Alan Johnson Racing 36th Annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals

Shawn Langdon enters the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals in seventh place in the NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel point standings. He trails sixth-place Spencer Massey by 56 points and leads eighth-place Brittany Force by 15 points.

Bandimere Speedway near Denver is one of only two NHRA National Event race tracks at which Alan Johnson Racing has never won. The other is New England Dragway in Epping, N.H., which joined the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule in 2013. One year ago in Denver, Langdon was the No. 5 qualifier, but Richie Crampton upset him in the first round of eliminations.

Langdon prior to Denver:

“We had a tough weekend in Joliet, but I still feel we’re headed in the right direction on our way back to consistent performance. We just have to work through everything. We’re definitely working as hard as we can to get through it, and now is the time we really have to start getting things figured out for the Countdown. There are only four more races until the really important part of the season with the U.S. Nationals and the Countdown so we’re working on getting the Knuckle Sandwich Toyota car back being competitive so we can start winning races and set ourselves up for the Countdown.

“We definitely have a sense of urgency; we have to get the car back running well and get the consistency back in it. Last year, we had a good car on a hot track and struggled in the night qualifying sessions. This year we’re a little better in the night sessions but seem to struggle when the track warms up. There are definitely things we’re looking into and trying to do the best we can to get the car ready for the Western swing.

“Everything changes when we race in Denver – especially in the engine because of the elevation a mile high. You have to change everything around in your tune-up and in the engine to accommodate for the lack of air up there. It’s kind of a one-off race that’s definitely tough on the Knuckle Sandwich Toyota crew, but we always enjoy going to Bandimere Speedway. It’s a great facility, and the Bandimere family does a great job promoting the race. It’s always packed with fans, and it’s always a really neat race. It’s just different from any other place we race during the season.

“It’s definitely strange that Alan Johnson Racing has never won in Denver. It’s a tough track – there’s no doubt about that, but there’s a lot of great characteristics about it. The track’s good; the cooling system under the track helps with the track temperature. It’s just tough on the mountain, but I’ve always enjoyed racing there. Eighteen years ago, I won the NHRA Junior Dragster National Championship there so I always have great memories of racing at Bandimere Speedway; I always enjoy going back.”