NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Shawn Langdon is recognized most often in NHRA's Camping World Drag Racing Series as a driver who holds the reins of an 11,000-hp race car. The 2013 Top Fuel champion and 17-time nitro winner campaigns the CMR Construction & Roofing Top Fuel Dragster for Kalitta Motorsports, but he's also found a way to get back to his roots — as something of a coach for third-year Super Comp competitor Madison Payne.

Langdon, the first driver to have won back-to-back Super Comp national championships with titles earned in 2007 and 2008, grew up racing Jr. Dragsters and Sportsman categories in Southern California. He's known fellow SoCal racers Jay and Shelly Payne for many years, so when they acquired a Super Comp dragster through a mutual friend for their daughter, Madison, Langdon reached out to let them know he was available if they wanted a hand getting settled.

"I just try to help," said Langdon, who also offers guidance to Madison's brother, Toby, in the class. "I really enjoy seeing the next generation come up through the Super Comp ranks. It's where I got my start, so to me, it's part of giving back to the sport. More than likely, the next great Top Fuel driver is going to get their start there or in some way, shape, or form through the Sportsman categories."

Langdon and Toby Payne

"Madison is eager to learn, and that's why I continue to want to help. I see her enthusiasm. She doesn't just want to be a driver. She wants to be a good driver." 

Payne licensed in Super Comp at the age of 17 and also races the Top Alcohol Dragster owned by Duane Shields — she won her first NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event in the alcohol car this February in Phoenix, and her future plans include getting into a Brad Anderson Top Sportsman car that is in the final stages of being prepared.

She's had some incredible teachers in drag racing already between her family, Tom Bayer of Tom Bayer's Drag Racing School, and Top Alcohol Dragster car owner Shields. In Super Comp, she calls Langdon her crew chief: He makes the decisions on how to tackle any given run based on the most current weather and track conditions, along with who will be in the other lane. How he helps most, perhaps, is in guiding Payne through the mental aspects of racing a dragster capable of big speed that must be harnessed so as not to go quicker than the 8.90 target. 

"Overall, I'm really comfortable in my Super Comp car, but I wanted to get more comfortable playing the top end," said 20-year-old Payne, whose grandfather is iconic championship racer and builder Brad Anderson, of Brad Anderson Enterprises. 

Langdon and Shelly Payne compare notes

"Shawn has been really good about going over things with me and helping me when I start to second-guess myself. I [started] in a slower car, so I could just lift and see where I was. Now, when I chase down a car, I have a split-second window to make up my mind. Shawn is really smart about Super Comp, and I trust him with my car and what he says. Our personalities are actually pretty similar, so it's easy to get along with him and learn from him." 

Langdon relishes the role. The transition from Sportsman racing to driving Top Fuel in 2009 was a dream come true for him, as it would be for most anyone who devotes their life to drag racing. But the step up to the big leagues also meant that rather than spending full days working on and racing his Sportsman car, he was meeting with large-scale sponsors, interacting with fans, and attending media appearances between warm-ups and runs down the racetrack in front of packed grandstands. 

"It's not something I talk about very often, because it's hard to grasp the concept, and the truth is, you're out there driving a Top Fuel car; what's better than that?" said Langdon. "It really is awesome, and I enjoy it so much. There were just so many things that come along with it that I wasn't accustomed to."

Langdon has found that getting to the racetrack early morning to watch Sportsman racing at national events has brought a new level of appreciation to a life he considers himself fortunate to lead. Occasionally, the Indiana transplant has been able to run both Super Comp and Top Fuel, and he will continue to do so where time allows and it makes the most sense for his role as a Top Fuel driver for Kalitta Motorsports. 

"It's where I got my start, and it's the grassroots of drag racing, so I'll always enjoy it," said Langdon, who made his national event debut in Super Comp in 2001 in Phoenix. "My first and primary focus is on doing my best in the CMR Construction & Roofing Top Fuel dragster and representing my sponsors well. Anything beyond that is icing on the cake."