NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Top Fuel driver J. R. Todd (SKULL Shine/Knoll Gas-Torco Racing Fuels) attended a press luncheon on Tuesday at the Fior d’Italia Restaurant in San Francisco in advance of the upcoming FRAM Autolite NHRA Nationals at Infineon Raceway, July 27-29. Below is a transcript of the press conference
Q: Last year you came into the NHRA pretty much as an unknown, but you’ve since earned five wins. How have things changed one year later?
JR: I definitely wasn’t doing fancy press conferences last year, but it all started last year around this time after our first win in Denver. A lot of people thought that was a fluke, but then we came to Infineon two weeks later and picked up another win against (Tony) Schumacher in the final found. That proved we weren’t a fluke and we were for real. Then we won another event and we finished eighth in the points and won Rookie of the Year. It was a big year for us and it far exceeded my expectations.
Q: Can you talk a little about Infineon Raceway? What can we expect? Doug Kalitta has a long history of winning here (five career wins in Top Fuel).
JR: I think Doug’s got one of the best track records here for Top Fuel drivers. The facility is one of the nicest that we compete at all year long. The track is really smooth. You should see some fast times there and fast speeds during qualifying. I’m really looking forward to getting back there. It was the scene of our second victory, and I’m hoping to repeat history there.
Q: You’ve had three difference crew chiefs this year, what’s going on?
JR: They all keep getting lured away by bigger teams, I think. We’ve got Kevin Pointer on board now. He worked on Eric Medlen’s team last year for John Force Racing, and he has almost six years of experience there. He’s new to the crew chief role, but he’s learning quick. So far we’ve made it out of first round at every race he’s done so far this year. We’ve actually been to three final rounds with three different crew chiefs this year, which may be some type of NHRA record. It’s not a stat that I’m particularly proud of, but I think he’s here for the long haul, and if things go well we’ll get our first win together and hopefully a championship together.
Q: You’re currently fourth in points, is that where you thought you’d be?
JR: Last year, no, but coming out this year and winning the first event, we kind of dominated the first race and led the points for the first two events, and we were second in points for a while. Right now, second through fourth really aren’t separated by that many points. After we won that first event, my goal was to make a run at the championship and right now we’re not that far out. With the way the new Countdown to the Championship is this year, if we can maintain the pace we’ve got going, we stand a good chance of making it.
Q: NHRA has unveiled the new Countdown to the Championship, has it generated the interest it was supposed to?
JR: It’s pretty early to tell, and lots of good cars aren’t qualifying for events, so the countdown for them maintains a chance for them to make a run for the championship. I’m sure guys like John Force are big fans of it because he started out slow, but now he’s making a run at it. Hopefully we can come out of this western swing and maintain our spot or maybe even move up a couple of spots. Once you’re in that top eight, you’ve got to stay on the top of your game and win as many races as possible.
Q: What is the biggest difference from this time last year to now for you?
JR: The difference is that we’re on the radar now and people don’t take us lightly when they have to race us. We really haven’t changed anything as far as how we run the car or anything, but the crew changes we’ve had have been the big changes from last year. That really hurt us at the beginning of the year with Jimmy Walsh leaving. We really haven’t changed our program that much. The guys that have come in there and taken over have just gone over his notes and how he ran the car. So far, it’s been working out. We definitely need to pick up the performance a bit. It’s fallen off and it’s not where it was last year, but it’s not that bad. Things could be a lot worse.
Q: What have you learned since last year?
JR: As a driver, I’ve gotten more comfortable in the car. I can pick up things going wrong in the car, whether it’s dropping cylinders or spinning the tires. That just comes with runs. I have a lot more runs than I had last year. I learn every time I go down the track and it just takes seat time. I think I’ve got the respect of a lot of the older guys in the sport, and if I need driving tips I can go to a lot of those guys and they’re quick to help me out, whereas last year when I was a rookie they might be a little leery. Once we won a couple of races, they knew we were for real. Coming back to a place as a defending champion kind of puts a bull’s eye on your back, so everyone is shooting for you.
Q: Is it tough going from a track like Seattle to Sonoma?
JR: A little bit, but I’d say it’s tougher going from Denver to Seattle or Sonoma because in Denver you have to make so many changes to your car because of the high altitude and the way you run your car there to totally different than you do anywhere else. In Seattle, it depends on how the weather is. It all depends on how the track is prepped and how the weather conditions are when we get there.
Q: How does Infineon Raceway compare to other tracks on the west coast swing?
JR: I’d say the track in Sonoma is leaps and bounds ahead of the track in Seattle. Nothing against it, but Bruton Smith puts together nice facilities and his three tracks that we go to (Bristol and Las Vegas) on the NHRA tour are probably the three nicest tracks we go to all year long. I really look forward to going to his events, but I look forward to going to any race.
Q: How does the sea air affect your car?
JR: When you’re at sea level, that’s usually when you can make the most horsepower of any. The cars need all the oxygen they can get. That’s where an event like Seattle helps us because of all the trees around. It helps being at sea level because when you’re at 10,000 feet above seat level, you see slow times, but when you get here you might see 4.40s at 330 mph and that’s because you’re at sea level conditions.
Where I had my fastest run at Reading, Penn., there are a lot of trees and a lot of oxygen. Sometimes the elevation there will kind of trick you, but with all the trees you get a lot of oxygen. That’s more of a question for the crew chiefs because they tune the car, and I just drive it. Whenever the conditions are right and there’s not a lot of moisture in the air and you’re close to sea level, that’s when you see the fast times and quick speeds.
Q: How has your level of sponsorship this year compared to last year?
