The two-headed monster that is the Kalitta Motorsports Top Fuel team of Doug Kalitta and Shawn Langdon reared its head in Phoenix – and, this time, it was Langdon who earned the spotlight.
Langdon qualified No. 1 and then carried that momentum through Sunday to win the FMP NHRA Arizona Nationals at Firebird Motorsports Park. Langdon clocked a 3.877-second elapsed time at 325.45 mph to defeat Leah Pruett’s 3.930-second lap at 317.57 mph in the finals.
“It’s all about the team and surrounding yourself with good people. Connie [team owner Connie Kalitta] isn’t here this weekend, but I’m sure he was watching,” Langdon said. “It’s great to win here again. I’m so proud of our team being able to do what they did with some of the hottest conditions we’ve ever seen, Brian [crew chief Husen] was able to make the adjustments. With the heat, it wasn’t ideal, but we all dealt with it, and the track did fairly well with the temperatures we had. It wasn’t fast racing, but it was good racing.”
This was Langdon’s first win of the season, 23rd national-event win of his career and 21st in Top Fuel. Langdon also captured two Wallys while driving a nitro Funny Car for Kalitta Motorsports in 2019. Langdon also won the 2013 NHRA Top Fuel championship while driving for Al Anabi Racing.
On a weekend where Mother Nature tried to steal the spotlight with 100-plus degree temperatures, Langdon was the last driver standing.
The track temperature approached 150 degrees Sunday afternoon.
“Luckily, the driver gets to go into the air conditioning and put a towel over his head, but the crew guys don’t get that luxury. This one is definitely for them. They battled the heat, did a great job with it, and the car was great all day today,” Langdon said.
Langdon earned a first-round bye, then proceeded to knock off Tony Schumacher, Maddi Gordon, and Pruett. Langdon now owns 418 career round wins.
The win was Langdon’s third in a row at Phoenix, and fifth final-round at Firebird in the last six years. The Langdon-Husen combination is undefeated at this track.
“We have a pretty good run going here in Phoenix, so we might need to talk to NHRA about putting on a second race here,” Langdon said, “but to win three straight here is a credit to my team. Brian and the guys have done such a great job over the last three years. It’s cool to be able to have a track like that where you have a lot of confidence.
“It’s all Brian, I just hold the steering wheel straight. It’s Brian’s work ethic, his determination, and his passion for the sport. He’s made everybody better – all the crew guys, me as a driver, and it’s just every little thing. For him, it’s always in the details, like he always says. I just try to leave on time and hold the steering wheel straight and just let Brian’s talent speak for itself.”
Kalitta, the reigning NHRA Top Fuel champion, lost in the semifinals to Pruett. Kalitta, however, did take home the title at the season’s first #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday.
This weekend was a strong rebound for Langdon’s Kalitta Air Careers team as it lost to Gordon in the first round of the season-opening Gatornationals earlier this month after qualifying second.
Langdon, who has championships in NHRA’s Mission Series, the Lucas Oil Series and Junior Dragster, is excited about what’s ahead in the rest of the 2026 season. A year ago, he finished second in the Top Fuel points standings on the strength of three wins.
The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series will return to the track for the Lucas Oil Winternationals, set for April 9-12 in Pomona, Calif. Langdon has won in Pomona four times in his career.
“Some little issues with the car popped up throughout the day, and the cool thing about being a part of this team is that even though you won the race, they’re still looking at the finer details,” Langdon said. “Brian demands perfection. If the car’s not perfect, we’re going to make it perfect so we’re staying to test tomorrow, even though we won the race, to try to make the car better for Pomona.”
