Kalitta Motorsports NHRA 4-Wide Nationals Preview

Shawn Langdon (Photo Courtesy: NHRA)

SHAWN LANGDON, KALITTA AIR CAREERS TEAM ENTER LAS VEGAS WITH TWO WINS IN THREE RACES

YPSILANTI, Mich. As the old song said, “two outa three aint bad.” Shawn Langdon, Crew Chief Brian Husen and the Kalitta Air Careers team are on a tear entering the season’s fourth race with two wins in the first three. After a flawless season debut in Florida, Langdon’s Kalitta Air Careers Toyota team will roll into Las Vegas as the points leader hoping to keep rolling. The 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Season resumes April 12-14, 2024 at the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals on the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

After last week’s win in the Arizona desert, Langdon and first-time crew chief Brian Husen enter the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas on quite a tear. The team won 10 of the available 12 rounds of racing to start the season, and although the competition is incredibly intense in Top Fuel, the current points-leading team shows no signs of slowing down. After struggling a bit over the last few years, running consistently well is a welcome change.

“It feels great; I’m just really proud of everybody with all the hard work that went on in the off season,” Langdon said. “It was hard to struggle for the last couple of years. You have to bite your tongue a little bit, keep your head down and keep working, and eventually, the tide is gonna roll the other way. You don’t know how long that’s gonna take, but it’s paying dividends right now. Internally, we feel very confident with the team we put together, and we feel very confident in ourselves. Now we have to keep working hard and hope the results show it.”

And while only three of the 20 races that comprise the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing season are complete, Langdon has now led the point standings following three-consecutive races – something he last did in 2015. Some are already wondering if this year could end up comparing to his career-best season in 2013, but these are very different times in Top Fuel. The Kalitta Air Careers team is off to a hot start, but it’s just that – a start – and the competition is intense.

“Getting two wins in the first three races is a little bit of a head start on 2013,” Langdon said. “It would be awesome to have another season like that, but it’s just so hard. There are so many things that happen, so many good teams and so many good drivers that having dominant seasons is just so hard to do in this day and age. To be in the position we’re in, we’re very excited, and I’m very proud of my team. We have a good head start on it, and hopefully, we can maintain it.”

This weekend, Langdon will try, once again, to win his first Las Vegas Top Fuel race. He’s won plenty of races on The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway but none in Top Fuel. If he’s able to get that elusive Top Fuel win this weekend, he’ll do it in the four-wide format of the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals, but 2013 champion doesn’t change his routine for this format.

“If you’re running against competitors that typically race each week, for the most part, everybody knows what they’re doing and what lane they’re in,” Langdon said. “You’re looking at four pre-stage bulbs instead of two and then four stage bulbs instead of two. It’s the same process – you absolutely do the same thing except you look for four bulbs instead of two.”

When Langdon advanced to the quarterfinals in Phoenix last weekend, he earned a spot in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge this week. During Saturday’s qualifying sessions, the drivers who reached the quarterfinals in Phoenix will re-run the quarterfinals in the 4-Wide format with the four winners advancing to the “finals” earning additional purse and championship bonus points.

Race Information:
NHRA 4-Wide Nationals
The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway; Las Vegas

TV Schedule (All times eastern):
Qualifying 1: 11 p.m.-12:30 a.m. Friday, April 12 on FS1
Qualifying 2: 11 a.m.-Noon Sunday, April 14 on FS1
Finals: 7-10 p.m. Sunday, April 12 on FS1

2023 NHRA 4-Wide Nationals Recap: Qualified No. 7; defeated Clay Millican and Krista Baldwin before losing to Josh Hart and Steve Torrence in the semifinals.

Shawn Langdon Career Stats: 332 events, 19 wins, 21 runner-up, 353 round wins, 20 No. 1 qualifiers.

2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Results To Date:
Gainesville: Qualified No. 1; defeated Cody Krohn, Justin Ashley, Antron Brown and Billy Torrence.
Pomona: Qualified No. 7; defeated Krista Baldwin; lost to Tony Schumacher.
Phoenix: Qualified No. 5; defeated Josh Hart, Antron Brown, Steve Torrence and Justin Ashley.

