Creating the right fuel mixture is extremely important to run a good race. Drivers often take the mixing into their own hands moments before the race. Indianapolis Star
Justin Ashley burst up for his burnout and reversed the car back to the starting line. He came to a stop and then put his hand on the throttle. It didn’t budge. Ashley’s car was stuck in reverse. Ashley was embarrassed: he didn’t want his opponent to think he was playing any games.
In the left lane, Shawn Langdon noticed there was something wrong. But he didn’t know with whom. It was the semifinal race, and his crew came out to the car and wiped a liquid off the track. He must’ve been leaking gas. But then why wasn’t anyone panicking? They were. Langdon just couldn’t see them.
When the tree lights flashed yellow, Langdon saw Ashley burst ahead. And then Langdon’s tires started to smoke. He let the car calm down. He was losing control. The crew thought about shutting him down, but then diagonally out in front, Ashley’s car started to shake.
“It’s Indy,” Langdon said. “I’m here to win races.”
At the NHRA U.S. Nationals, Langdon’s decisive semifinal catapulted him to his first Top Fuel win since 2016 after a two-year stint as a Funny Car driver. His 6.920 ET was enough to edge Ashley in the most exciting race of day and the two-time U.S. Nationals winner beat Leah Pruett in the final round to secure the trophy.
“When I went to Funny Car (in 2017), that was my only regret of racing with Connie Kalitta as my crew chief: I wasn’t able to get a win with him,” Langdon said. “I didn’t know if I ever got the opportunity to. I looked up to Connie as a kid. I’m very, very happy I’m able to get a win with him.”
The Top Fuel category was perhaps the most explosive of a strong U.S. Nationals lineup. Scotty Pollacheck won his first NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle final after 11 final round losses dating back to 2013. On the other end in Pro Stock, Erica Enders won her 28th national event and Jack Beckman secured his 32nd national title.
Langdon said his car felt good all weekend. He encountered an issue on the second qualifying session Saturday, but otherwise he felt fine. He had several conversations with Kalitta over the weekend. Langdon picked Kalitta’s brain at several moments when it seemed like things could have gone awry. Langdon secured the top qualifying spot in the first session and held it since then.
He wasn’t prepared to encounter the trouble that he did in the semifinal; after so much good, it caught him off guard. He felt the tires slip, and the car started to go sideways. When that happens, with an 11,000 horsepower push ahead, he said there’s no telling what the car could do. Langdon played it safe, and stayed calm.
He pushed lightly back onto the throttle and continued to lift and push, lift and push as if an eggshell was below his foot. His car burst forward then slowed, then burst again and slowed. Ashley kept pushing and releasing by his side and the cars moved down the track like a horse race at a carnival.
When Langdon crossed the finish line, the crowd erupted. Ashley even admitted after the race that, though it’s not ideal, it certainly was quite the show.
“It's kind of been a whirlwind weekend,” Ashley said.
When the semifinal race ended and Ashley returned to his pit, he still felt that he needed to apologize. He wasn’t trying to cause any trouble at the starting line, he seriously just couldn’t get a handle on his throttle.
He walked over to Langdon’s pit. He said he was sorry, he didn’t mean anything by it.
“Hey man, it’s all good,” Langdon said. “I’m glad you got it all fixed.”
Langdon invited him inside for a couple minutes. His crew watched the replay on their phones. They laughed along as each of them struggled toward the quarter-mile mark. Ashley asked them to play it back.
“It happens,” Langdon said. “It’s part of racing.”
Follow IndyStar reporter Michael McCleary on Twitter @mikejmccleary.
September 07, 2020 at 07:53AM
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Shawn Langdon wins NHRA U.S. Nationals Top Fuel category after wild semifinal win - IndyStar
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