Drag Illustrated Issue 153, February 2020 | Page 68

Todd “King Tut” Tutterow
TUTTEROW DOMINATED THE
SCENE IN QATAR, WINNING
ALL FOUR RACES, HOPING
TO CARRY THAT MOMENTUM
INTO AN IMPRESSIVE 2020
NHRA PRO MOD CAMPAIGN.
I
t takes Tutterow a second to an-
swer the question: After all these years
and all these championships, is he still
getting better?
It’s a tough thing to evaluate. After being
on top of the sport for as long as he has, as
a tuner, driver and, simply, a great mind
in drag racing, how much better could he
possibly get? To say he’s vastly better would be a
slap in the face to the Tutterow that won cham-
pionship after championship on tracks akin to a
bumpy road compared to today’s glass surfaces.
But saying he’s already a finished product as
a driver or crew chief eliminates the chance to
advance the sport, something Tutterow has al-
ways enjoyed.
Instead, Tutterow lands somewhere in the mid-
dle, believing he’s still at the peak of his powers
while continuing to refine everything that has
made him so great for so long.
“I don’t know that I’m getting any better, but
I think I have more wisdom and I’m probably a
little more calm,” Tutterow posits. “There’s a lot
more ways to lose than to win in this sport, but
I’ve always seemed to do pretty well and I’ve run
on some pretty nasty tracks.
“But I still have the drive to do it and I’m still
trying to get better and better.”
He jokes that racing against guys who call him
his idol – like Jackson has on frequent occasions
– only makes him feel old, but it’s an honor he
doesn’t take lightly.
He appreciates guys like Jackson who have a
work ethic that matches his, pushing Tutterow
to keep moving forward. In Qatar, he’ll work six
days a week, putting in upwards of 12-14 hours
a day on the car, but it’s the only way Tutterow
knows how.
He knows Jackson is working, which keeps
Tutterow’s fire burning as well.
all the more enjoyable, especially in the midst
of what has the chance to be a legacy-defin-
ing season.
“It’s been very, very special, (Sheikh KH Al-
Thani) allowing us to have the opportunity for
(Ty) to drive,” Tutterow says. “Ty has learned so
much and anybody that’s seen him drive, you
would think I was the one there in the seat. He
grew up at the dragstrip and he’s taken it all in. It’s
very proud for me and it’s just been very special.”
“He gets at it and that’s good for me. It pushes
me. It’s just like if you were going to play golf. I
don’t play, but if I did, I would want to play with
the best,” Tutterow says.
Of course, watching his son race in Pro Mod –
driving the car Mike Janis piloted to the NHRA
Pro Mod championship in 2018 – has also given
him an enjoyable boost of energy and motivation.
They’ve talked about him perhaps making his
debut in 2020, a possibility that brings an instant
smile to Todd’s face.
Even if has to wait a year, he’ll be there in the
pits with him, working on his father’s transmis-
sion and taking his place as a vital part of the
team. Todd’s wife, Denise, will be there as well,
much like she has for all the years Tutterow has
excelled.
It adds an element that makes the operation
T
he buildup to racing for a
championship in NHRA Pro Mod
in 2020 puts a big load on Tutterow.
With a blower car, he knows a fast
start – much like the one he enjoyed
last year – is necessary. He knows he’ll
have to hit on something during first-
time trips to Chicago and Brainerd,
which are both new stops for the Pro Mod tour.
He’s also well aware he may have to find magic
in the high-altitude conditions at Denver, where
Tutterow put together a series of standout test
passes during the 2018 World Series of Pro Mod.
It’s an avalanche of challenges, on top of taking
on the best Pro Mod drivers in the world and
doing it with a new car.
But it’s all challenges that Tutterow craves.
It’s why he goes halfway across the world to
work endless hours and develop things that
could make the difference on a track where
he’s never raced.
The competition drives him, the chance for his
first NHRA world championship is there and Tut-
terow is ready to try and do everything to grab it.
“I’m so excited about this year,” Tutterow says.
“We’ve got the brand-new car, I’ve got two brand-
new engines. We’ve got a good crew, and we’re
ready to go. We’re set up for a good season.”
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Issue 153