HAS OPPORTUNITY TO EARN MULTIPLE VICTORIES AT BRISTOL DRAGWAY
BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 10, 2026) – This past Sunday afternoon, Mother Nature hit the pause button on the runaway freight train that Top Fuel driver Shawn Langdon’s season has become in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.
Next stop for Langdon: historic Bristol Dragway in Tennessee. A late cluster of thunderstorms moved into the Epping, New Hampshire area this past Sunday and the Top Fuel final round was put on hold by NHRA officials and the plan is to resume that race Friday evening at Bristol.
Langdon will face Leah Pruett under the lights Friday at Bristol as the Southern California native tries to stretch his season winning streak to four wins in a row. If he’s successful, then two days later he will try to go for five in a row as he sets his Sunday sights on the Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals eliminations. He has another opportunity to cash in on Saturday through the bonus race, the Mission #2Fast#2Tasty Challenge.
Langdon is confident in his Kalitta Motorsports team led by crew chief Brian Husen and also his national record-setting Kalitta Air dragster. A few weeks ago, in South Georgia, Langdon posted a jaw-dropping speed of 345 mph, the fastest official speed clocked in NHRA history, which was later certified by NHRA as a national record.
Langdon would’ve loved to finish the job in New Hampshire but he’s also flexible and patient enough to handle Mother Nature’s demands and accept the challenge of completing the New England Nationals at Bristol.
“We had a really good car (at Epping),” Langdon said. “We ran well and qualified number one. We had a little hiccup in the first round with my reaction time, and I was pretty mad at myself. I felt like our team rebounded very well in the second round and semifinals, and I felt pretty good about the final. We can’t control weather, so we’ll head to Bristol, start going through some notes and get prepared there.”
Indeed, it will be a busy weekend for Langdon at the 25th annual Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. A two-time winner there in the past in three final rounds, Langdon and his crew will be busy in Friday’s first qualifying session exploring the brand-new concrete launch pad at Bristol Dragway that was recently installed in the off-season.
“Bristol Dragway is one of the most beautiful, scenic racetracks on tour, and we’ve had some success there in the past,” said Langdon, who beat Tony Schumacher in the 2016 Bristol final and Doug Kalitta in the 2014 Bristol final. He lost to Justin Ashley in his other Bristol final in 2022.
“It’s a great area,” Langdon continued. “I love going there, and the track should be really good. Big props to Thunder Valley and NHRA for resurfacing the track to give the fans the best possible show. A lot of it will still be temperature dependent with the elevation, but hopefully, it’s smoother and will allow us to run a little bit quicker. If the conditions cooperate Friday night, we could be able to go pretty fast.”
Langdon got off to a fast start to the season by winning in Phoenix in mid-March from the No. 1 qualifying position. He then hit his hot streak by collecting a trio of victories in a row at South Georgia Motorsports Park, Route 66 Raceway near Chicago and Budds Creek, Maryland. He comes into Bristol looking for two more national event victories with a nice points lead.
“Winning cures about everything; this year’s been unbelievable,” Langdon said. “We had one little hiccup at the first race (Gatornationals, lost first round), but that’s just how good the team is – they bounced back, and won three in a row. When this kind of thing happens, you just ride the wave because you never know how long it’ll last. A couple years ago, we didn’t finish in the top 10, and now we won three in a row. You ride the wave, enjoy it and soak it in, but you know what? The first thing we’re gonna do is get back, analyze it, and try to be better for the next race.”
Langdon says the secret to his Kalitta Motorsports team’s success is a ton of hard work and a veteran tour-tested crew who believes in each other.
“To win races, you have everything in place, and to win multiple races, you have to have everything perfect,” Langdon said. “The car has to be put together perfectly every time, and the crew chief has to make perfect calls. We’re doing that right now. We have a really good group from top to bottom; there’s no weak links. When I sit in the race car, I put the pressure on myself as far as not being the weak link on the team – don’t want to give anything up on the starting line because I know I have a bad ass race car. I just try to do the best I can and not hold anybody back.”
As always, fans will have the opportunity to interact with their favorite drivers as they’re granted an exclusive pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. This unique opportunity in motorsports gives fans direct access to the teams, allowing them to see firsthand the highly-skilled mechanics service their hot rods between rounds, and get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers.
In addition to Langdon, fans will get to see plenty of NHRA stars during the weekend, like recent Bristol winners Austin Prock, Justin Ashley, Doug Kalitta, a three-time Bristol winner, motorsports icon Tony Stewart, who is making his third Bristol Dragway start, three-time champ Antron Brown, Virginia cattle rancher and four-time world champ Matt Hagan.