FUNNY CAR’S  J.R. TODD MARKS 10 YEARS AT KALITTA MOTORSPORTS, RIDES POINTS LEAD INTO LAS VEGAS

Ten years ago this race, J.R. Todd was a part-time Top Fuel driver sitting in Indianapolis watching college basketball on television. Then on Friday evening of the spring Las Vegas race, his life would change forever. The 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Season resumes April 12-14, 2024 at the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals on the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Todd received a call to join Kalitta Motorsports in Las Vegas following the first two rounds of qualifying. Unusual, yes, but definitely doable – especially if you’re a part-time driver looking for a fulltime ride.

“It’s crazy that it’s already been 10 years; it’s definitely flown by, and a lot of good things happened,” Todd said. “We won a lot of races since then, won a championship, and I’m very thankful for that call from Connie Kalitta 10 years ago. At the time, I was racing part time for Bob Vandergriff, and we weren’t scheduled to race that weekend. I had been out used car shopping with my Mom and Dad, and it was March Madness. We were at Buffalo Wild Wings drinking beer, eating wings and watching college basketball when the call came. He called from someone else’s phone so I didn’t know it was him. I didn’t go into panic mode or anything when I knew it was him, but I was kind of like, ‘oh (shoot); it’s time to make it happen.’

“It was probably around 7 p.m. eastern time; he asked me if I could find a flight to be in Las Vegas first thing Saturday morning so that’s the first thing I did and then called him back and told him I had a flight. After that, I had to go home and pack and then get to Vandergriff’s to get my driving gear. I got maybe an hour or two of sleep. I rented a car and got to the track before pretty much anybody else. You leave Indy at seven in the morning, and you land in Las Vegas at like seven in the morning.

“The crew guys showed up not long after because they knew there was gonna be some extra work to do, and it was a little awkward at first, but once the ice was broken, we got to work and got me fitted in the car. Next thing you know, we’re warming it up and getting ready for Q3(third round of qualifying) on Saturday, and the rest is history. We beat Richie Crampton; he’s one of my really good friends, and Steve Torrence beat us second round. He was a little chirpy about that. All in all, Connie was happy. I didn’t know if it was a one-race deal or if they were hiring me fulltime. I’ll never forget, at the end of the day, what kind of assured me was after second round, Connie said, ‘We’re gonna win a lot of races together.’ So after that I thought, ‘I guess I’m getting hired.’

Indeed, he was. Todd would go on to finish second in the 2014 NHRA Top Fuel point standings that season. And now, a decade later, he and the DHL Funny Car team won the season-opening Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals in Florida and enter the season’s fourth race in Las Vegas as the Funny Car points leader. The 2018 Funny Car champion followed his Gainesville win with two semifinal showings giving he and the DHL GR Supra team the consistency that was lacking in recent years.

“Yeah, that’s pretty wild. It’s definitely cool to be able to say we’re the points leader; we haven’t been able to say that in a long time. Of course, you win the first race, you’re the points leader, but to stretch it out after the third race is pretty cool. We just need to keep riding the wave of momentum like we have been, keep clicking off those round wins, and we’ll be in a good position.”

When Todd advanced to the quarterfinals in Phoenix last weekend, he earned a spot in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge this week. During Saturday’s qualifying sessions, the drivers who reached the quarterfinals in Phoenix will re-run the quarterfinals in the 4-Wide format with the four winners advancing to the “finals” earning additional purse and championship bonus points. 

“Anytime you’re making those Mission Foods races, it means you’re doing something right,” Todd added. “I said in Gainesville that if we can keep getting into those, we’ll be going in the right direction. When the car goes up and down the track like that, it gives everybody confidence especially when it’s one of the quickest cars out there. I’d say our Phoenix weekend gives us hope heading into the summer months that we’ll have a good, competitive car. It’s good that we’re in the Mission deal in Vegas for the Four-Wides. It’ll be the first time doing that so it’ll be unique for the fans on Saturday. Hopefully we can pick up some more points in that deal and leave with another Four-Wide trophy.”

