Shawn Langdon and the Kalitta Air Careers team delivered one of the most dominant race-day performances in recent Top Fuel history Sunday at the NHRA Great Lakes Nationals, combining four consecutive 3.60-second passes with a new NHRA speed record on the way to Langdon’s fifth win of the season.
Langdon defeated Maddi Gordon, Will Smith, Kalitta Motorsports teammate Doug Kalitta and Spencer Massey to earn the 28th Top Fuel victory of his career. The win also moved the 2013 world champion into the NHRA Top Fuel points lead after the opening round of the six-race Countdown to the Championship.
Langdon qualified No. 4 at US 131 Motorsports Park after posting a 3.698-second pass at 339.37 mph during Friday’s second qualifying session. It marked his sixth consecutive top-four qualifying effort.
The Kalitta Air Careers team found another level when eliminations began.
Langdon opened race day with a 3.652-second pass at 344.04 mph against Gordon, recording the quickest elapsed time of the 2026 Top Fuel season. He followed with a 3.686 at 342.73 to defeat Smith in the second round.
The biggest number of the weekend came in Langdon’s semifinal matchup with Kalitta. Langdon powered to a 3.663 at 346.95 mph, shattering the 345-mph NHRA speed record he set earlier this season in Valdosta, Georgia.
Langdon and crew chief Brian Husen, a Grand Rapids, Michigan, native, finished the job in the final round. Langdon recorded another stellar pass, a 3.664 at 346.15 mph, to defeat Massey and secure the event win.
Across four rounds of eliminations, Langdon ran 3.652, 3.686, 3.663 and 3.664 seconds, with speeds of 344.04, 342.73, 346.95 and 346.15 mph. One drag racing insider described the effort as “the best sustained performance in the history of Top Fuel.”
“It just goes to show it takes everything,” Langdon said. “You go to a facility like US 131 that takes a lot of pride in their facility; it’s beautiful. The concrete is awesome, straight, flat, and then you get some good conditions, and really anything’s possible.
“My guys have been doing such a great job, and I’ve talked over and over about how good my team has been all year long; they just continue to give me a great race car. They put it together perfectly, and then Brian makes perfect calls, last-minute adjustments, and he races smart.
“We knew the track was so good, but the problem was being able to get wheel speed. You just had to get everything in sync, but to be able to do that for four runs today is awesome. I’m proud of the guys to come off the Indy win and get another one here.”
The victory carried additional significance for Husen, who earned the win as a crew chief at his home track, and for Kalitta Motorsports with a large contingent of partners and guests in attendance.
“I’m very happy for Brian to win as a crew chief at his home track, so there’s just a lot of good things going on, good vibes,” Langdon said. “This race was a big one for Kalitta Air. We had a lot of people out this weekend from Kalitta Air, Applied Innovation, Fifth Third, Gerber and PJH.
“Obviously, the rain kind of hindered a little bit of that, but Connie was able to come out this weekend and see some runs. To be able to see a smile on his face is the end goal. All in all, A-plus weekend.”
Despite the conditions being capable of producing record-setting numbers, Langdon said Husen remained focused on making smart racing decisions rather than chasing the record.
“Brian was talking all day about the track being good enough to set a record,” Langdon said. “We were able to do it on the speed. We were just trying to race situations and trying to race smart, not beat ourselves, because there’s always that little bit of a 50/50 shot if you really go for it.
“Brian raced what he felt was comfortable and gave me a great race car; I just tried not to do anything to mess that up.”
Langdon leaves Michigan as the unofficial NHRA Top Fuel points leader, holding an 11-point advantage over Kalitta after the first of six Countdown to the Championship races.
This story was originally published on September 22, 2026.
The post 346.95 MPH: Shawn Langdon Records Fastest Pass in NHRA History first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
