KENT, Wash. (July 19, 2025) – – The Team Kalitta Saturday hits keep on coming. Shawn Langdon won his fourth Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge of the season, and his teammate, Doug Kalitta took his sixth No. 1 qualifier in the season’s first 11 races. Both will race in tomorrow’s Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Northwest Nationals near Seattle. The race broadcast is scheduled for 4:30-7:30 eastern time on FOX.
Today’s win was Langdon’s fourth Mission Foods Challenge win of the season equaling Kalitta’s total; he defeated points leader Tony Stewart in the final to claim the cash and championship bonus points. Langdon also won the Challenge at Phoenix, Pomona and Chicago. Kalitta won in Las Vegas, Charlotte, New Hampshire and Norwalk, Ohio.
It was Team Kalitta’s eighth Top Fuel win in the Mission Challenge but the ninth overall. J.R. Todd won his lone Mission Foods Challenge at the Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tenn., in June giving Team Kalitta a Mission Foods Challenge win in nine of the 10 races at which the Challenge was run so far this season. The Mission Foods Challenge is a rematch of the semifinals and finals from the previous race which awards cash and championship bonus points to the winners.
“The championship bonus points and the qualifying bonus points are definitely important for the team, and thanks to Mission Foods making this possible,” Langdon said. “Brian (Crew Chief Brian Husen) and all the Kalitta Air 25th Anniversary guys do such a great job giving me a great race car, and it showed today. Doug made a great run right in front of us there, and after Doug’s run, Brian, went down in there (to make tune-up adjustments), and I could tell his intention so I was pretty excited about that. We got the confirmation that we won so that’s good. We’ll definitely take the win and head into tomorrow with a lot of confidence.”
Kalitta earned his sixth No. 1 qualifier in 11 races this season and the 64th of his career. The Mac Tools Toyota team made excellent runs in three of the four qualifying sessions. Kalitta’s best qualifying attempt came during the Friday-night session when the Mac Tools dragster reached the finish line in 3.671 seconds at 335.90 mph – it was just one thousandth of a second off the track record Kalitta set at this event last year.
“Turning this No. 1 qualifier into a win tomorrow is the goal for sure,” Kalitta said. “Shawn winning the Mission Foods race is a good start for Team Kalitta. My Mac Tools team is definitely running well and qualifying well. We’re definitely going to have our heads down, just try to go rounds and try to get to that final. It’ll happen sooner or later, and hopefully it’s tomorrow.”
With fewer than 16 Top Fuel cars competing this weekend, Kalitta will have a first-round bye and will race the winner of the first-round race between Justin Ashley and Shawn Reed. Langdon is the No. 2 qualifier and will race Cameron Ferre in the first round. In Funny Car, Todd qualified No. 3 in his best qualifying effort of the season and will race No. 14 qualifier Cruz Pedregon in Sunday’s first round.
Photos Courtesy: Kalitta Motorsports
The post SHAWN LANGDON CONTINUES TEAM KALITTA MISSION FOODS DOMINANCE; DOUG KALITTA WINS SIXTH NO. 1 QUALIFIER first appeared on Team Kalitta Motorsports.
Continue reading...
Today’s win was Langdon’s fourth Mission Foods Challenge win of the season equaling Kalitta’s total; he defeated points leader Tony Stewart in the final to claim the cash and championship bonus points. Langdon also won the Challenge at Phoenix, Pomona and Chicago. Kalitta won in Las Vegas, Charlotte, New Hampshire and Norwalk, Ohio.
It was Team Kalitta’s eighth Top Fuel win in the Mission Challenge but the ninth overall. J.R. Todd won his lone Mission Foods Challenge at the Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tenn., in June giving Team Kalitta a Mission Foods Challenge win in nine of the 10 races at which the Challenge was run so far this season. The Mission Foods Challenge is a rematch of the semifinals and finals from the previous race which awards cash and championship bonus points to the winners.
“The championship bonus points and the qualifying bonus points are definitely important for the team, and thanks to Mission Foods making this possible,” Langdon said. “Brian (Crew Chief Brian Husen) and all the Kalitta Air 25th Anniversary guys do such a great job giving me a great race car, and it showed today. Doug made a great run right in front of us there, and after Doug’s run, Brian, went down in there (to make tune-up adjustments), and I could tell his intention so I was pretty excited about that. We got the confirmation that we won so that’s good. We’ll definitely take the win and head into tomorrow with a lot of confidence.”
Kalitta earned his sixth No. 1 qualifier in 11 races this season and the 64th of his career. The Mac Tools Toyota team made excellent runs in three of the four qualifying sessions. Kalitta’s best qualifying attempt came during the Friday-night session when the Mac Tools dragster reached the finish line in 3.671 seconds at 335.90 mph – it was just one thousandth of a second off the track record Kalitta set at this event last year.
“Turning this No. 1 qualifier into a win tomorrow is the goal for sure,” Kalitta said. “Shawn winning the Mission Foods race is a good start for Team Kalitta. My Mac Tools team is definitely running well and qualifying well. We’re definitely going to have our heads down, just try to go rounds and try to get to that final. It’ll happen sooner or later, and hopefully it’s tomorrow.”
With fewer than 16 Top Fuel cars competing this weekend, Kalitta will have a first-round bye and will race the winner of the first-round race between Justin Ashley and Shawn Reed. Langdon is the No. 2 qualifier and will race Cameron Ferre in the first round. In Funny Car, Todd qualified No. 3 in his best qualifying effort of the season and will race No. 14 qualifier Cruz Pedregon in Sunday’s first round.
Photos Courtesy: Kalitta Motorsports
The post SHAWN LANGDON CONTINUES TEAM KALITTA MISSION FOODS DOMINANCE; DOUG KALITTA WINS SIXTH NO. 1 QUALIFIER first appeared on Team Kalitta Motorsports.
Continue reading...
