NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Fresh off another great start to open the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season, Shawn Langdon is going to a track that has served him well in recent years.
 
The former Top Fuel world champion heads to this weekend’s 40th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals at Firebird Motorsports Park as the reigning event winner in the loaded category. But he has also advanced to back-to-back finals at a facility celebrating four decades of incredible racing this weekend, giving Langdon a great opportunity to keep rolling in Phoenix and continue a standout start to 2025.
 
Langdon advanced to the final round in Gainesville in his 11,000-horsepower Kalitta Air Careers dragster, falling in a thrilling race to reigning champ Antron Brown. But after an impressive turnaround last season, Langdon kept that momentum rolling, which should bode well for his chances at this weekend’s Duel in the Desert.
 
"We're looking forward to getting back to Phoenix," Langdon said. "We had a great weekend in Gainesville; the Kalitta Air Careers car is running really well. We've had success in Phoenix the last couple of years, so obviously, you're looking to keep the trend going. It just seems like we get good results at some tracks, and fortunately, Phoenix has been one of those tracks lately, so we're just going to keep trying to make good runs, and then hopefully, we can get another win there."

Langdon (Top Fuel), Austin Prock (Funny Car), and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) all claimed wins at the NHRA Arizona Nationals in 2024, with Prock and Anderson both finishing the year as world champions. This year’s race will again be broadcast on FS1, including eliminations coverage at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 23.
 
Langdon just missed his second world title as the Top Fuel championship chase went down to the wire. He appears to be in the mix again in 2025 in a class filled with stout contenders, and Langdon will get a chance to double up in Phoenix with the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge on Saturday and eliminations on Sunday.
 
His semifinal rematch on Saturday has him taking on Jasmine Salinas, while the other matchup features Brown and racing legend Tony Stewart. The two winners will meet up to close out qualifying with important championship points and a bonus purse on the line.
 
To get a win on Sunday, Langdon will also have to deal with the likes of Brittany Force, Clay Millican, Shawn Reed, Clay Millican, and Kalitta Motorsports teammate Doug Kalitta. Langdon, though, loves the continued improvement from his team. Second-year crew chief Brian Husen has impressed since taking over tuning duties to open 2024, though it didn’t come as a surprise to Langdon.
 
“We have a great race car right now, so all is good,” Langdon said. “We’re all super excited with the Kalitta Air Careers team after we had a great season last year. Brian obviously exceeded a lot of people’s expectations in his first season as crew chief, but internally, we knew what his talent level was, so it didn’t come as a shock to us.”

NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying features two rounds at 2 and 4:30 p.m. PT on Friday, March 21, and the final two rounds on Saturday, March 22 at 11:30 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. The finals of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge take place at the end of final qualifying in each category. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. PT on Sunday, March 23. Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 8 p.m. ET. on Friday and noon on Sunday, leading into eliminations at 6:30 p.m. ET.
 
To purchase tickets to the NHRA Arizona Nationals, fans can visit www.NHRA.com/tickets. Children 12 and under are free in general admission areas with the purchase of an adult ticket.