Shawn Langdon’s name was already in NHRA’s record book as its Top Fuel champion in 2013. On Sunday, he inscribed another chapter, winning the 1,000th race for Top Fuel dragsters when he took down Tony Stewart, Justin Ashley, and Antron Brown in the final round of the Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway.
Joining Langdon in the winners circle were Austin Prock (Funny Car), Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock), and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle).
In the championship round, Langdon clocked a 3.714-second, 330.63-mph run in the Future Energy Solutions dragster to secure the win against Ashley, who was the runner-up, with Stewart third and Brown, the 2024 NHRA champion, fourth. The victory allowed Langdon to retain the Top Fuel points lead.
Don Garlits, who won the first Top Fuel race at the 1963 NHRA Winternationals, presented Langdon with a special trophy for his milestone achievement. The outing continued Langdon’s strong start to 2025, with three final-round appearances in five events.
Langdon qualified second with a time of 3.665 seconds, and as track conditions slowed on race day, he was the only driver to go as quick as 3.71.
“To be honest with you, coming into the weekend I was asked about racing in the 1,000th event and all that, and I just thought I’d treat it like any other event,” Langdon said. “That way, any situation, everything’s the same because you just treat everything the same.
“But I’m not going to lie, rolling around the corner, and I see ‘Big Daddy’ there, there was this realization of what transpired and obviously it’s a great feeling,” Langdon said. “It’s something that I know years down the road I’ll be very proud of.
“Honestly, the competition’s so tough, really, so it’s not like you really get any easy rounds. In the final, with Tony, he’s been having a great year, and then obviously, Antron, the champ, and Justin Ashley, the best leaver of the class, hands down. So, when I’m in that situation, it’s like I got to step it up, and the problem was I went the other way, except I felt like I tried a little too hard. But … being part of a great team is they carry you when you miss the tree a little bit.”
Langdon’s victory marked his second win of the season and the 21st of his career.
Prock continued his Funny Car dominance, winning with a run of 3.870, 332.92, in his Chevrolet SS. Prock defeated Ron Capps, Matt Hagan, and Alexis DeJoria in the final round. Prock also secured the Mission ##2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday.
After his second consecutive win, Prock moved into the points lead and has now 14 victories in his career.
“It’s a great day. Anytime you’re holding one of these Wallys, it’s a great day,” Prock said. “The Prock Rocket bailed me out there in the finals. I had my worst light of the weekend, so it’s just great to be driving this Cornwell Chevrolet SS, especially that round there. We had a lot of difficult scenarios with this race car, but my dad and brother and Nate Hildahl and the whole Cornwell Tools team did their homework all week and got the thing dialed in and made a killer run there in the final. That was a jaw dropper.
“It was awesome to see (sponsor Rick Hendrick) down there at the top end. That was the last thing I expected and when I saw him, I just lit up. That was a pretty cool celebration down there with him, and then got a photo with him and the Wally and then got another one with Don Garlits. I mean, what a day. Those are pictures you dream of, and to do them back to back within a few minutes of each other, that was really special.”
Dallas Glenn’s triumph in the Pro Stock final, with a run of 6.495 seconds, came at the expense of teammate and mentor Greg Anderson. It was Glenn’s second consecutive win and the 200th victory for KB Titan Racing.
“,I did my job the best I could but the car did its job, too,” Glenn said. “It’s still the engine guys and crew chiefs that did a fantastic job all day. We got back from Las Vegas and they tore all the engines apart and didn’t finish until this Thursday at 9 p.m. They worked every day. That’s the reason why we run well.
“I just get to sit in car and try to do the best I can. In four-wide races, you don’t have to be best until the final and then you can throw the kitchen sink at it, and that’s what we did. When I left I thought I might have red-lighted but I’m glad I didn’t. I know Greg (Anderson) really wanted to win with Rick Hendrick here, but I’m happy to be the 200th winner for the KB Titan team. That shows just how special this team is.”
Glenn has now won three times this season, while he and Anderson have garnered all five Pro Stock victories this year. Glenn expressed gratitude for his team’s hard work, especially after significant engine work following Las Vegas.
Matt Smith earned his first Pro Stock Motorcycle victory of the season aboard his Denso Auto Parts Buell, clocking a 6.736-second run. He edged out Gaige Herrera, Richard Gadson, and Steve Johnson to secure the win.
Smith acknowledged the challenges his team faced over the weekend but praised their efforts. With this victory, the six-time NHRA champion improved his career record to 42 wins.
“This has been a long weekend. We had a lot of gremlins in our pits,” Smith said. “This morning, we cranked my bike up and it started squeaking. We have another engine called ‘Old Faithful,’ so we put in a new engine and it went smoothly after that.
“Hats off to my team. I can’t say enough about my crew guys. Everyone helps, but it’s a lot of work to run four bikes with three mechanics. I do the fuel maps and clutches and I also get to ride, but it’s a lot of work. I’m on the positive side now. I had 41 wins and 41 runner-up finishes. Now, I’m 42 and 41, so at least I’m on the positive side now.”
Gadson finished as the runner-up as Smith took the points lead in the second Pro Stock Motorcycle race of the season.
The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action May 15-18 for the 25th annual Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals near Chicago.
