The 2024 season was a good one for Sean Langdon and his Kalitta Air Carrier Toyota team. But this team wants more. The focus now is the same as before the season. Countdown to the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Championship NHRA Playoffs will be held October 11-13, 2024 at the Texas NHRA Fall in Ennis, Texas, as the fourth of six playoff races. It will resume at Nationals.
Like everyone else, Langdon and the Kalitta Air Carrier team set out for the 2024 season in search of a championship. That goal not only still exists, but is within reach. Langdon played in seven games in the final round, winning two and entering Dallas in third place in points. He leads second-place Justin Ashley by 26 points, teammate fourth-place Doug Kalitta by 27 points, and has a 60-point lead over points leader Antron Brown with three races remaining. The countdown has entered its second half and this team must win.
“The first half (of the countdown) went well, we just lost some tough races,” said the 2013 NHRA Top Fuel champion. “It’s going to be a pretty big race heading into Dallas. There’s probably about seven people vying for the Top Fuel title, so it’s definitely a time to go wrong. Every mistake counts, so it’s going to be a pretty big race. We have to work together as a team. The players have done a good job all season, so everyone works together to the best of their ability. It is.”
With five runner-up finishes over the course of the season, the Langdon and Brian Heusen-tuned Kalitta Air Carriers team is right up there. Langdon’s most recent runner-up finish came at the first Countdown Race in Reading, Pennsylvania, last month. This team feels as though its time has come and that another Winner’s Circle celebration could come any day now.
“I felt like I was waiting for a win for a long time,” Langdon said. “Fortunately, the runner-up team has kept us in contention, but we need to turn that into a win. It’s time to turn the round win and runner-up into a race win. We’re at a point in the season where the people that are going to be competing in Pomona are starting to separate, and I hope that we can be part of that. This part of the season puts us in a position to challenge for a championship. It’s something we work on throughout the year to put in place, and that’s our goal and what we continue to strive for.”
This article was originally published on October 8, 2024.
