Shawn Langdon, Kalitta Air Careers Top Fuel Dragster
2025 In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals Recap: The race was canceled due to weather.
Shawn Langdon Career Stats: 388 events, 30 wins, 32 runners-up, 464 round wins, 31 No. 1 qualifiers.
Current Points Position: 1
Pre-Race Notes:
- Shawn Langdon enters the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals in first place in the NHRA Top Fuel point standings. Entering the final playoff race, Langdon leads his teammate, Doug Kalitta, by 107 points.
- With that lead:
- If Langdon extends his points lead to 121+ in qualifying, he is the champion.
- If Langdon leads by 91-120 after qualifying, he is the champion if he wins his first round of eliminations.
- To have a chance at the championship, Kalitta must trail by 89 or less after qualifying, but regardless of what Kalitta does in that scenario, if Langdon reaches the semifinals, he is the champion.
- Langdon has eight wins, three runners-up, four semifinal appearances and nine No. 1 qualifiers this season.
- With Langdon’s eight wins and Kalitta’s five wins, the Team Kalitta dragsters won 13 of the season’s 19 races and competed in 71 of the 74 rounds of racing. Neither driver reached the final round at Pomona, Calif., Norwalk, Ohio or Ennis, Texas.
- The 2026 season has been one for the Kalitta Motorsports record book. The team has 15 race wins this year (Langdon 8, Kalitta 5 and Todd 2), more than any other season in team history. In addition, the team enters the last race of the season having won either the Top Fuel or Funny Car title at each of the last nine races. The last time a Team Kalitta car did not win one of the classes was in Norwalk, Ohio on June 28.
- Langdon’s 28-career Top Fuel wins place him 10th all-time in Top Fuel victories. His 30 wins overall (including two Funny Car wins) place him tied for 35th in overall Mission Foods Drag Racing wins.
- 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 13 runs with speeds of 340 mph or higher.
- Langdon has four wins in seven final-round appearances along with two No. 1 qualifiers at In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip.
- Langdon is the 2013 NHRA Top Fuel Champion and has 30 wins in his career.
Pre-Race Quotes:
“For this weekend in Pomona, we just have to get the job done. Whatever that is, whatever the scenario, we’re prepared for it. I just want to keep the same mindset, keep the same mentality, keep the same focus and the same energy that we have all season.
“This season definitely exceeded the goals I had in mind for our team this year. We’ve done a really good job; what we’ve accomplished means a lot, but at the end of the day, you have to win the championship. We have to do that – that’s our goal so that’s our focus, and that’s where our heads are.
“When Connie (Team Owner Connie Kalitta) and Chad (General Manager Chad Head) had a game plan to change some things around with the team with the opportunity of Brian (Crew Chief Brian Husen) coming over, we knew the possibilities. We knew what our goals were as a team: to try to get this car to compete. This year is the third with Brian as crew chief, and each year, he’s gotten a little bit better. The last couple of years were good, but this one has been really good. We have to get the end goal – that’s the big one.
“I do feel some similarity between what this team is doing and what our (Alan Johnson Racing) team did in 2013. We had a really good car in 2013, but this one’s pretty good, too. We were able to win the championship with that car. Brian and I were both on that team so it’s definitely about the vibe – we have a great group of guys putting the car together. Hopefully, if things go right this weekend, we’ll have an opportunity to do that again.
“The really neat thing about Brian is we start preparing for the countdown last November. He doesn’t layup, he utilizes his runs for every piece of information, and to him, every run counts. Really for our team, it’s an all-year thing.
“It (a second championship) would mean a lot for a lot of different reasons. Brian getting the opportunity to be a championship crew chief is at the top of the list, but the Kalitta Air Careers guys have just done such a great job giving me a good race car every week – if we can close the deal this weekend, they’ve earned it – they deserve it. My mindset is still just don’t mess it up; don’t make mistakes, let the guys do their work – they’re the ones that make the magic.”
Langdon Photo Courtesy: Kalitta Motorsports
For Shawn Langdon’s 2026 race-by-race results, please click here.
TV Schedule (All times eastern):
- Qualifying Show: 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15 on FS1
- Finals: 5-8 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15 on FS1
Article Read Speed
