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J.r. todd funny car

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J. R. Todd, a leading drag racer and crew chief, was the first African American to win a Top Fuel competition sponsored by the National Hot Rod Association. He was born Mario Luther Todd Jr. in Lawrenceburg, Indiana on December 16, 1981 to Mario Luther Todd, Sr., a city construction coordinator and former motorcycle racer, and Kimberly Lynn Todd. At a very young age, he rode four-wheelers and dirt bikes. Idolizing his father, who suffered injuries from motorcycle racing, he discouraged his son’s interest in the sport. Nonetheless, Todd retained an interest in automobile mechanics and junior dragster racing, thus obtaining his Top Fuel dragster license one week after graduating from Lawrenceburg High School. Todd, who stands just 5’6,” soon began entering national competitions, but by the end of his first season, his team lost sponsorship funding.

For the next five years, Todd worked on several crew teams until a fortuitous test drive gave him his next opportunity to race in the Top Fuel class. He experienced his first major victory as a professional driver at the 2006 Mopar Mil

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LONG ROAD TO THE TOP: JR TODD AND HIS “THIS CAN’T BE” JOURNEY

Think back, way back, to the days right after high school. What were you doing as a bright-eyed 18-year-old with a diploma and a dream?

Were you looking ahead to college? Your first job? How about a new car? Or maybe you had no idea what you wanted to do.

All are natural steps in the ritual that is the transition from teenager to the real world.

But, for some, they know exactly what it is they want to be when they grow up. And that is where we introduce a young JR Todd into the story.

From a very young age, Todd knew that he wanted to be a racer. From Junior Dragster, to Super Comp, to bracket racing, Todd had years of experience under his belt by the time he walked across that stage and was handed his diploma.

And, in the days following his high school graduation, Todd was back behind the wheel learning to drive once again. But we are not talking about a decades-old, hand-me-down car we all

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J.R. Todd waited 15 years to become an overnight sensation in the NHRA

It took nearly 15 years for J.R. Todd to become an overnight sensation in drag racing.

The 33-year-old driver from Lawrenceburg, Ind., bounced from country to country and job to job for most of his NHRA career, often wondering if it would be better to punch a time clock instead of racing against it.

A telephone call from racing legend Connie Kalitta a year ago in the middle of the racing weekend at Las Vegas was a surprise that brought vindication, and relief for never giving up on spending his life in the fast lane.

A year ago, Todd was considering anything around drag racing, including selling car parts at each race. Now he's driving one of the best hot rods at this weekend's Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Auto Club Raceway - a Top Fuel dragster for Kalitta Motorsports.

"There were definitely times when all your money you had saved up is drying up, and you're struggling to pay the bills. That's when you start thinking about getting a 9-to-5," Todd said. "That definitely crossed my mind. That's