POMONA, Calif. – Shawn Langdon kicked off the season opener in style, grabbing the Top Fuel provisional No. 1 qualifier spot on Friday at the 60th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com after making the switch from Funny Car back to Top Fuel.
Matt Hagan (Funny Car) and Jeg Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock) also claimed provisional No. 1 qualifiers in their respective categories at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona during the first of 24 races on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule.
Langdon knocked off Brittany Force during Q2 to claim the quickest run with a pass of 3.699-seconds at 322.42 mph in his DHL Toyota Top Fuel Dragster to kick off the season. Langdon is looking to start off the season strong after a two year hiatus in the Top Fuel class to run Funny Car. Langdon is chasing his third No. 1 qualifier at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, and 19th of his career.
“There are tracks you go to and it seems like everything just clicks. I could stage this thing in reverse and it seems like it just works out. There are tracks you go to and it feels like you fall out of bed awkwardly. Pomona is one of those tracks I feel like I’ve had good success at. I’m just excited about today. It’s a good start,” said Langdon. “Every run we’re making small little changes trying to get me more comfortable. It’s a big change going back from a Funny Car to a dragster. We feel confident right now. For Connie (Kalitta, owner and crew chief), I know he’s excited.”
Brittany Force follows close behind in second with a 3.706-second pass at 329.10 mph, with Leah Pritchett seeded in third after a 3.715-second pass at 324.75 mph.
Hagan is looking to continue the momentum from 2019, posting a 3.867-second run at 331.20 mph to grab the provisional No. 1 qualifying spot for Funny Car in his MOPAR/Pennzoil/Sandvik Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. If it holds, Hagan will grab his 37th career No. 1 qualifier and fifth at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.
Jack Beckman is currently seeded second with a 3.868-second pass at 326.95 mph, while defending Funny Car champion Robert Hight trails close behind in third with a 3.885-second run at 330.31 mph.
Pro Stock’s Jeg Coughlin Jr. sits in the provisional No. 1 qualifier spot with a 6.530-second run at 210.73 mph pass. If the position holds, this will be Coughlin’s 33rd career No. 1 qualifier. Close behind him in second place is Coughlin’s Elite Motorsports teammate and three-time Pro Stock world champion Erica Enders, who ran a 6.552 seconds at 210.70 mph. Kenny Delco follows close behind in third after running a 6.553-second pass at 210.60 mph.