YPSILANTI, Mich. (Nov. 11, 2025) – For any competitor in any sport, the goal is always to win a championship; when that’s no longer possible, second place is pretty good, and that’s now Shawn Langdon’s goal. The 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs concludes Nov. 14-16 at the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif.
With Doug Kalitta nearly assured of clinching his second NHRA Top Fuel championship in three years during qualifying for this weekend’s race, Langdon will have to wait until next year to continue pursuit of his second championship. With that in mind, the goal in the season’s final race is simple: win and finish second.
“Our plan is the same,” Langdon said. “Doug basically has it; our goal is to finish second, so the Kalitta cars finish the season one-two. That would be amazing. Both Top Fuel cars have had great seasons. (Crew Chief) Brian Husen has done a fantastic job with my Kalitta Air team bringing in Aaron (Cave) this year to join Justin (Groat) and the rest of the team, and obviously Doug, AJ and Mac (Crew Chief Alan Johnson and Assistant Crew Chief Mac Savage) have done a really good job. We have a really good combination going on, and I feel like we have the two best cars in the class. Fortunately, the results back that up. It’s signs of all the hard work the teams have put in over the years, and it’s neat to have success follow the effort.
“The biggest thing is getting the right people. Successful teams are good from top to bottom, and without good people, success like we’ve had over the last couple of years isn’t possible. Chad Head (General Manager) put this team together, and Connie (Team Owner Connie Kalitta) gave him the reigns to do what he needs to do. Connie is a simple man. He wants his cars to win – that’s it. When you have good leadership, it sets the tone for success and work ethic.”
In the battle for second place, Langdon leads third-place Justin Ashley by 19 points and fourth-place Brittany Force by 48 points – all three have legitimate shot at finishing second. The best news for Langdon is that his Kalitta Air 25th Anniversary dragster is competing at a high level, and he has four wins in seven final rounds at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip; it’s his home track and a place where he’s definitely comfortable.
“We have a lot of confidence going into Pomona, and we have a lot of confidence about this weekend,” the 2013 Top Fuel champion said. “I’ve been fortunate to have a lot of success at Pomona; it’s my home track, and I always look forward to racing there. The highlight of this season is really the success our Top Fuel teams have had, but winning this weekend and accomplishing our team goal of a one-two finish would be amazing.”
Race Information:
In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip; Pomona, Calif.
TV Schedule (All times eastern):
2024 In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals Recap: Qualified No. 4; beat Josh Hart, lost to Antron Brown.
Shawn Langdon Career Stats: 369 events, 22 wins, 29 runners-up, 414 round wins, 22 No. 1 qualifiers.
2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Results to Date (Wins in Italics):
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With Doug Kalitta nearly assured of clinching his second NHRA Top Fuel championship in three years during qualifying for this weekend’s race, Langdon will have to wait until next year to continue pursuit of his second championship. With that in mind, the goal in the season’s final race is simple: win and finish second.
“Our plan is the same,” Langdon said. “Doug basically has it; our goal is to finish second, so the Kalitta cars finish the season one-two. That would be amazing. Both Top Fuel cars have had great seasons. (Crew Chief) Brian Husen has done a fantastic job with my Kalitta Air team bringing in Aaron (Cave) this year to join Justin (Groat) and the rest of the team, and obviously Doug, AJ and Mac (Crew Chief Alan Johnson and Assistant Crew Chief Mac Savage) have done a really good job. We have a really good combination going on, and I feel like we have the two best cars in the class. Fortunately, the results back that up. It’s signs of all the hard work the teams have put in over the years, and it’s neat to have success follow the effort.
“The biggest thing is getting the right people. Successful teams are good from top to bottom, and without good people, success like we’ve had over the last couple of years isn’t possible. Chad Head (General Manager) put this team together, and Connie (Team Owner Connie Kalitta) gave him the reigns to do what he needs to do. Connie is a simple man. He wants his cars to win – that’s it. When you have good leadership, it sets the tone for success and work ethic.”
In the battle for second place, Langdon leads third-place Justin Ashley by 19 points and fourth-place Brittany Force by 48 points – all three have legitimate shot at finishing second. The best news for Langdon is that his Kalitta Air 25th Anniversary dragster is competing at a high level, and he has four wins in seven final rounds at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip; it’s his home track and a place where he’s definitely comfortable.
“We have a lot of confidence going into Pomona, and we have a lot of confidence about this weekend,” the 2013 Top Fuel champion said. “I’ve been fortunate to have a lot of success at Pomona; it’s my home track, and I always look forward to racing there. The highlight of this season is really the success our Top Fuel teams have had, but winning this weekend and accomplishing our team goal of a one-two finish would be amazing.”
Race Information:
In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip; Pomona, Calif.
TV Schedule (All times eastern):
- Qualifying Show 1: 6:30-8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14 on FS1
- Qualifying Show 2: 11-12:30 Sunday, Nov. 16 on FS1
- Finals: 5-8 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 16 on FS1
2024 In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals Recap: Qualified No. 4; beat Josh Hart, lost to Antron Brown.
Shawn Langdon Career Stats: 369 events, 22 wins, 29 runners-up, 414 round wins, 22 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.
- Reading: Qualified No. 5; defeated Doug Foley; lost to Shawn Reed.
- Charlotte: Qualified No. 4; defeated Tony Schumacher & Doug Foley, Tony Stewart & Brittany Force; lost to
- Justin Ashley & Doug Kalitta.
- St. Louis: Qualified No. 13; defeated Shawn Reed; lost to Justin Ashley.
- Dallas: Qualified No. 1; defeated Mitch King, Clay Millican; lost to Doug Kalitta.
- Las Vegas: Qualified No. 2; defeated Kelly Harper, Justin Ashley and Doug Kalitta; lost to Brittany Force.
The post LANGDON SET FOR TITANIC TUSSLE FOR SECOND first appeared on Team Kalitta Motorsports.
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