Shawn Langdon arrived at New England Dragway riding a championship-caliber hot streak. By the end of Friday night’s action, he left little doubt that the rest of the Top Fuel field is chasing a team operating at full stride.
Langdon powered his Kalitta Air dragster to a 3.709-second pass at 334.98 mph under the lights to secure the provisional No. 1 qualifying position at the NHRA New England Nationals. The run also earned him the No. 1 Clawifier Award presented by NAPA.
Joining Langdon atop the qualifying sheets were Alexis DeJoria in Funny Car and Greg Anderson in Pro Stock. All three drivers used the cooler evening conditions to deliver the quickest performances of the opening day at the eighth stop of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.
For Langdon, the performance was another chapter in what has become one of the strongest stretches of his career. The 2013 NHRA champion has won three races in a row – South Georgia, Joliet and Budds Creek – and four of the last six events, establishing himself as the driver every contender must now measure against.
“It’s a great feeling. These guys have worked so hard the last couple of years and it’s nice to finally see the dividends of all that hard work show up on the scoreboard,” Langdon said.
“I used to be a fan of those teams where you knew Friday night they were going to throw down. Now that’s our story, and that’s a pretty cool feeling.”
Momentum alone doesn’t create performances like the one Langdon delivered Friday night. Execution remains the difference, and Kalitta Motorsports has found plenty of it since the season turned toward spring.
Crew chief Brian Husen “is the opposite of complacent. He’s always pushing, always looking for the next thing, always trying to be better,” Langdon said. “I feel like that mindset is across the entire team right now. There’s really good chemistry going on. We did a really good job adapting to the conditions today, and then with the night run, we knew we had to step on it.”
Leah Pruett sits second after posting a 3.712-second run, while Josh Hart currently occupies third with a 3.724 at 337.92.
In Funny Car, Alexis DeJoria delivered one of the most significant runs of her recent resurgence. Her 3.929 at 312.42 mph in the Bandero Café Chevrolet SS placed her atop the field and positioned her for a first No. 1 qualifier award since Bristol in 2021.
The performance continued a steady climb for the veteran, who has shown flashes of championship muscle in her first season as part of the John Force Racing stable. Friday provided tangible proof that the pieces may finally be coming together.
“Right now, we’re No. 1 and that’s all that matters. I got to sit in the lobster chair tonight, and we’re sitting No. 1. Our team really needed that,” DeJoria said.
“We’ve come so close to so many things and just missed them. Tonight, everything paid off.”
The success extended beyond DeJoria’s lane. John Force Racing placed its three entries among the top four positions entering Saturday.
“We’ve worked really hard to build a consistent race car and now we’re starting to take that next step,” DeJoria said. “We’re one, two and four. That’s a pretty good night” for JFR.
Jordan Vandergriff sits second with a 3.932-second effort, while two-time reigning champion Austin Prock, fresh off last weekend’s victory in Maryland, is third after running 3.950, 328.14.
If consistency is defining Langdon’s season, dominance continues to describe Greg Anderson’s. The defending New England event winner laid down a 6.508-second pass at 210.67 mph to take the provisional No. 1 position in Pro Stock.
The run places Anderson in position for his fifth No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 145th of his certain Hall of Fame career. It also strengthens his pursuit of KB Titan Racing teammate Dallas Glenn in the championship standings.
“We won Friday and we won the lobster, so that’s about as good as you can possibly ask for today. We checked all the boxes and brought them all home,” Anderson said.
“If you miss on that Friday night run, tomorrow is going to be a struggle. It’s going to be a hard challenge for anybody to catch that number. We’re going to go out there tomorrow and try to get some more bonus points, but I think we’re looking pretty good.”
Anderson has long considered New England Dragway one of the premier stops for Pro Stock racers. Friday’s crowd only reinforced that belief.
“Up and down the East Coast, people really appreciate Pro Stock, and that makes you want to show off for them and prove why they love the class,” Anderson said.
“We’re very fortunate to have tracks like this and Maryland on the schedule. The fans here understand and appreciate Pro Stock racing.”
One of the biggest stories in Pro Stock continues to be Matt Latino, who maintained his breakout campaign by qualifying second with a 6.525, 210.77. His father, Eric Latino, followed closely in third at 6.534, 210.57, giving the family operation two cars in the top three entering Saturday’s final qualifying sessions.
NHRA announced an earlier start for Saturday qualifying. The third round of qualifying is now set for 11:30 a.m. EDT, starting with Top Fuel and Funny Car, followed by Pro Stock at 12:30 p.m. The final round of qualifying is slated for 2 p.m. with Top Fuel and Funny Car, with Pro Stock at 3 p.m.
Racing in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series will begin at 9:30 a.m. EDT on Saturday. Gates will open at 8 a.m.
Friday’s results after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the 13th annual NHRA New England Nationals presented by bproauto at New England Dragway, eighth of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday’s final eliminations.
Top Fuel — 1. Shawn Langdon, 3.709 seconds, 335.48 mph; 2. Leah Pruett, 3.712, 335.73; 3. Josh Hart, 3.724, 337.92; 4. Shawn Reed, 3.745, 331.61; 5. Billy Torrence, 3.768, 332.26; 6. Tony Stewart, 3.771, 333.49; 7. Justin Ashley, 3.795, 318.47; 8. Doug Kalitta, 3.800, 328.14; 9. Maddi Gordon, 3.808, 330.55; 10. Clay Millican, 3.811, 330.47; 11. Antron Brown, 3.822, 327.66; 12. Will Smith, 3.849, 327.27; 13. Tony Schumacher, 3.864, 329.26; 14. Rit Pustari, 9.189, 71.97; 15. Scott Farley, broke.
Funny Car — 1. Alexis DeJoria, Chevy Camaro, 3.929, 312.42; 2. Jordan Vandergriff, Camaro, 3.932, 326.32; 3. Austin Prock, Ford Mustang, 3.950, 328.14; 4. Jack Beckman, Camaro, 3.950, 323.81; 5. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.954, 328.46; 6. Del Worsham, Toyota Supra, 3.986, 326.87; 7. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.988, 320.20; 8. J.R. Todd, Toyota GR Supra, 3.994, 328.06; 9. Spencer Hyde, Mustang, 4.001, 319.75; 10. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 4.009, 317.64; 11. Chad Green, Mustang, 4.020, 319.52; 12. Blake Alexander, Charger, 4.064, 320.97; 13. Ron Capps, GR Supra, 4.065, 319.22; 14. Phil Burkart, Mustang, 4.075, 311.05; 15. Dave Richards, Mustang, 4.165, 260.16; 16. Jeff Arend, Charger, 6.117, 111.14.
Pro Stock — 1. Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.508, 210.67; 2. Matt Latino, Camaro, 6.525, 210.97; 3. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.534, 210.57; 4. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.534, 210.08; 5. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.537, 210.57; 6. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.539, 210.34; 7. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.540, 210.73; 8. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.546, 210.14; 9. Cody Anderson, Camaro, 6.551, 209.79; 10. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.551, 209.56; 11. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.554, 210.57; 12. Shane Tucker, Camaro, 6.557, 211.76; 13. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.606, 210.64; 14. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.611, 209.20; 15. Brandon Miller, Dodge Dart, 6.621, 209.36.
