Shawn Langdon Makes Quickest Top Fuel Pass In History

Despite the recent challenges that Alan Johnson Racing has endured in recent weeks, the downsized race team didn’t miss a beat at the season-opening NHRA Winternationals, as Shawn Langdon reeled off the quickest 1,000-foot pass in drag racing history during qualifying with a scintillating 3.700-second blast at 328.30 miles per hour in his Knuckle Sandwich/AJPE dragster. That run, which exceeded Antron Brown’s existing national record pass of 3.701-seconds, pushed him right to the top of the qualifying order going into eliminations.

“It was just a picture perfect run,” Langdon said. “It left, had the front end up, it was accelerating hard and it just pulled all the way until I shut it off. I went through the finish line and I thought I got a glimpse of the 3.70 on the scoreboard but wasn’t really sure. On a 100 degree day on the track, I really wasn’t even thinking about a 3.70. It wasn’t really until I turned the corner and saw everyone hooting and hollering that I was like ‘Ah, I guess I did see that.’”

We knew the potential was out there; it was a matter of getting the right conditions and setting the car up for them. (team owner) Alan Johnson, (crew chiefs) Brian Husen and Jason McCulloch have been putting their heads together, and we felt there was an opportunity for it.  It was just a matter of everything falling together.

“It couldn’t have happened at a better time for everyone at Alan Johnson Racing.  Coming to the first race of the year, it’s crucial for us to make a statement early and try to start off with a win – that’s our focus, and we couldn’t have scripted it any better at this point.”

Langdon was unable to back the run up for a new national record during eliminations which would have provided him an additional 20 points in the championship standings, but he did parlay that epic performance into a season-opening victory, as he befittingly downed Brown in the final round with a 3.79. Langdon needed a run of at least 3.737-seconds in operated to qualify the 3.70 as a new national standard.

Photos Courtesy Ron Lewis