YPSILANTI, Mich. (June 18, 2025) – The first eight races of the season were good to Shawn Langdon and his Kalitta Air Careers team, but with the summer months upon us, hot race tracks have arrived. The 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series continues June 21-22 at the American Rebel Light Virginia NHRA Nationals near Richmond, Va.
The all-important “hot track tune-up” is the key to summer success in drag racing. Two races remain until the mid-point of the season, but only five races remain until the end of the regular season. One year ago, Langdon went into Richmond enjoying a season similar to what he’s experienced this year. He was the No. 1 qualifier and advanced to the final round where lost the all-Team Kalitta final round to his teammate, Doug Kalitta. It was one of several final-round losses on which the Kalitta Air Careers team hopes to flip the script this year.
“We got off to a good start this year, just like last year,” Langdon said. “It was last year around this time we hit the skids so we’re hoping history doesn’t repeat itself. I have a good team, and Brian (Crew Chief Brian Husen) is very smart. The things he goes through, the things he addresses and the things we talk about cover everything. That’s why he’s had the success he’s had as a crew chief. What happened last year is in the back of your mind, but it’s not something that alters your course. I just believe in this team so much, and we have a great race car so I feel like we have a good shot.”
Since winning NHRA’s 1,000th Top Fuel race near Charlotte in April, Langdon has three round wins in the last three races. His best showing in that stretch was two weeks ago in Bristol, Tenn., where he advanced to the semifinals before losing to Justin Ashley. He enters the weekend in second place in points but 76 markers out of first place.
“The car kind of got away from us at the last couple of races so after Epping, the guys re-addressed some areas on the car and went through everything with a fine-toothed comb,” Langdon said. “We found a couple issues. We were actually planning to test on Monday after Epping (N.H.), but we weren’t able to do that so we went to Bristol with a little bit of a ‘We’re pretty sure we addressed it’ feeling. “Qualifying third was a good sign, but we didn’t close the deal. We’ll definitely be looking for more consistent runs this weekend.
“We’re looking forward to going to Richmond – the Franklin family does a great job with the facility; it’s probably the smoothest track we have on tour. We’re going to a great facility with a great track, and there’s good air there, but it’ll be pretty hot this weekend so when that track temperature gets pretty high, there’s only so much you can do. I’m all for these two-day events – I’d like to see us do it more often.”
When Langdon advanced to the semifinals two weeks ago in Bristol, Tenn., he earned a spot in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge this weekend. During Saturday’s qualifying sessions, the drivers who reached the semifinals at Thunder Valley will re-run the semifinals and final earning additional purse and championship bonus points. Team Kalitta won a Mission Foods Challenge at the first seven events of the season. Langdon and Kalitta each have three wins, and J.R. Todd took the Funny Car title in Bristol two weeks ago to keep the streak alive.
Race Information:
American Rebel Light Virginia NHRA Nationals Virginia Motorsports Park; Dinwiddie, Va.
TV Schedule (All times eastern):
2024 Virginia NHRA Nationals Recap: Qualified No. 1; beat Lex Joon, Steve Torrence and Antron Brown before losing to Doug Kalitta in the final round.
Shawn Langdon Career Stats: 358 events, 21 wins, 27 runner-up, 393 round wins, 21 No. 1 qualifiers.
2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Results to Date (Wins in Italics):
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The all-important “hot track tune-up” is the key to summer success in drag racing. Two races remain until the mid-point of the season, but only five races remain until the end of the regular season. One year ago, Langdon went into Richmond enjoying a season similar to what he’s experienced this year. He was the No. 1 qualifier and advanced to the final round where lost the all-Team Kalitta final round to his teammate, Doug Kalitta. It was one of several final-round losses on which the Kalitta Air Careers team hopes to flip the script this year.
“We got off to a good start this year, just like last year,” Langdon said. “It was last year around this time we hit the skids so we’re hoping history doesn’t repeat itself. I have a good team, and Brian (Crew Chief Brian Husen) is very smart. The things he goes through, the things he addresses and the things we talk about cover everything. That’s why he’s had the success he’s had as a crew chief. What happened last year is in the back of your mind, but it’s not something that alters your course. I just believe in this team so much, and we have a great race car so I feel like we have a good shot.”
Since winning NHRA’s 1,000th Top Fuel race near Charlotte in April, Langdon has three round wins in the last three races. His best showing in that stretch was two weeks ago in Bristol, Tenn., where he advanced to the semifinals before losing to Justin Ashley. He enters the weekend in second place in points but 76 markers out of first place.
“The car kind of got away from us at the last couple of races so after Epping, the guys re-addressed some areas on the car and went through everything with a fine-toothed comb,” Langdon said. “We found a couple issues. We were actually planning to test on Monday after Epping (N.H.), but we weren’t able to do that so we went to Bristol with a little bit of a ‘We’re pretty sure we addressed it’ feeling. “Qualifying third was a good sign, but we didn’t close the deal. We’ll definitely be looking for more consistent runs this weekend.
“We’re looking forward to going to Richmond – the Franklin family does a great job with the facility; it’s probably the smoothest track we have on tour. We’re going to a great facility with a great track, and there’s good air there, but it’ll be pretty hot this weekend so when that track temperature gets pretty high, there’s only so much you can do. I’m all for these two-day events – I’d like to see us do it more often.”
When Langdon advanced to the semifinals two weeks ago in Bristol, Tenn., he earned a spot in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge this weekend. During Saturday’s qualifying sessions, the drivers who reached the semifinals at Thunder Valley will re-run the semifinals and final earning additional purse and championship bonus points. Team Kalitta won a Mission Foods Challenge at the first seven events of the season. Langdon and Kalitta each have three wins, and J.R. Todd took the Funny Car title in Bristol two weeks ago to keep the streak alive.
Race Information:
American Rebel Light Virginia NHRA Nationals Virginia Motorsports Park; Dinwiddie, Va.
TV Schedule (All times eastern):
- Qualifying Show 1: 2-4 p.m. Sunday, June 22 on FS1
- Finals: 4-6 p.m. Sunday, June 22 on FOX
2024 Virginia NHRA Nationals Recap: Qualified No. 1; beat Lex Joon, Steve Torrence and Antron Brown before losing to Doug Kalitta in the final round.
Shawn Langdon Career Stats: 358 events, 21 wins, 27 runner-up, 393 round wins, 21 No. 1 qualifiers.
2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Results to Date (Wins in Italics):
- Gainesville: Qualified No. 11; defeated Justin Ashley, Tony Stewart and Jasmine Salinas; lost to Antron Brown.
- Phoenix: Qualified No. 3; defeated Scott Palmer, Justin Ashley, Brittany Force and Doug Kalitta.
- Pomona: Qualified No. 3; defeated Ida Zetterstrom and Josh Hart; lost to Tony Stewart.
- Las Vegas: Qualified No. 11: lost to Antron Brown, Mike Salinas.
- Charlotte: Qualified No. 2; defeated Ida Zetterstrom and Scott Farley, Brittany Force and Josh Hart, Justin Ashley, Tony Stewart and Antron Brown.
- Chicago: Qualified No. 3; defeated Kyle Wurtzel, lost to Steve Torrence.
- Epping: Qualified No. 6; lost to Dan Mercier.
- Bristol: Qualified No. 3; defeated Cody Krohn and Josh Hart; lost to Justin Ashley.
The post CONSISTENCY THE KEY FOR SHAWN LANGDON AND TEAM first appeared on Team Kalitta Motorsports.
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