At the end of a busy stretch of NHRA Drag Racing, Shawn Langdon knows this part of the season is pivotal. The 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series continues June 27-29 at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio.
Four races in five weeks is a lot, but it’s the perfect time for a team to establish its rhythm for the next part of the season. This weekend’s race marks the season’s halfway point, but after Norwalk, only four races remain in the regular season with Seattle, Sonoma, Calif., Brainerd, Minn., and the U.S. Nationals remaining before the Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs. After racing in New Hampshire, Bristol, Tenn., Richmond, Va., and this weekend in Norwalk, Ohio, in the last five weeks, some competitors may want a break, but not the 2013 Top Fuel champion.
“I don’t really like taking a couple of weeks off between races,” Langdon said. “I like racing every weekend, so I like it when it’s hectic and back-to-back-to-back. I know it’s hard on the teams, but I think racing on consecutive weekends keeps you sharp.”
Langdon and his Kalitta Air Careers/New Image Building Services team enter Norwalk with two race wins and having qualified in the top five at six of the nine races this season; he has three Mission Foods Challenge wins along with a runner-up and a semifinal in the last two races. That’s a testament to the Kalitta Air Careers team, Crew Chief Brian Husen put together, and the team’s success all starts with the crew chief.
“The good thing about Brian is that he can do anything; the guy’s awesome,” Langdon said. “He does a fantastic job as our crew chief, and he leads the way. He put a great team together with a great group of guys. They give me a great race car every Sunday, and that gives me all the confidence in the world. I just have to go up there, hit the gas and hold on. I have all the trust in the world in Brian and everybody else on the Kalitta Air Careers team – they give me a great race car every week, and I’m just the guy that gets to drive it.”
This weekend’s race in Norwalk, Ohio, is a big-time fan favorite with massive, enthusiastic crowds, and at just 120 miles from the Kalitta Motorsports shop, it’s also the team’s “home race.” Winning his second Norwalk race would be positive on multiple fronts.
“It’s great – the team hospitality is completely packed with a lot of Kalitta people so we have a ton of support,” Langdon said. “Norwalk is one of the most fan-friendly tracks, and personally, it’s one of my favorite tracks on the circuit, and the Bader family does a great job promoting their track; you know Norwalk will pack the stands. I think everyone’s eager to get out there; it’s gonna be a great weekend with a lot of Kalitta people there to enjoy it. We’re hoping to put two Kalitta cars in the Top Fuel final – that would be a great way to thank everyone for all their hard work.”
This story was originally published on June 24, 2025. 
