Shawn Langdon, Kalitta Air Careers Top Fuel Dragster​


2025 NHRA Midwest Nationals Recap: Qualified No. 13; defeated Shawn Reed, lost to Justin Ashley.

Shawn Langdon Career Stats: 385 events, 29 wins, 32 runners-up, 456 round wins, 28 No. 1 qualifiers.

Current Points Position: 1

Pre-Race Notes:

  • Shawn Langdon enters the NAPA NHRA Midwest Nationals in first place in the NHRA Top Fuel point standings. Entering the third of six playoff races, Langdon leads his teammate, Doug Kalitta, by 25 points.
  • Langdon won last week’s inaugural NHRA Nationals at The Rock. With the win, he:
    • Won his seventh race of the season.
    • Clinched his second three-race win streak of the season.
    • Won his 12th-consecutive round of racing.
    • Swept the season’s four inaugural races winning at Valdosta, Ga., Budds Creek, Md., Martin, Mich., and Rockingham, N.C.
  • With Langdon’s race wins in Indianapolis, Martin, Mich., and Rockingham, N.C., and Kalitta’s wins in Sonoma, Calif., Seattle and Brainerd, Minn., the Team Kalitta Top Fuel teams are on a six-race win streak. With Langdon’s seven wins and Kalitta’s four wins, the Team Kalitta dragsters won 11 of the season’s 16 races and competed in 61 of the 63 rounds of racing.
  • For the second time this season, Langdon will try to win four-straight races at this weekend’s race. Should he win in St. Louis, he would be the first to win four straight since Steve Torrence did it in 2019. Tony Schumacher (2008), Cory McClenathan (1997) and Scott Kalitta (1994) also won four-straight Top Fuel races.
  • Langdon owns the four fastest runs in NHRA history. At the Great Lakes Nationals in Michigan, he recorded speeds of 346.95 and 346.15. At the Southern Nationals in Georgia in May, he recorded speeds of 345.00 mph and 344.91 mph.
  • Langdon has two wins in three St. Louis final rounds. He has one No. 1 qualifier at the Midwest Nationals.
  • Langdon is the 2013 NHRA Top Fuel Champion and has 29 wins in his career.

Pre-Race Quotes:

“Brian’s (Crew Chief Brian Husen) done a really good job, especially the last couple of years, making good decisions, and a lot of it is last-minute calls. He’s done such a good job over and over. I think he’s built a lot of confidence in himself and feels good about the calls when he’s making his last-minute changes.

“When we struggle a little bit, Brian really digs into the computer and starts getting into all the finer details of everything. That’s one of the reasons this team’s really come into its own this year. It’s all the little things that situationally present themselves. Focusing on certain things that may be significant in giving us a good car may be what allows us to make a deep run for the championship at the end of the year.

“The Kalitta Air guys do a great job – they triple check themselves and work together to be perfect. Brian strives for perfection. You have to be perfect to win races and championships, and what we’re doing so far this year is a testament to the guys who are bonding together and working hard. We keep our heads down and keep working hard for the next one. We’ll do the same for St. Louis.

“The guys feed off Brian, and I feed off the guys. I feed off Brian, Brian feeds off me, and it’s just a good working environment. We all work well together. We had a couple years where we finished second. It’s not a bad spot, but it definitely gives you something to strive for the next season. We had some bad seasons. We barely made the top 10 – it was tough, but years like that make us appreciate years like this one much more. We stuck together – a lot of the guys on this year’s team were with us back then, and all the hard work is paying off. These are scenarios that stay with you for the rest of your life – we’re trying to make the best of it.”

Langdon Photo Courtesy: Kalitta Motorsports

For Shawn Langdon’s 2026 race-by-race results, please click here.

TV Schedule (All times eastern):

  • Qualifying Show 1: 6:30-8:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2 on FS1
  • Qualifying Show 2: 11 a.m.-Noon Sunday, Oct. 4 on FS1
  • Finals No. 1: 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4 on FOX or
  • Finals No. 2 4:30-6:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4 on FOX

Continue reading...