Shawn Langdon achieved the fastest pass in NHRA history, clocking in at 345.00 mph at South Georgia Motorsports Park. This occurred during the NHRA Southern Nationals. The run also gave him the provisional No. 1 spot.
Langdon’s Record-Breaking Run
Langdon’s record-breaking pass was achieved in 3.724 seconds in his Kalitta Air dragster. The previous record was 343.51 mph, set by Brittany Force last year in Indianapolis. This puts Langdon on track for his third No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 25th of his career.
Langdon, who was named to NHRA’s Top 75 Drivers list before the season, had made 340-mph runs in his career. He also made impressive passes in testing before the season-opener in Gainesville. According to Langdon, seeing the 345 mph appear on the scoreboard was special for his team, especially crew chief Brian Husen. Langdon stated that the team had talked about proving the legitimacy of their testing runs during the season.
Tony Stewart went to second with a 3.758 at 334.40. Doug Kalitta is third after going 3.762 at 334.40.
Todd Leads Funny Car Qualifying
J.R. Todd also had a strong showing, making the fastest pass of the year in Funny Car. He ran a 3.887 at 339.28 in his DHL Toyota GR Supra. This run marked a career-best speed for the past world champion.
Todd is now in a position to pick up his second No. 1 qualifier of the season and 16th in his career. Todd said that he knew they had a really good car after hitting the ground running in testing. He also noted that Dickie Venables and Todd Smith are adjusting well to the conditions.
Anderson and Smith in Provisional Top Spots
Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers. This is at the fifth of 20 races during the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.
Todd is currently third in points and is closing in on his first victory of the season. He was also impressed with the 3.930 the team ran in the second round of qualifying, giving him the best pass of both sessions.
Langdon noted that he was happy to achieve this at the new track, in front of new fans.