LANGDON'S PROUD VEGAS MOMENT
Sun, 2009-04-05 08:00
NHRA Announcer Bob Frey reveled in the moment and Top Fuel rookie 
Shawn Langdon didn’t mind the gifted microphone man stealing a bit of his thunder.
“This is something you’ve never heard any other announcer in drag racing say before,” Frey crowed over the loudspeaker.
“Shawn Langdon your No. 1 qualifier in Top Fuel.”
That’s correct. The rookie driver for Morgan Lucas Racing vaulted to the top of a one-day Top Fuel qualifying program to lead for the first time in his nitro career with a 3.874 elapsed time at 311.84 miles per hour. NHRA Announcer Bob Frey reveled in the moment and Top Fuel rookieShawn Langdon didn’t mind the gifted microphone man stealing a bit of his thunder.
“This is something you’ve never heard any other announcer in drag racing say before,” Frey crowed over the loudspeaker.
“Shawn Langdon your No. 1 qualifier in Top Fuel.”
That’s correct. The rookie driver for Morgan Lucas Racing vaulted to the top of a one-day Top Fuel qualifying program to lead for the first time in his nitro career with a 3.874 elapsed time at 311.84 miles per hour.
The two-time Super Comp champion, who once bracket raced at The Strip in Las Vegas as well as in other sportsman divisions, will be announced as the No. 1 qualifier on Sunday morning.
“You can’t beat that,” Langdon admitted. “This team works awful hard. The track was tricky for us, but it was tricky for everyone else too. We finally got that number one spot and you have to start somewhere. Hopefully we can parlay that into a win on Sunday.”
Langdon is no stranger to winning on Sunday in the sportsman divisions and even claimed the 1997 Junior Dragster world championship. Thus far, Top Fuel has worked well for him as he’s reached the quarter-finals twice in the first four events.
Up to this point in his career, Langdon has been a master of making himself and the car into one. The more laps he makes in the Lucas Oil dragster, the more he gets in tune with the mechanical side.
“You just have to go from point A to point B,” Langdon said, when asked what the key to winning on Sunday was. “We’ve just been missing that a little bit in eliminations but Stew [crew chief Jon Stewart] and Jimmy Walsh both do a great job with this car. I think we are going to have a good day on Sunday.
"I've been trying to do the best I can as a rookie driver and not make any mistakes. The guys know what they're doing and Stewie has been out here forever. They know how to make a car run. I just try to keep the thing straight."
Langdon has qualified his Lucas Oil/Dixie Choppers dragster for every race this year, four out of five times in the top half of the field.
"The car's been real consistent, especially in qualifying," said Langdon, the winner of the last two Super Comp world championships. "We've just struggled on race day a little bit. Hopefully, that'll change tomorrow and we can go four rounds and get a win. No matter what, being No. 1 qualifier in just our fifth race is really cool.
"I have to thank Morgan Lucas (teammate and car owner) because he's coached me along through this whole process of going from a Super Comp dragster to a Top Fuel car. He's had an answer to every question I've asked him and I've asked a bunch."
Langdon and Lucas could meet in the quarterfinals if they both win their opening-round races. Langdon starts his day against final qualifier Steve Chrisman.
Shawn Langdon didn’t mind the gifted microphone man stealing a bit of his thunder.“This is something you’ve never heard any other announcer in drag racing say before,” Frey crowed over the loudspeaker.
“Shawn Langdon your No. 1 qualifier in Top Fuel.”
That’s correct. The rookie driver for Morgan Lucas Racing vaulted to the top of a one-day Top Fuel qualifying program to lead for the first time in his nitro career with a 3.874 elapsed time at 311.84 miles per hour. NHRA Announcer Bob Frey reveled in the moment and Top Fuel rookie
Shawn Langdon didn’t mind the gifted microphone man stealing a bit of his thunder.“This is something you’ve never heard any other announcer in drag racing say before,” Frey crowed over the loudspeaker.
“Shawn Langdon your No. 1 qualifier in Top Fuel.”
That’s correct. The rookie driver for Morgan Lucas Racing vaulted to the top of a one-day Top Fuel qualifying program to lead for the first time in his nitro career with a 3.874 elapsed time at 311.84 miles per hour.
The two-time Super Comp champion, who once bracket raced at The Strip in Las Vegas as well as in other sportsman divisions, will be announced as the No. 1 qualifier on Sunday morning.
“You can’t beat that,” Langdon admitted. “This team works awful hard. The track was tricky for us, but it was tricky for everyone else too. We finally got that number one spot and you have to start somewhere. Hopefully we can parlay that into a win on Sunday.”
Langdon is no stranger to winning on Sunday in the sportsman divisions and even claimed the 1997 Junior Dragster world championship. Thus far, Top Fuel has worked well for him as he’s reached the quarter-finals twice in the first four events.
Up to this point in his career, Langdon has been a master of making himself and the car into one. The more laps he makes in the Lucas Oil dragster, the more he gets in tune with the mechanical side.
“You just have to go from point A to point B,” Langdon said, when asked what the key to winning on Sunday was. “We’ve just been missing that a little bit in eliminations but Stew [crew chief Jon Stewart] and Jimmy Walsh both do a great job with this car. I think we are going to have a good day on Sunday.
"I've been trying to do the best I can as a rookie driver and not make any mistakes. The guys know what they're doing and Stewie has been out here forever. They know how to make a car run. I just try to keep the thing straight."
Langdon has qualified his Lucas Oil/Dixie Choppers dragster for every race this year, four out of five times in the top half of the field.
"The car's been real consistent, especially in qualifying," said Langdon, the winner of the last two Super Comp world championships. "We've just struggled on race day a little bit. Hopefully, that'll change tomorrow and we can go four rounds and get a win. No matter what, being No. 1 qualifier in just our fifth race is really cool.
"I have to thank Morgan Lucas (teammate and car owner) because he's coached me along through this whole process of going from a Super Comp dragster to a Top Fuel car. He's had an answer to every question I've asked him and I've asked a bunch."
Langdon and Lucas could meet in the quarterfinals if they both win their opening-round races. Langdon starts his day against final qualifier Steve Chrisman.
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