SHAWN LANGDON HOPING MORE LAPS LEAD TO MORE WIN LIGHTS, LAS VEGAS WINNER’S CIRCLE
YPSILANTI, MI – DHL Top Fuel driver Shawn Langdon has a lot of strengths – sitting still isn’t one of them. While most teams and drivers 
enjoyed a holiday off weekend between Pomona and Las Vegas, Langdon was hard at it honing his skills running bracket races in Las Vegas. The 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Season resumes April 14-16, 2023 at the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals on The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Langdon raced in the “Spring Fling” on The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last weekend. He reached the final 18 in the million-dollar race and the fifth round of nearly 700 entries in a race to win $100,000. He was a win light or two away from a six-figure weekend.
“I just enjoy racing – it’s nice to bracket race because it lets me do laps,” Langdon said. “I made close to 30 laps in just over two days of racing. That’s the part of racing I enjoy most – making laps down the track. It definitely helps me drive better and makes me more in-tune with the car. At the national events, we’re busy with all of the obligations that come with driving in a major Motorsports series. I make as many laps as I can during the off weekends to stay as competitive as possible in the DHL Top Fuel car.”
Langdon is the 2013 NHRA Top Fuel champion, a two-time NHRA Super Comp national champion and the 1997 NHRA Junior Dragster National Champion – he’s the first Junior Dragster champ to win a championship in NHRA’s premier series. Through all those laps made, Langdon has won plenty in Las Vegas except for one elusive class.
“I think I’ve won in just about everything at Las Vegas except for Top Fuel,” the four-time NHRA national champion added. “I won in Junior Dragster back in the day and the bracket races. I think the DHL team is definitely in a good position to win in Top Fuel this year. The car ran well at the last race, and it’s run well all year. Going to the four wides, you don’t have to finish first until the final because top two advance – I like our chances.”
Whether watching in person at Las Vegas Motor Speedway or on the FOX broadcast, the four-wide races in both Las Vegas and Charlotte look incredibly different, and the day’s pace is quicker because four cars race at once, but inside the race car? It’s pretty much the same.
“Generally, it’s not a big deal,” Langdon said. “If you’re running against competitors that typically race each week, for the most part, everybody knows what they’re doing and what lane they’re in. You’re looking at four pre-stage bulbs instead of two and then four stage bulbs instead of two. It’s the same process – you absolutely do the same thing except you look for four bulbs instead of two.”
Race Information:
NHRA 4-Wide Nationals
The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, Nev.
TV Schedule:
Qualifying 1: 9:30-11 p.m. Friday, April 14 on FS1
Qualifying 2: 9:30-11 p.m. Sunday, April 15 on FS1
Finals: 9:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. Sunday, April 16 on FS1
2022 NHRA 4-Wide Nationals Recap: Qualified 11th, defeated Doug Kalitta and Rob Passey before losing to Brittany Force and Steve Torrence in the semifinals.
Shawn Langdon Career Stats: 312 events, 336 round wins, 17 wins, 38 final rounds, 19 No. 1 qualifiers
2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Results To Date:
Gainesville: Qualified 11th and lost to Antron Brown by two 10 thousandths of a second.
Phoenix: Qualified No. 8; defeated Antron Brown, Doug Kalitta and Leah Pruett; lost to Justin Ashley
Pomona1: Qualified No. 7; defeated Tony Schumacher, lost to Brittany Force.
Current Point Standings: Langdon enters Las Vegas in sixth place in the NHRA Top Fuel point standings. He trails fifth-place Leah Pritchett by 14 points and leads his teammate, Doug Kalitta, by five points.