JR: It’s a little better this year. When Evan Knoll with his company Torco Racing Fuels and Skull Shine came on board, that’s what allowed us to step up our program and come on full-time. Before that we were running a part-time schedule. They signed back up again for this year, and they’re here for the long haul, so hopefully we’ll win them a championship. We’re at a disadvantage because we’re a one-car team, and we don’t have the budget of the Budweiser or and Army Team some of those other big teams, but Hot Rod Fuller is also on limited funding and he’s leading the points. We need some more funding along the way and with our performance I don’t think it should be that big of a problem.
Q: You’ve mentioned that you’re traveling by air this year, are there any other little differences?
JR: At the beginning of last year, when we were going to be a part-time team, and I was a full-time crew guy at the shop and there were four of us along with the crew chief. We now have eight guys back at the shop and I’m out and doing sponsorship things or media events for NHRA. I’m not depended upon to ride in the van, so that’s a nice perk. There are times when there might be a mad thrash and I might jump in there and help out, but I know if I get in there and help I might have to leave so it’s best to sit back and let them do their job. If you’re going to be at the top of our sport, you’ve got to be comfortable in front of the media, and it’s been a lot of fun.
Q: Can you talk about the highs and lows for you in the last two years?
JR: For highs last season, winning the events we did last year and finishing top 10 in points and Rookie of the Year. This year, winning the first event of the year and running my career best ET. The lows, losing my crew chief at the first race and three races after that losing my best friend. We bounced back after Eric’s death the following weekend won that event. That was one of my biggest wins. I’ve never wanted to win a race that bad so that I could give the trophy to his family. I was glad to win the event and dedicate it to him.
Q: Can you talk a little bit about Eric Medlen?
JR: Eric and Brandon Bernstein and myself were pretty tight together. We spent quite a bit of time together away from the track. Eric lived about a mile up the street from me in Avon (Ind. ). He’d call me up and cook dinner for me and we’d go and hang out. It’s weird not having him around and we miss him.
Q: What are your best memories of Eric?
JR: Probably going out Wednesday or Thursday nights before events, and we’d go out and have a good time. Before Gainesville (Fla. ), we spent a night painting our race car helmets together. He was a pretty good helmet painter, and the helmet I wear now he painted. We stayed up until midnight or 1 a. m. together and that event’s when he passed away.
Q: After Eric passed away, were you shy at all about getting back into the car?
JR: When Eric’s accident happened, some guys said they didn’t want to race the next event, but me I couldn’t wait to get back to the track. I didn’t want to sit outside the car and think about all the bad things that could happen. To me, that racecar is home and that’s the place to be and I couldn’t wait to get back to the track. On the safety side, a lot of good things have come out of his accident. We have a lot more padding in the car and his father, John Medlen, is working really hard to make the sport safer.
Q: What’s been the biggest safety improvement so far?
JR: John is still working on making the cars safer, whether that’s how the car is constructed or the safety belts we wear or the helmets we wear. It shouldn’t take a tragedy like that to make those kinds of improvements, but it does. His dad is a really strong guy to work that hard after something like that happened to his son, and hopefully it helps our sport become one of the safest forms of motor sports out there.
Q: How did you meet Eric Medlen?
JR: I met Eric three or four years ago when I was working on Bob Gilbertsons’s crew. It was before he started driving for Force. He was working on Force’s team as a crew member and I got to know him them.
Q: Are there more safety improvements you’d like to see?
JR: There’s always room for improvement. The safer barriers that NASCAR has, I think maybe you could see that in our sport. Whether it’s from the half-track down to the shut-down area because that’s when we’re really accelerating. Little things like that, I think, could help our sport. I think there’s always room for improvement, whether it’s adding more padding around our bodies and head to protect us. Right now I wear the HANS device and it has become mandatory.
Q: You mentioned racing with veterans, are you the youngest in your class?
JR: No, I’m not the youngest, I believe Morgan Lucas is. He’s 23. I’m 25.
Q: John Force has said it’s up to John Medlen whether to fill the fourth seat at John Force Racing. Is that something you’d explore?
JR: Yeah, I mean, I’ve actually made a little hit in a Funny Car. I went 400 feet in Bob Gilbertson’s car at a closed test session in Indianapolis. I always thought about getting back in Funny Car if I was presented with the right opportunity. John Force racing is the best team in drag racing, so if that opportunity came up, it’d be tough to turn it down. I’m definitely looking at some options for 2008, and it’s good to have options. For now, I’m focused on winning the championship this year and when it comes time to look at next year and those options, I’ll do that. There’s been talk and rumors, but that’s pretty much it for right now.
Q: Is doing this a dream come true for you?
JR: I always dreamed of doing this, but I always thought it was a long shot. I got hooked up with the right people and it was a matter of good timing more than anything. It’s definitely been a dream come true.
Q: Do you think your success as an African-American driver set an example for other people?
JR: I think it shows that it can be done. I’ve noticed a bigger fan base of African-Americans the last year or so. NHRA’s never had a really big diversity issue like some other forms of racing, but I do think it will open the doors for some other people and hopefully help our sport grow to the next level.
Q: How hard to you think it is to get involved with drag racing?
JR: I think it’s one of the easiest to get involved with because you can take your street car down to the local drag strip and race for a little money or a trophy. Junior drag racing is a great way for kids and families to get involved in the sport. It’s definitely much easier to get involved in than IndyCar or NASCAR.
Q: From what you’ve said, it sounds like you might not be back at Skull Shine next year…
JR: I’m not saying I won’t be back with Skull Shine, but if the right… Like I said, John Force Racing is the best team out there, so if he came to me to drive one of his cars it’d be hard for me to turn him down. I’m happy where I am right now, but if I get presented with a better opportunity, I’m going to look into it and see what it’s all about.
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