On Friday night, in addition to night qualifying and fireworks, fans will be treated to some bonus racing with the held-over final rounds from last weekend’s NHRA New England Nationals in New Hampshire. In addition to the aforementioned Langdon-Pruett Top Fuel pairing, Jordan Vandergriff will line up against Jack Beckman to settle the carried-over Funny Car final. This is the second time in history that delayed finals from New England have moved to Bristol.
The high-revving Pro Stock category returns to action at Bristol with some new faces leading the way including points leader Dallas Glenn, the father-son tandem of Greg and Aaron Stanfield and two-time season winner Matt Hartford. Meanwhile, series veterans and multi-time champs Greg Anderson, Erica Enders and Jeg Coughlin Jr. are ready to return to their winning ways. Anderson, Enders and Coughlin Jr. are all three-time Pro Stock winners at Bristol.
The 200-mph Pro Stock Motorcycle class also returns this season and Bristol has produced five winners in five seasons: Richard Gadson, Gaige Herrera, Steve Johnson, Angelle Sampey and Jerry Savoie. Matt Smith and Angie Smith, Chase Van Sant, John Hall, Ryan Oehler and Clayton Howey are all top contenders.
The JBS Equipment Pro Mod Drag Racing Series also will return to Bristol Dragway along with the NHRA Lucas Oil Series and the Factory Stock Showdown.
Fans also will want to visit NHRA’s popular Nitro Alley and Manufacturers Midway, where sponsors and race vendors create a carnival atmosphere, with interactive displays, simulated competitions, merchandise, food and fun for the entire family.
There are three major events that fans definitely won’t want to miss, including Friday’s Nitro at Night qualifying session where the Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars “light their candles” and power down the drag strip at more than 330-mph as flames erupt out of their header pipes. That session is scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. A brilliant fireworks show will complete the racing on Friday.
On Saturday, race officials will host the popular Fan Fest in the Pits, where many of the top drivers are available to meet with fans and sign autographs. This event begins 30 minutes after the final nitro qualifying session and is held in the large Guest Welcome Center tent in the pro pit area near the second tunnel.
The other is the Sealmaster TrackWalk on Sunday morning prior to pre-race ceremonies. Join NHRA drivers and NHRA officials as they walk the famed Bristol Dragway quarter-mile strip before racing begins.
Qualifying for the Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals begins Friday, June 12 with a pair of pro sessions, the first at 6 p.m. and the second under the lights at 8 p.m. The final two rounds of qualifying are set for Saturday, June 13, at 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. and will include the popular bonus program Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge. Final eliminations are scheduled for noon on Sunday, June 14.
Friday’s 90-minute qualifying show will air on FS1 at 8 p.m. (ET), and be followed by another hour qualifying show on Sunday at 2 p.m. (ET), also on FS1. Sunday’s three-hour final eliminations show will air at 3 p.m. (ET) on FS1.
Single-day Friday tickets start as low as $35 for adults. Saturday adult tickets start at $60 and Sunday’s tickets start at $50. All grandstand tickets for kids 12 and under are free on Friday and $12 each day on the weekend with a paid adult. Discounted weekend packages and limited premium seating are also available.
To purchase your reserved seats, call Bristol Dragway at (866) 415-4158. Tickets also are available online by visiting the BMS website.
About Bristol Dragway
Affectionately known as “Thunder Valley,” Bristol Dragway is nestled between two mountains in northeast Tennessee near the Virginia state line and sits adjacent to the iconic Bristol Motor Speedway. In 2026, the historic dragstrip is celebrating its 61st anniversary and is scheduled to play host to numerous major events including the fan-favorite Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, a marquee event in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Other key events at the Dragway in 2026 include the DER Bracket Series, Summit Racing Equipment Thunder Valley Street Fights series, BTE World Footbrake Challenge races, PDRA Thunder Valley Throwdown, JEG Summer Fling, RAD Fall Fling 500K, and the NHRA Jr. Drags Eastern Conference Finals. Bristol Dragway also transforms into a premier outdoor concert venue for the world’s greatest music performers and becomes The Thunder Valley Amphitheatre presented by Ballad Health. With more than 50 event days each season and serving as the longtime starting point for The Food City Speedway in Lights holiday spectacular, Bristol Dragway continues to be one of the busiest drag racing facilities in the nation. For more information, please visit www.bristolmotorspeedway.com/dragway.
