YPSILANTI, Mich. (March 4, 2025) – For many, an off season can be a time of recovery, reflection and rejuvenation, but for 2013 NHRA Top Fuel champion Shawn Langdon, it’s an opportunity to drive a race car, no matter where. The 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series begins March 7-9, 2025 at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla.
Langdon spent the last eight weeks racing in Qatar’s Arabian Drag Racing League driving for his friend, Khalid AlBalooshi, who competes in NHRA’s Congruity Pro Mod Racing Series. Langdon’s happy place is in the seat of a race car so with the exception of a trip back to the States for pre-season testing last month, Langdon was in the middle east getting as much seat time as possible. He won two races and had two runner-up finishes.
“I just race in the off-season trying to stay sharp for the new NHRA season,” Langdon said. “I enjoyed Qatar, but I also went to Bahrain and Dubai. I was there for eight weeks and really enjoyed Qatar and exploring the region. I raced in the Arabian Drag Racing League and then ran some local track races before heading home to get ready for the season.”
And that season begins this weekend with Langdon and now second-year crew chief Brian Husen looking to improve on last year’s fourth place finish that capped off a two win, seven-final round season.
“We’re all super excited with the Kalitta Air Careers team after we had a great season last year,” Langdon added. “Brian obviously exceeded a lot of people’s expectations in his first season as crew chief, but internally, we knew what his talent level was so it didn’t come as a shock to us. It was great to be able to have a great year, make seven finals and be able to go to Pomona with a shot at the championship. The team did a fantastic job all season – there really weren’t any mistakes last year so we have a good group that is excited to get going in Gainesville.”
Langdon is the third seed in Saturday’s Right Trailers NHRA Top Fuel All-Star Callout. Drivers accrue qualifying points all season, and the top-eight drivers start the following season with this special event in which the top seed “calls out” or picks his or her opponent, followed by the second seed and third seed. The driver with the quickest winning elapsed time in the first round calls out his opponent for the semifinals.
“It doesn’t really matter who you pick because every team is good so there are no easy wins, and if you don’t pick someone in the first round, and you happen to win, you may see them in the semifinals. There are always some curveballs that that get thrown in there so you can’t really say what will happen or who you’ll pick.”
One year ago, Langdon won the Gatornationals right after his teammate, J.R. Todd, won the Funny Car title. It was the first double win in Kalitta Motorsports history, and even a year later, it’s still a very special memory.
“It was awesome,” Langdon recalled. “It was great to be a part of Kalitta Motorsports history. For as long as the company name’s been around and as much as Connie (Team Owner Connie Kalitta) has done for the sport, to be a part of something like that was very gratifying. I’m very grateful to have been part of it and to be able to see Connie smile in the winner’s circle. Hopefully, we’ll be able to do that again this year.”
Race Information:
Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals Gainesville Raceway; Gainesville, Fla.
TV Schedule (All times eastern):
2024 NHRA Gatornationals Recap: Qualified No. 1; defeated Cody Krohn, Justin Ashley, Antron Brown and Billy Torrence.
Shawn Langdon Career Stats: 350 events, 19 wins, 26 runner-up, 378 round wins, 21 No. 1 qualifiers.
The post SHARP SHAWN LANGDON PREPARED FOR 2025 SEASON first appeared on Team Kalitta Motorsports.
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Langdon spent the last eight weeks racing in Qatar’s Arabian Drag Racing League driving for his friend, Khalid AlBalooshi, who competes in NHRA’s Congruity Pro Mod Racing Series. Langdon’s happy place is in the seat of a race car so with the exception of a trip back to the States for pre-season testing last month, Langdon was in the middle east getting as much seat time as possible. He won two races and had two runner-up finishes.
“I just race in the off-season trying to stay sharp for the new NHRA season,” Langdon said. “I enjoyed Qatar, but I also went to Bahrain and Dubai. I was there for eight weeks and really enjoyed Qatar and exploring the region. I raced in the Arabian Drag Racing League and then ran some local track races before heading home to get ready for the season.”
And that season begins this weekend with Langdon and now second-year crew chief Brian Husen looking to improve on last year’s fourth place finish that capped off a two win, seven-final round season.
“We’re all super excited with the Kalitta Air Careers team after we had a great season last year,” Langdon added. “Brian obviously exceeded a lot of people’s expectations in his first season as crew chief, but internally, we knew what his talent level was so it didn’t come as a shock to us. It was great to be able to have a great year, make seven finals and be able to go to Pomona with a shot at the championship. The team did a fantastic job all season – there really weren’t any mistakes last year so we have a good group that is excited to get going in Gainesville.”
Langdon is the third seed in Saturday’s Right Trailers NHRA Top Fuel All-Star Callout. Drivers accrue qualifying points all season, and the top-eight drivers start the following season with this special event in which the top seed “calls out” or picks his or her opponent, followed by the second seed and third seed. The driver with the quickest winning elapsed time in the first round calls out his opponent for the semifinals.
“It doesn’t really matter who you pick because every team is good so there are no easy wins, and if you don’t pick someone in the first round, and you happen to win, you may see them in the semifinals. There are always some curveballs that that get thrown in there so you can’t really say what will happen or who you’ll pick.”
One year ago, Langdon won the Gatornationals right after his teammate, J.R. Todd, won the Funny Car title. It was the first double win in Kalitta Motorsports history, and even a year later, it’s still a very special memory.
“It was awesome,” Langdon recalled. “It was great to be a part of Kalitta Motorsports history. For as long as the company name’s been around and as much as Connie (Team Owner Connie Kalitta) has done for the sport, to be a part of something like that was very gratifying. I’m very grateful to have been part of it and to be able to see Connie smile in the winner’s circle. Hopefully, we’ll be able to do that again this year.”
Race Information:
Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals Gainesville Raceway; Gainesville, Fla.
TV Schedule (All times eastern):
- Qualifying Show 1: 8-9 p.m. Saturday, March 8 on FS1
- Top Fuel Right Trailers All-Star Callout: 9-10:30 p.m. Saturday, March 8 on FS1
- Qualifying Show 2: 12:30-2 p.m. Sunday, March 9 on FS1
- Finals: 7-107 p.m. Sunday, March 9 on FS1
2024 NHRA Gatornationals Recap: Qualified No. 1; defeated Cody Krohn, Justin Ashley, Antron Brown and Billy Torrence.
Shawn Langdon Career Stats: 350 events, 19 wins, 26 runner-up, 378 round wins, 21 No. 1 qualifiers.
The post SHARP SHAWN LANGDON PREPARED FOR 2025 SEASON first appeared on Team Kalitta Motorsports.
Continue reading...