POMONA, Calif. — Racing at his home track is always special for Shawn Langdon. But racing at In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip during this weekend’s Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals will be even more memorable this season for the past Top Fuel world champion.
It’s the first Pomona race of the year during NHRA’s 75th anniversary season and also the first for Langdon at his home track since being named to NHRA’s Top 75 Drivers list at the start of the 2026 campaign.
Langdon will be officially recognized with that honor this weekend in Pomona and it comes at a perfect time with the veteran coming off his third straight Phoenix win at the most recent NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series event. The team has plenty of momentum and a win this weekend in his 12,000-horsepower Kalitta Air Careers dragster would be extra meaningful on a number of levels.
“Being on NHRA’s top 75 drivers list is kind of weird for me, but it’s humbling, and I appreciate it,” Langdon said. “Good on NHRA for recognizing the drivers and a lot of the history of the sport because that’s what got us all into it. When I was a kid, I watched all those guys. A lot of those people I looked up to as a kid and got autographs from as a kid are heroes of mine.
“We have a lot of confidence going into Pomona and we have a lot of confidence about this season. I’ve been fortunate to have a lot of success at Pomona. It’s my home track and I always look forward to racing there. We’re motivated to win races and winning at Pomona is always special. Connie (team owner Connie Kalitta) gives us everything we need to race for a championship and that’s what we want to do this season.”
In 2025, Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Clay Millican (Top Fuel) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) claimed Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals wins. This year’s race will be broadcast on FS1, with elimination coverage on Sunday, April 12, beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET. It is the third of 20 races during NHRA’s milestone year and it marks the 1,000th Funny Car race in NHRA history.
It’s part of a loaded weekend that includes two rounds of qualifying on Friday and Saturday, the Mission #2Fast2Tasty bonus race on Saturday and 75th anniversary celebrations like:
- An appearance from NHRA legend and six-time champion Kenny Bernstein, in honor of his historic 310-mph pass at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in 1994.
- Other legends scheduled to appear include milestone Funny Car winners Larson, Gray, Wilkerson and Force, as well as legends like Don Prudhomme, Richard Tharp, Gary Beck, Jim Dunn and more.
- On Friday, the first 4,000 fans in attendance will receive a special NHRA 75th anniversary Winternationals event poster.
Langdon will also be honored, but the best result would be finishing the weekend with another 75th anniversary diamond Wally. He picked up one in Phoenix to pull to third in points behind reigning world champ Doug Kalitta and Gainesville winner Josh Hart.
Other stalwarts in the category include rookie sensation Maddi Gordon, reigning regular season champ Tony Stewart, Leah Pruett, who advanced to the final in Phoenix, defending event winner Millican and four-time world champ Antron Brown.
It’s a loaded field, but Langdon feels incredibly confident with his car and the team surrounding him.
“The Kalitta Air Careers team is so good,” Langdon said. “When I’m inside the car, I demand perfection of myself. This is what I love to do and what I dream of doing. The thing I love about Brian (crew chief Brian Husen) is that he demands perfection from himself, he demands perfection from the team. I think a lot of the guys on our team are taking that same approach. We have a fantastic group and they just don’t make mistakes.”
