The Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Northwest Nationals kicked off the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Western Swing in grand fashion. Pacific Raceways surface provided teams the perfect canvas to lay down record-setting runs and great side-by-side racing.

Langdon Wins And Takes Top Fuel Points Lead

Shawn Langdon surged to the Top Fuel points lead with a decisive victory over Brittany Force in the final round. The win marked Langdon’s third of the season and the 22nd of his career, propelling him past Tony Stewart by 12 points in the standings.

“The guys did a fantastic job. They gave me a great race car. It’s awesome coming to tracks like this up here, when you have a great surface coupled with great air, that’s what you’re going to see. We knew the expectation for today of what we wanted to do, what we wanted to accomplish,” Langdon said about his win.

Photos provided by NHRA/National Dragster

Langdon’s 3.662-second, 337.07 mph pass in the final capped a strong day that included wins over Cam Ferre and Stewart. While Force set a national speed record in the semifinals at 341.85 mph, tire smoke ended her hopes in the final as Langdon posted his third run in the 3.60s.

“From here on out, it’s just about doing the same thing, just keep doing the same thing, keep making great runs. This is a situation that you dreamed about as a kid, being able to drive a Top Fuel car and then to have it be competitive, it’s awesome for Connie [Kalitta, team owner], seeing the smile on his face is very, very rewarding,” Langdon stated.

Hagan Flexes On Funny Car Field

Funny Car standout Matt Hagan earned his first win of the season for Tony Stewart Racing with a 3.904 at 331.94 mph in the final to defeat Ron Capps. Hagan had been consistent all year but had yet to reach the winner’s circle. That changed in Seattle, where he also logged two 3.80-range runs and collected round wins over Buddy Hull, Jack Beckman, and Alexis DeJoria. The win was Hagan’s 53rd and first under crew chief Mike Knudsen.

“I want to say thank you to Tony Stewart for believing in Mike and understanding that there was going to be a little bit of growing deal with bringing a new guy in. I just was really pushing for that, and he believed in it, and here we are. I think we were on the backside of some really good drag races early on,” Hagan said.

It’s not easy to win an event in Funny Car. Hagan understands this and is proud of what his team has accomplished.

“Everybody’s really tough in Funny Car. They all bring everything to the table all the time. So, we were able to come in here after a final round in (Norwalk) Ohio, go some rounds again this weekend, so this was a get-healthy weekend for us moving into Sonoma.”

Dallas Glenn Scores A Hometown Win

In Pro Stock, Washington native Dallas Glenn captured his first win at his home track when Jeg Coughlin Jr. red-lit in the final. Glenn had been dominant throughout the weekend, setting the track elapsed time record multiple times and posting a 6.446 at 212.43 mph in round one — the second-quickest Pro Stock run in history. The win, his fourth of the season and 17th overall, also moved him into the points lead.

“The burnout was right where I wanted it, nice and smooth. I staged nice and shallow. I felt light on the pedal. I felt like everything was going to go good and then when I let go, immediately, I think it was about the time it I realized it was shaking my brain process that it saw a red light over there. They put some really nice win lights down there, and if there was no win light, it was going to go back into second gear at a very high rate of speed. I was going to be pushing it and pulling it until it went in,” Glenn stated.

Out of all the wins Glenn has amassed over his career, this one could mean the most. It’s not often that a touring NHRA pro has the chance to win at the track where their drag racing journey began.

“It’s definitely really special. I’ve got all my family here, all my sponsors here. I mean, everybody is here. I just a phenomenal race car. I feel like this is the best car I’ve ever had. We’ve worked really hard this season. We’re continuing to work hard. We’re definitely not taking our foot off the gas at all,” Glenn said.

Herrera Earns Historic 25^th Victory

Pro Stock Motorcycle saw another milestone for Gaige Herrera, who became the quickest racer in NHRA history to reach 25 career wins, achieving the feat in just 43 starts. Herrera ran a track-record 6.690 at 201.55 mph to defeat Richard Gadson in the final. It was Herrera’s fourth win of the season and second at Pacific Raceways.

“I never would imagine getting to 25 (wins) this quick. I’m living the dream. I’m very blessed as far as that. To get 25 wins, I mean, it still feels like my first. Every time I get a win, it’s just one of those things. You never lose the excitement. You always drive and push yourself to get the Wally, because everyone wants to get the Wally,” Herrera stated.

Herrera has genuinely enjoyed his time riding a Pro Stock Motorcycle for the Vance & Hines team. He’s enjoyed it so much that he’s almost lost track of all the milestones he’s crossed in his short career.

“It’s honestly hard to keep track of that stuff. It’s been a lot to take in in a short time for me personally. I can’t do without, the whole band, the Vance & Hines team and my crew chief Andrew [Hines] and it was nice to have an all-Vance & Hines final. Plus, I kind of got redemption from last year here. I had the 11 consecutive race wins and then Chase [Van Sant] beat us in the final, so I had a goal coming here to get the win here,” Herrera said.

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns July 25-27 with the 37th annual Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals presented by PowerEdge at Sonoma Raceway.

Top Fuel — Shawn Langdon, 3.662 seconds, 337.07 mph def. Brittany Force, 4.040 seconds, 215.93 mph.

Funny Car — Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.904, 331.94 def. Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 3.919, 331.61.

Pro Stock — Dallas Glenn, Chevy Camaro, 17.420, 62.72 def. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, Foul – Red Light.

Pro Stock Motorcycle — Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.690, 201.55 def. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.743, 200.32.

Top Alcohol Dragster — Joey Severance, 5.159, 278.35 def. Shawn Cowie, 5.299, 274.94.

Top Alcohol Funny Car — Madison Gordon, Chevy Camaro, 5.461, 267.69 def. Bret Williamson, Camaro, 5.540, 262.23.

Competition Eliminator — Jeff Lane, Chevy Cavalier, 8.767, 123.85 def. Cody Lane, Roadster, Foul – Red Light.

Super Stock — Justin Lamb, Chevy Camaro, 8.626, 153.16 def. Troy Olsonawski, Chevy Malibu, 11.710, 91.11.

Stock Eliminator — Cal Method, Chevy II, 11.216, 112.25 def. Joe Sorensen, Chevy Camaro, 11.086, 117.50.

Super Comp — Doug Johnson, Dragster, 8.911, 179.16 def. Emmett McKillop, Dragster, 8.898, 174.26.

Super Gas — Chris Cannon, Chevy Corvette, 9.910, 166.15 def. Mike Blodgett Jr., Ford T, 9.885, 149.76.

Super Street — Jason Biscay, Ford Mustang, 10.893, 125.97 def. Dustin Ward, Dodge Dart, 10.885, 128.86.

Top Sportsman — David Cook, Mustang, 6.726, 201.52 def. Joe Mellof, GXP, 6.956, 188.60.

Top Dragster — Moe Trujillo, Dragster, 6.418, 189.47 def. Gene Heaton, Dragster, 7.015, 191.87.

Junior Dragster Shootout — Camryn Stocker, Mike Bos, 7.998, 80.28 def. Rachael Place, Halfscale, 7.863, 82.63.