Fresh off the first final-round appearance of his rookie season, Top Fuel pro Shawn Langdon is
ready to take the final step and earn his first victory when the NHRA tour arrives at the Texas
Motorplex for this weekend's 24th annual O'Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals.
"Getting so close to our first win last weekend in Charlotte has really motivated us," said
Langdon, the back-to-back and reigning world champion in the Super Comp category who turned pro in
February. "Plus, this team won the Dallas race last year, so we're the defending champs, even
though I wasn't the driver. It's been a year and it's time for these guys to feel what it's like to
win again. They've earned that."
Langdon has been a demon behind the wheel of his 8,000-horsepower dragster, staying at or near the
top of the average reaction time chart all season. His car also is proving to be equal to the task
as he managed to post low elapsed time of the meet Sunday at the Full Throttle series' last stop in
Concord, N.C.
"I'm not sure what was a bigger deal -- having a chance at the Wally (trophy) or running that 3.82
in the semifinals to get to the finals in the first place," Langdon said. "As tough as this class
is and as good as the other teams are every race, it's quite a feeling to have the quickest car of
any round, let alone of the entire race. That says we have the car to get it done, no matter who is
in the other lane."
For this event, Langdon picks up sponsorship from Mach 1 Global Services to go alongside regular
supporters Lucas Oil and Dixie Chopper. Mach 1 Global Services is an international freight
forwarder specializing in large overnight deliveries.
"It's going to be really cool to have all the Mach 1 people and their Texas customers in the pits
with us," Langdon said. "We're going to show them a good time and hopefully get them a win to kick
off this relationship in style. We're sure planning on doing everything we can to make this a big
weekend for the team."
By carding his runner-up finish last weekend in the first of six playoff races, Langdon has managed
to climb to within 48 points of Top Fuel leader Cory McClenathan. He knows another strong weekend
in Dallas could put him at or near the top of the charts.
"It's pretty awesome to be in the mix for the championship," Langdon said. "Of course, we're not
the only ones. Everyone is pretty bunched up at the top. It's going to be a lot of fun and every
race is big. We proved how much of a difference one good weekend can do for a team. Now we'll try
to have two good weekend's in a row and see where that puts us."
