimism centered on personnel and equipment. Veteran tuner Dickie Venables now paired with co-crew chief Todd Smith, and the team rolled out two fresh Funny Cars to evaluate side-by-side.
The plan carried inherent risk, as two new cars can double the workload in a compressed test window. Todd said the team approached it methodically.
“We made some solid gains with the first car, so put it away and got the second one out and ran on Thursday with similar success with it and no headaches,” Todd said. “That was the plan.”
Testing numbers do not earn points, but they can reshape expectations. For Todd, who has endured uneven preseason performances in the past, the clean data mattered.
“Yeah, for sure,” Todd said. “Because in years past, we’ve had not so successful test sessions, so it’s nice to have a car going down the track and putting up good numbers so it gives you a good notebook to come back here and to work with. But I’m sure we’re going to have different conditions when we come back here for the race. But either way, it’s good progress.”
The progress culminated in the quickest Funny Car lap of the test, a benchmark that did not come with a trophy but did send a message. Other teams in attendance saw a program that appeared stable from the first hit.
That stability is often a reflection of chemistry between driver and crew chiefs. Todd downplayed his role in the equation, deferring to Venables and Smith for the tuning decisions.
“I don’t know,” Todd said when asked how close he and Venables were to being perfectly synchronized. “I just hold onto the steering wheel and hit the gas. Him and Todd are the ones that make the crucial calls. I’m just a lucky one that gets to hang on to it.”
Todd said the cars required little correction through most of the week. Only one early run forced him to make adjustments on the fly.
“Yeah. Yes and no,” Todd said. “Honestly, we unloaded this thing and it’s been driving like a dream. I haven’t been doing much work with the steering wheel. Until today. Kind of got myself in a little trouble early, but it cleared up and still made a good run. So yeah, that’s the thing about Funny Cars, just when you think that it’s driving like a dragster, it shows you whose boss. But that’s what makes him cool and unique.”
That perspective reflected a veteran who has experienced both sides of nitro racing’s premier categories. Todd began his professional career in Top Fuel before transitioning to Funny Car, where he delivered Kalitta Motorsports its first Funny Car championship.
He said there was no longing for a return to the dragster cockpit. The flopper remained his preference.
“I don’t,” Todd said when asked if he missed Top Fuel. “I get asked that a lot. It’s not that I don’t like Top Fuel, it’s just I like Funny Cars more than dragsters.”
The statement underscored where his focus remained entering the 2026 campaign. With two new chassis sorted and a productive test in the books, Todd and the Yella Fellas positioned themselves as early-season contenders.
Preseason testing rarely guarantees race-day dominance. Track conditions change, fields tighten and performance margins shrink once qualifying begins.
Yet for a team that had sometimes needed multiple events to find its footing, leaving Gainesville with the quickest Funny Car run of the session offered tangible momentum. If the 3.80-second consistency translated to eliminations, the rest of the category would be forced to respond.
Todd framed the week as progress rather than proof. Even so, the notebook they built may prove decisive when the season opens.
“Either way, it’s good progress,” Todd said.
