SHAWN LANGDON RETURNS TO SITE OF FIRST TOP FUEL WIN WITH FOUR-WIDE WIN IN HIS SIGHTS
YPSILANTI, MI – When 2013 NHRA Top Fuel champion Shawn Langdon straps into the CMR Construction & Roofing Top Fuel Car this 
weekend, his thoughts could easily revisit his first-career victory that came at zMAX Dragway more than a decade ago. The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing season resumes Friday with the Circle K NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway near Charlotte April 28-30, 2023.
And when he eases the car up to the lights to stage it for the first time since he did the same in Las Vegas two weeks ago, he will definitely stage the car on time. During the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals semifinals two weeks ago, Langdon “timed out” because he did not stage the car within seven seconds of the when the first driver staged, and a car that could have won the race was eliminated. It was a situation that included Langdon as well as drivers Josh Hart and Steve Torrence.
“At the four-wides at Las Vegas, the racing situation shouldn’t have happened, and I took full responsibility for it,” Langdon said. “Steve (Torrence), Josh (Hart) and I talked about the situation, and everything’s all good. We talked about what happened in Las Vegas, what caused it and our plans going forward. It’s over, and we’ve moved on. I wish them nothing but luck, and it’ll be fun to race against them in Charlotte.”
Langdon definitely has good memories when he drives through the zMAX Dragway entrance. He has two wins in four final rounds and enjoys generally good memories of competing at the North Carolina race track.
“Charlotte is where I won my first Top Fuel race so I always enjoy going back there,” Langdon added. “It’s another opportunity for a four-wide win, but this time, it’s an opportunity to redeem myself for the last race. The car’s been running very well lately. The guys have been giving me a great race car in qualifying and on race day.
“It’s great to have a good race car and a strong team behind you – it gives you more confidence when you get in the race car. It makes you more confident driving the car, cutting good lights and even just showing up to the race track. It’s a great feeling to have a car you know is capable of winning the race. It’s all good right now because of all the hard work our CMR Construction & Roofing crew does every day. We just have to keep working hard and keep trying to get that first victory of the year.”
Race Information:
Circle K NHRA Four-Wide Nationals
zMAX Dragway, Concord, N.C.
TV Schedule:
Qualifying 1: 7-8:30 p.m. Friday, April 28 on FS1
Qualifying 2: Noon-1 p.m. Sunday, April 30 on FS1
Finals: 6-9 p.m. Sunday, April 30 on FS1
2022 NHRA 4-Wide Nationals Recap: Qualified 14th; lost to Clay Millican and Josh Hart
Shawn Langdon Career Stats: 313 events, 337 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.
Las Vegas1: Qualified No. 6; defeated Krista Baldwin and Clay Millican before losing to Steve Torrence and Josh Hart in the semifinals.
Current Point Standings: Langdon enters Charlotte in seventh place in the NHRA Top Fuel point standings. He trails sixth-place Leah Pruett by 18 points and leads eighth-place Austin Prock by three points.
