Shawn Langdon is the defending Top Fuel champion of the NHRA Arizona Nationals, and after a runner-up finish in the season-opening race, he’d like nothing more than to put the Kalitta Air Careers team in its second-straight Arizona winner’s circle. The 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series continues March 21-23, 2025, at the NHRA Arizona Nationals in Chandler, Ariz.
Langdon was the No. 3 qualifier at the season-opening NHRA Gatornationals and lost a great final-round race to Antron Brown missing the victory by just .0218 seconds. He enters this week’s race in Phoenix as its defending Top Fuel champion, and two years ago, Langdon was the Phoenix runner-up meaning he won seven of the last eight Phoenix rounds of Top Fuel racing.
“We’re looking forward to getting back to Phoenix,” Langdon said. “We had a great weekend in Gainesville; the Kalitta Air Careers car is running really well. We’ve had success in Phoenix the last couple of years, so obviously, you’re looking to keep the trend going. It just seems like we get good results at some tracks, and fortunately, Phoenix has been one of those tracks lately so we’re just gonna keep trying to make good runs, and then hopefully we can get another win there.”
When Langdon advanced to the Gainesville semifinals, he earned a spot in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge at this weekend’s race. During Saturday’s qualifying sessions, the drivers who reached the Gainesville semifinals will re-run the semifinals and final earning additional purse and championship bonus points. Langdon will race Jasmine Salinas in their semifinal rematch.
“Specialty races like that are really cool,” Langdon added. “With Mission Foods coming in and creating this event, it gives everyone a little something extra. They incentivize with the ability to gain some points for the countdown and also put a little bit of money on the table so it’s a cool to be able to do that. You can pick up a couple wins along the way, get a couple points for the countdown and get a couple extra dollars in the crew guys’ pockets. And those championship bonus points can definitely add up.
“Phoenix is a great place to race, and they have great fans,” the 2013 Top Fuel champion said. “It’s nice, as a driver, when you know the fans are excited to watch us race – it makes us really want to put on a great show for them. I’ve always enjoyed racing in Phoenix; I raced there since my junior dragster days in the late 1990s so I have a lot of memories at that track. I enjoy going there.”
This story was originally published on March 19, 2025. 
