By RACER Staff - May 20, 2026, 12:03 PM ET

Hitting 345mph with NHRA Top Fuel dragster ace Shawn Langdon.

Every time I get to the end alive, I kiss some asphalt, I thank God for being alive and get into church real soon to put something in the plate.

The fastest guy in motorsports? That would be Top Fuel racer Shawn Langdon, who hit a record-shattering 345.00mph top speed as he rocketed his Kalitta Air dragster to a 3.724s ET pass in Southern Nationals qualifying, May 1. The former Top Fuel champ and current points leader joins RACER Weekly to talk about the art, science and brute force of taking a nitro-burning, 12,000hp dragster to record speeds, what it’s like behind the wheel as he accelerates through 1,000ft in 3.6 seconds, and how crew chief Brian Husen and his Kalitta Motorsports crew are making the magic happen. And if 20 weekends of Top Fuel action aren’t enough, Shawn tells us about the fun, satisfaction and lack of sleep that trailering his sportsman dragster around the country brings.