Langdon’s Back-to-Back Top Fuel Wins Fuel Huge Bracket Payday

Shawn Langdon is off to a standout start in the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Top Fuel season, leading the points after winning two of the first five NHRA national events. Langdon, driving for Kalitta Motorsports, added to his impressive streak by pocketing a $50,000 prize at the TB Promotions Twin 50s bracket race held at World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis.

This result came just a week after Langdon secured the 1,000th Top Fuel win in NHRA history, making this month one of the most successful stretches in his racing career. Langdon did not take the week before Chicago’s Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals off like many drivers, instead choosing to hone his skills with more competitive rounds at the bracket level.

Langdon’s recent efforts have included a very active racing calendar. So far this year, he’s made 33 passes in his Top Fuel dragster at NHRA national events, including 15 elimination runs. For more details on NHRA event structures, you can explore the official NHRA website.

He’s won 12 of those, building momentum for his championship push. At the St. Louis bracket race, Langdon completed 29 runs over the course of three days.

Racing in bracket events is a different challenge from Top Fuel, but Langdon credits the experience for sharpening his focus and boosting his confidence behind the wheel. Switching between the two types of cars requires significant adjustment. To understand the technical differences between bracket racing and Top Fuel, check out this SAE International resource.

After struggling on his first two days in St. Louis, Langdon decided to make major adjustments. He changed not just the setup of his dragster but also his staging procedure and even the tint on his helmet visor.

These tweaks paid off. In the final, he delivered a nearly perfect .007 second reaction time and ran a 4.332 on a 4.33 dial-in.

That tight performance was enough to capture the $50,000 top prize and demonstrates why Langdon is considered one of the most versatile and adaptable drivers in NHRA racing today.

Langdon’s resume features 21 wins in 48 final rounds across both Top Fuel and Funny Car, as well as two Super Comp world championships and several sportsman-level victories. He was the 2013 Top Fuel world champion and is well respected for his focus on precision, especially at the Christmas Tree where races are often decided by just thousandths of a second. For a deeper dive into drag racing timing systems, visit the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Langdon points out that every run provides a chance to improve, helping him cut his mistakes year over year. In current NHRA action, his .057 average reaction time is one of the best in Top Fuel, second only to Justin Ashley’s .044.

With the 2025 schedule moving into a busy stretch featuring stops in Chicago, Epping, Bristol, and Richmond, Langdon now sits 60 points ahead of Tony Stewart in the Top Fuel standings. Stewart, another driver known for shifting between racing disciplines, continues to be a strong contender, but Langdon’s recent bracket performance has given him extra confidence.

Even as he celebrates his recent payday and dominant performances, Langdon knows each event poses new challenges. He is quick to say that success in bracket racing only translates to Top Fuel up to a certain point because the cars and routines differ so much.

Langdon remains humble about his streak, admitting that a good run in one type of car does not guarantee success in another. However, he is always looking for ways to improve.

He believes that putting in more runs, whether at an NHRA event or in bracket racing, is the best way to learn and to avoid costly mistakes. As the series heads into one of its most competitive midseason stretches, all eyes are on Langdon to see if his recent hot hand will lead to another championship run.

Nicholas Rivera

Nicholas Rivera delivers NHRA Top Fuel and Funny Car news, including eliminator-round results and reaction-time stats. He brings track-side interviews, contender profiles, and championship-point breakdowns straight from drag-racing’s biggest national events.