Indy's visit throws the Funny Car Todd champion into a curve

INDIANAPOLIS – A normal "ride" for J.R. Todd is 1000 feet in a straight line. On Wednesday, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the NHRA Funny Car champion walked 12,200 feet more with the legendary Mario Andretti in the two-seater Indy Racing Experience.

The thrills with Andretti driving the 2.5 mile oval were part of Todd's first experience at the IMS – and the Kalitta Motorsports rider loved it.

"It was great, it's like a to-do list," Todd said. "I think there are very few people in the world who can say that they are in an Indy car with Mario Andretti. To be able to do that, it has far exceeded my expectations and these things are going much faster than I expected for a tandem. "

Todd also visited the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing garage and jumped into Sage Karam's No. 24 Chevrolet, as both drivers share a sponsor in WIX Filters. Todd spoke with Karam and his teammate of DRR, JR Hildebrand. (The trio is shown above.)

The first African-American to win the NHRA's Funny Car title in 2018, Todd is used to sitting most of the time in his Toyota Camry. After sitting in Karam's car, in the Indy, and in the bi-square, the native of Lawrenceburg, Indiana, said it reminded him of a Top Fuel dragster. One of the biggest differences between driving a race car and an Indy car however lies in the G forces that the driver faces when he is at high speed.

"Something that drag riders do not deal with is the side G," Todd explained. "If we do, there is a problem! It's just a different feeling to have your head against the edge of the car (cross bends in an Indy car) like the one where we are used to having our heads down in order to be able to face the G forces that try to force our heads to the back of the car. It happens that in a drag car, the G forces reach 5.5 G, but as I said earlier, it's a different feeling from those guys.

"You absolutely have to be fit and work the muscles in your neck, which I see these guys doing when I get into the PitFit workout. I see why because, having traveled 500 km here, I think my head and my neck would be worn out.

The only thing Todd did not like about driving with Andretti was not in control. But it was once that Todd was ready to make an exception that Todd was ready to make.

"You do not like being in something where you're not in control," Todd said. "When you're at the mercy of someone else, it's Mario Andretti, the world's greatest rider. It was very fun, something I will never forget. "