Key Takeaways
- Shawn Langdon set a new NHRA Top Fuel speed record, hitting 345.00 mph in a 3.724‑second run at South Georgia Motorsports Park.
- The run eclipsed Brittany Force’s 2023 mark of 343.51 mph and gives Langdon his 25th career No. 1 qualifier.
- J.R. Todd posted the quickest Funny Car pass of the season (3.887 s / 339.28 mph) in his DHL Toyota GR Supra, moving into contention for his second No. 1 of the year.
- Greg Anderson continued his Pro Stock dominance with a 6.498‑second, 210.60‑mph pass, on track for a fourth straight No. 1 qualifier and his 144th career top‑spot.
- Matt Smith recorded the season‑best Pro Stock Motorcycle run (6.669 s / 203.03 mph) in his NHRA debut at the new facility, positioning himself for a second consecutive No. 1 qualifier.
- The NHRA Southern Nationals qualifying session highlighted strong performances across all four professional categories and set the stage for Saturday’s eliminations.
Shawn Langdon’s Friday pass at South Georgia Motorsports Park rewrote the NHRA Top Fuel record books. Driving the Kalitta Air dragster, Langdon covered the 1,000‑foot distance in 3.724 seconds while trapping an astonishing 345.00 mph, surpassing Brittany Force’s 2023 benchmark of 343.51 mph set at Indianapolis. The run not only earned Langdon the provisional No. 1 qualifier for the Southern Nationals but also marked his 25th career top‑spot and put him on pace for a third No. 1 of the 2026 season. Langdon credited the effort to his crew, especially crew chief Brian Husen, noting that the team had tested the car extensively earlier in the year and used the event to prove the legitimacy of their high‑speed potential. He added that the new venue and enthusiastic fans made the achievement especially rewarding, even though he admitted he didn’t immediately notice the mph reading while in the car.
Behind Langdon, Tony Stewart secured second place with a 3.758‑second, 334.40‑mph effort, while points leader Doug Kalitta followed closely in third at 3.762 seconds and 334.40 mph. The tight grouping of the top three illustrated the competitive depth in Top Fuel heading into Saturday’s eliminations.
In Funny Car, J.R. Todd delivered a standout performance, posting the quickest pass of the year in the category: a 3.887‑second run that netted 339.28 mph in his DHL Toyota GR Supra. The effort represented a career‑best speed for Todd and secured him the provisional No. 1 qualifier, his second of the season and 16th overall. Todd expressed satisfaction with the car’s consistency, highlighting the work of crew members Dickie Venables and Todd Smith in adapting to the track’s conditions. He noted that while the first‑round run was blisteringly fast, the team chose a more conservative approach in Q2 to ensure a clean down‑track run, ultimately feeling they had left nothing on the table. Jordan Vandergriff (3.924 s / 325.14 mph) and Matt Hagan (3.933 s / 328.78 mph) rounded out the top three.
Pro Stock qualifier Greg Anderson continued his dominant streak, laying down a 6.498‑second, 210.60‑mph pass in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. No other competitor broke the 6.40‑second barrier, cementing Anderson’s position for a fourth consecutive No. 1 qualifier and moving him toward his 144th career top‑spot. Anderson acknowledged that the exceptionally good air tempted several teams to push for extra power, resulting in a few missed launches, including his own. He emphasized that only a minor adjustment to the starting line would be needed for Saturday’s rounds.
Eric Latino (6.508 s / 209.75 mph) and Aaron Stanfield (6.525 s / 210.60 mph) claimed second and third, respectively.
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Matt Smith made an impressive NHRA debut at the new track, recording the season’s quickest run: 6.669 seconds at 203.03 mph on his Denso Auto Parts Buell. The performance earned him the provisional No. 1 qualifier and set him up for a second straight top‑spot, extending his all‑time lead in the category to 60 (with a bid for 61). Smith highlighted the team’s extensive testing regimen—including sessions in Charlotte and Rockingham—as the foundation for his consistency. He noted that his target range of 6.69–6.70 seconds was nearly hit on the first run, while a headwind on the second attempt caused a slight slowdown, as expected. Gaige Herrera (6.723 s / 200.23 mph) and defending champion Richard Gadson (6.730 s / 201.37 mph) followed in second and third.
Qualifying for the NHRA Southern Nationals will resume Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET, with the four professional classes poised for exciting eliminations based on the strong performances displayed Friday.