POINTS LEADER LANGDON CHASES HAT TRICK AT INAUGURAL NHRA POTOMAC NATIONALS
Kalitta Air Careers Top Fuel dragster driver enters Race 7 on a two-race winning streak
MECHANICSVILLE, MD — Shawn Langdon arrives at Maryland International Raceway this weekend as the hottest driver in NHRA Top Fuel, leading the points standings and riding back-to-back victories into the inaugural NHRA Potomac Nationals Presented by JEGS.
Langdon, who pilots the Kalitta Air Careers Top Fuel dragster for Kalitta Motorsports, has won three of the season’s first six races — Phoenix, Valdosta, Ga., and most recently near Chicago — and is now chasing history. A win this weekend would make him the first Top Fuel driver to win three consecutive races since Steve Torrence swept Norwalk, Denver, and Sonoma in 2021.
The 2013 NHRA Top Fuel Champion holds a commanding position atop the standings, with teammate Doug Kalitta sitting second. With J.R. Todd leading the Funny Car points, Team Kalitta holds the top spot in both professional categories. The team’s dragsters have combined to win four of the season’s six races and have completed 23 of a possible 24 rounds.
Langdon also owns the two fastest runs in NHRA history, clocking 345.00 mph and 344.91 mph at the Southern Nationals in Georgia earlier this season.
This weekend marks Langdon’s first appearance at MIR behind the wheel of a Top Fuel car, though he has prior experience at the facility in a bracket car — a scenario similar to his debut at South Georgia Motorsports Park, where he won the season’s first inaugural event.
“The sport goes in waves; you have to capitalize when you can, and fortunately, the Kalitta Air Careers team is able to capitalize right now. We’re making consistently good runs when we need to and making appropriate runs when we need to. All the guys are doing a great job putting the car together consistently with no mistakes, and Brian (Crew Chief Brian Husen) is doing a great job making last-minute calls, putting a good tuneup in the car. Fortunately, we’re making good runs, and the results are falling in our favor.”
“Brian’s gotten really good lately, off his gut feeling, making those last-second little changes. At the last race (near Chicago), I could tell he had two different game plans — one for when the sun was out and one for when we had cloud cover so they’re able to adapt to the conditions to provide a great race car.”
“We’ve done really well and have a couple wins, but the Kalitta Air Careers team is not complacent; they’re not satisfied. They want to keep making the car better, and that’s why I really enjoy being a part of this team because they never settle. They always try to be better for the next race.”
“I raced there (at Maryland International Raceway) a long time ago in a bracket race, but it’s a similar situation to South Georgia. I’ve never run a (Top) fuel car there — the only time I was there, it was in a bracket car so different track, same result is what we’re hoping for this weekend. Brian and the team have done a really good job going into situations like that by doing their homework and starting off well like we did in South Georgia — hopefully, we can keep that up.”
The NHRA Potomac Nationals Presented by JEGS is Race 7 of 20 on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series schedule. Qualifying airs Friday and Saturday, May 29-30, from 7-8 p.m. ET on FS1. Finals coverage runs Sunday, May 31, from 3-6 p.m. ET on FOX.
Shawn Langdon Career Stats: 375 events, 25 wins, 30 runners-up, 430 round wins, 24 No. 1 qualifiers.
Photo courtesy: Kalitta Motorsports