Race Information:
NHRA 4-Wide Nationals
The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway; Las Vegas

TV Schedule (All times eastern):   

• Qualifying 1: 11 p.m.-12:30 a.m. Friday, April 12 on FS1
• Qualifying 2: 11 a.m.-Noon Sunday, April 14 on FS1
• Finals: 7-10 p.m. Sunday, April 12 on FS1

2023 NHRA 4-Wide Nationals Recap: Did not qualify.

Funny Car Career Stats: 300 events, 21 wins, 25 runner-up, 331 round wins, 14 No. 1 qualifiers.

2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Results To Date:Gainesville: Qualified No. 6; defeated Blake Alexander, Ron Capps, Bob Tasca and Austin Prock.
Pomona: Qualified No. 11; defeated Cruz Pedregon and Paul Lee; lost to Matt Hagan.
Phoenix: Qualified No. 5; defeated Cruz Pedregon and John Force before losing to Austin Prock.

NEW CAR HAS DOUG KALITTA HUNGRY FOR FOUR-WIDE EFFORT TO STEP UP TITLE DEFENSE

Doug Kalitta’s title defense is underway, but it hasn’t gone as well as hoped…yet. The 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Season resumes April 12-14, 2024 at the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals on the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Kalitta has two Las Vegas wins in seven final-round appearances, and while the Mac Tools team hasn’t won a race yet this season, recent changes have the team liking its chances this weekend.            

“We switched to a different car before Phoenix, and it was pretty happy actually,” Kalitta said. “Alan (crew chief Alan Johnson) and the guys like what they’re seeing with this new chassis so we’re all looking forward to seeing what we can do in Las Vegas. What I know for sure is how hard Mac (assistant crew chief Mac Savage) and all my guys are working to get this Mac Tools car running the way we all want it to run. We’re hungry and want to get a race win under our belts as soon as we can.”

Kalitta has three quarterfinal finishes in three races so far this season and enters the fourth race sixth in points. That’s a solid start for some, but the defending Top Fuel champion is ready to move deeper into elimination rounds going forward, and this weekend’s four-wide race in Las Vegas would be the perfect time to do it.

When Kalitta advanced to the quarterfinals in Phoenix last weekend, he earned a spot in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge at this week’s NHRA 4-Wide Nationals – it’s the first time for the special event in the four-wide format. During Saturday’s qualifying sessions, the drivers who reached the quarterfinals in Phoenix will re-run the quarterfinals in the 4-Wide format with the four winners advancing to the “finals” earning additional purse and championship bonus points. 

“We certainly appreciate the opportunity to run this event and thank Mission Foods for committing the money,” Kalitta said. “It’s a cool challenge, and it’s great that they continued the program after moving up to be the series sponsor.

“I always like running the four-wide events; it’s just something different,” Kalitta added. “It’s something Bruton Smith wanted to try, and I always liked to support him. He did a lot for our sport, for sure, at his facilities so we always like to return that support. I’ve never won a four-wide event so getting a win at one of those events is definitely on my radar.”

Race Information:
NHRA 4-Wide Nationals
The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway; Las Vegas

TV Schedule (All times eastern):   

• Qualifying 1: 11 p.m.-12:30 a.m. Friday, April 12 on FS1
• Qualifying 2: 11 a.m.-Noon Sunday, April 14 on FS1
• Finals: 7-10 p.m. Sunday, April 12 on FS1

2023 NHRA Arizona Nationals Recap: Qualified No. 10; lost to Josh Hart and Steve Torrence in the first round.  

Doug Kalitta Career Stats: 589 events, 52 wins, 60 runner-up, 769 round wins, 53 No. 1 qualifiers.

2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Results To Date:
Gatornationals: Qualified No. 7; defeated Clay Millican; lost to Steve Torrence.
Pomona: Qualified No. 6; defeated Jasmine Salinas; lost to Billy Torrence.
Phoenix: Qualified No. 3; defeated Terry Totten; lost to Justin Ashley.