YPSILANTI, Mich. (Sept. 9, 2025) – The preliminaries are over, and starting this weekend, it’s down to business for real. The 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs begin Sept. 12-14 at the NHRA Reading Nationals Presented by Nitro Fish in Mohnton, Pa.
Langdon and his Kalitta Air 25th Anniversary team had an excellent regular season; they fell just short of winning NHRA’s inaugural regular season championship, but Langdon won three races in five final rounds. He enters the Playoffs as the No. 2 seed, and thanks to the addition of bonus points from his five wins in the Mission Foods #2fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge during the season, he starts just 16 points out of first place.
“We had a very good year as Team Kalitta as a whole,” Langdon said. “One of the cool things about coming down to the end of the season when you have the playoffs is that every race matters and every round matters. That’s not to say the regular season doesn’t, because you get to the point in Indy where we were all separated by a round or two, and it comes down to the end. In the beginning of the season, you may think, ‘it doesn’t matter; we can make it up later,’ but it always matters in the end; every little thing. Every good thing, every bad thing, every little mistake – it all adds up in the end.
“We’re excited about the playoffs; we’re excited about our position. We feel like we have a really good chance, but there’s a lot of good-running cars out there, and a lot of great teams. I just think it’s good for the sport to see the amount of competition that’s out there in Top Fuel. I’m just excited to get going with it – I always get excited about the Countdown every year. It’s a good time of the year. It just gets the adrenaline going, just thinking about the last six races, and we’re ready for it.”
It is clear Langdon is enjoying the ride with his second-year crew chief, Brian Husen, and an efficient Kalitta Air Careers Toyota team that consistently provides a championship-caliber race car. As good as things are today, Langdon remembers how it felt during some not-so-distant lean seasons, and that makes him appreciate his current success even more.
“A few years ago, we weren’t even in the top ten,” the 2013 Top Fuel champion remembered. “Those years are tough, but those years make you appreciate what you have; the last two years make you appreciate it that much more. Fortunately working for a great man like (Team Owner) Connie Kalitta, he gives us all the tools we need to be successful and contend for wins and championships. With Alan (Crew Chief Alan Johnson) on Doug’s team and Brian (Husen) coming over (to Langdon’s team last season), it’s given Doug and me a great opportunity to win races and compete for championships.
“I’m very excited for the opportunity for Brian Husen; he’s worked his tail off and deserves a lot of credit for the success our team has had and the crew guys as well. They’ve done a fantastic job giving me a great race car, and I just still kind of keep the same mentality. They give me a good race car, and I try not to mess it up.”
Race Information:
NHRA Reading Nationals Presented by Nitro Fish Maple Grove Raceway; Mohnton, Pa.
TV Schedule (All times eastern):
2024 NHRA Reading Nationals Recap: Qualified No. 5; defeated Ida Zetterstrom, Tony Stewart and Justin Ashley; lost to Antron Brown.
Shawn Langdon Career Stats: 364 events, 22 wins, 28 runner-up, 405 round wins, 21 No. 1 qualifiers.
2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Results to Date (Wins in Italics):
The post COUNTDOWN NO. 2 SEED SHAWN LANGDON: EVERY LITTLE THING MATTERS first appeared on Team Kalitta Motorsports.
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Langdon and his Kalitta Air 25th Anniversary team had an excellent regular season; they fell just short of winning NHRA’s inaugural regular season championship, but Langdon won three races in five final rounds. He enters the Playoffs as the No. 2 seed, and thanks to the addition of bonus points from his five wins in the Mission Foods #2fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge during the season, he starts just 16 points out of first place.
“We had a very good year as Team Kalitta as a whole,” Langdon said. “One of the cool things about coming down to the end of the season when you have the playoffs is that every race matters and every round matters. That’s not to say the regular season doesn’t, because you get to the point in Indy where we were all separated by a round or two, and it comes down to the end. In the beginning of the season, you may think, ‘it doesn’t matter; we can make it up later,’ but it always matters in the end; every little thing. Every good thing, every bad thing, every little mistake – it all adds up in the end.
“We’re excited about the playoffs; we’re excited about our position. We feel like we have a really good chance, but there’s a lot of good-running cars out there, and a lot of great teams. I just think it’s good for the sport to see the amount of competition that’s out there in Top Fuel. I’m just excited to get going with it – I always get excited about the Countdown every year. It’s a good time of the year. It just gets the adrenaline going, just thinking about the last six races, and we’re ready for it.”
It is clear Langdon is enjoying the ride with his second-year crew chief, Brian Husen, and an efficient Kalitta Air Careers Toyota team that consistently provides a championship-caliber race car. As good as things are today, Langdon remembers how it felt during some not-so-distant lean seasons, and that makes him appreciate his current success even more.
“A few years ago, we weren’t even in the top ten,” the 2013 Top Fuel champion remembered. “Those years are tough, but those years make you appreciate what you have; the last two years make you appreciate it that much more. Fortunately working for a great man like (Team Owner) Connie Kalitta, he gives us all the tools we need to be successful and contend for wins and championships. With Alan (Crew Chief Alan Johnson) on Doug’s team and Brian (Husen) coming over (to Langdon’s team last season), it’s given Doug and me a great opportunity to win races and compete for championships.
“I’m very excited for the opportunity for Brian Husen; he’s worked his tail off and deserves a lot of credit for the success our team has had and the crew guys as well. They’ve done a fantastic job giving me a great race car, and I just still kind of keep the same mentality. They give me a good race car, and I try not to mess it up.”
Race Information:
NHRA Reading Nationals Presented by Nitro Fish Maple Grove Raceway; Mohnton, Pa.
TV Schedule (All times eastern):
- Qualifying Show: Noon-2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 14 on FS1
- Finals: 2-5 p.m. Sunday, Sept.14 on FS1
2024 NHRA Reading Nationals Recap: Qualified No. 5; defeated Ida Zetterstrom, Tony Stewart and Justin Ashley; lost to Antron Brown.
Shawn Langdon Career Stats: 364 events, 22 wins, 28 runner-up, 405 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.
- Richmond: Qualified No. 5; defeated Cameron Ferre, Dan Mercier and Tony Stewart; lost to Justin Ashley.
- Norwalk: Qualified No. 5; defeated Doug Foley and Brittany Force; Lost to Justin Ashley.
- Seattle: Qualified No. 2; defeated Cameron Ferre, Tony Stewart, Bye, Brittany Force.
- Sonoma: Qualified No. 10; defeated Brittany Force, Bye; lost to Antron Brown.
- Brainerd: Qualified No. 8; defeated Antron Brown; lost to Brittany Force.
- Indianapolis: Qualified No. 6; lost to Clay Millican.
The post COUNTDOWN NO. 2 SEED SHAWN LANGDON: EVERY LITTLE THING MATTERS first appeared on Team Kalitta Motorsports.
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