By Mike Haag | Raceday San Antonio
ENNIS, Texas – NHRA Top Fuel driver Shawn Langdon has his eye on the prizes – a Top Fuel world championship and a Texas Cowboy hat.
Langdon rides into the Stampede of Speed Texas NHRA FallNationals next weekend with momentum and a winning attitude. The Kalitta Motorsports Top Fuel racer has been nearly unstoppable in recent weeks, winning four consecutive NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series events, including all three races to open the Countdown to the Championship.
With the 41st annual Texas NHRA FallNationals approaching at the Texas Motorplex, Langdon can strengthen his hold on the standings and move closer to his second Top Fuel world title. He won his first Top Fuel title in 2013.
Langdon enters the Oct. 14-18 event with eight victories this season and a 116-point lead over Kalitta Motorsports teammate Doug Kalitta. With three races remaining in the six-race Countdown, another strong performance could make him increasingly difficult to catch.
Still, Langdon isn’t ready to celebrate.
“We’ve had a good start to the Countdown with winning the first three, so we have a good lead,” Langdon said in an interview with Raceday San Antonio. “I wouldn’t say that we’re comfortable with it because Doug Kalitta, our teammate, is in the second spot, and we know what Alan Johnson and Doug Kalitta are capable of. So we just got to keep our heads down and keep working hard.”
Langdon’s streak began with a victory at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, the final event of the regular season. He then swept the first three Countdown races (Michigan, Rockingham and St. Louis) and is now in position to win a fifth-straight race with a victory at the Texas Motorplex.
He credited the Kalitta organization, his crew and crew chief Brian Husen for building one of the sport’s fastest and most consistent Top Fuel dragsters in the field.
“We’ve had a lot of big things within the Kalitta organization across the board with all three teams,” Langdon said. “But our team in particular and Doug’s team, we’ve had one of them dream seasons so far this year.
“The crew have done a fantastic job this year putting the car together, as they do every year,” he added. “Putting together picture perfect every single time is a tall task, but these guys have been able to achieve that.”
The team’s performance was evident earlier this season at Martin, Michigan, where Langdon recorded a world record 346.95-mph run.
“I knew it was on a good run,” Langdon said. “I didn’t know it was 346. Going that fast, you can’t really tell the difference from a 343 to a 345 or 346. You just know it’s on a really good run.”
Kalitta remains Langdon’s closest challenger, but his title hopes took a major hit at St. Louis. A first-round elimination, combined with another Langdon victory, turned a 25-point deficit into a 116-point gap.
Tony Stewart is third, 225 points behind Langdon, followed by Leah Pruett (235 back), Will Smith (250) and Antron Brown (252). With only Las Vegas and Pomona remaining after the FallNationals, the challengers need strong finishes and help from Langdon and Kalitta to close the gap.
Langdon said the Texas race is critical to maintaining his points lead.
“With six races in the Countdown and Dallas being the fourth of the six, it definitely starts to get on the backside of things where you’ve got to really get everything buttoned up if you’re going to want to make a run at the championship,” Langdon said. “Fortunately, we’ve had a good start to the Countdown so far with winning the first three. But Dallas is definitely a big race for us to try to maintain that lead.”
The Texas Motorplex, which opened in 1986, also offers Langdon a personal incentive: its FallNationals winner’s circle includes a traditional Texas cowboy hat, a coveted prize that he has yet to claim. He reached the semifinals in 2020 and 2022 and qualified No. 1 in 2025 with a 3.684-second pass at 338.88 mph.
“Yeah, it’s one that I haven’t been able to get yet,” Langdon said. “So it would definitely be nice to add that to the list.”
Langdon also hopes to deliver another championship to team owner and drag racing legend Connie “The Bounty Hunter” Kalitta. If Langdon wins the championship this season, it would be the seventh for Kalitta Motorsports. Scott Kalitta (1994 and1995), Del Worsham (2015), J.R. Todd (2018) and Doug Kalitta (2023 and 2025) are previous champions who have driven for C. Kalitta.
“Connie’s obviously a great leader. He’s a great boss,” Langdon said. “He’s been around the sport for a very long time. He’s done a lot of things for us to get us in the position that we were able to do what we’re doing, giving us an opportunity to race for him, to have a job, to be able to live our dreams.”
For now, Langdon’s focus is on Texas, where another victory could put him on the doorstep of a second Top Fuel world title – and finally earn him a Texas cowboy hat.
