SHAWN LANGDON

right. He joined the team four races into the 2017 season, finishing in the Top 10 in Top Fuel before being approached about driving a Funny Car in 2018 with Alexis DeJoria retiring. Langdon didn’ t decide immediately, but the opportunity to diversity his portfolio and continue racing with Global Electronic Technology as the primary sponsor was too good to pass up.

“ It’ s good to expand your resume as a driver,” Langdon says.“ I was very content running a dragster, but I felt like( Funny Car) would be a good fit and a good opportunity to drive a different car. I just want to race, and I’ m really excited for the challenge.”

Langdon saw the transition firsthand as close friend J. R. Todd made the switch from Top Fuel to Funny Car in 2017, giving him added confidence he could do the same. Langdon also recognized the wealth of talent he’ ll be working with when it comes to the likes of crew chiefs Tommy DeLago and Nicky Boninfante, and car chief Matt Bynum, which has made the process much more manageable.

“ It’ s a team with a really good foundation,” Langdon confirms.“ This year we’ re working closely with J. R.’ s team getting these cars set up as identical as we can. It’ s a great team and a fun group of guys, and that really plays into it.”

Langdon remains a diligent student, going over runs long after he’ s left the track. Being his own harshest critic, there are still plenty of areas where he wants to improve. It will only come with time, but Langdon is doing everything he can to speed up the process.

“ I demand perfection all the time and I want to be as good as I possibly can,” Langdon reveals.“ I struggled with how the car drives, how it steers and a lot of runs I was overdriving them. It took a little bit of time to really adapt to how the car steers. I’ m still learning how to drive it.”

But that journey and that challenge is what drives Langdon in the first place. He’ ll continue to be dynamite on the starting line, and he’ ll continue to remain as competitive as ever. Where that leaves him by the end of the season remains to be seen, but expectations haven’ t changed even if the class has.

“ It’ s going to take time to where we need to be,” he says,“ but I’ m confident after 18 races we will have a car that’ s a championship contender.” DI

By TrueSpeed Communications

. S. Army Racing has bolstered its 11-time championship-winning Top Fuel driver lineup of Tony“ The Sarge” Schumacher and Antron Brown with the addition of fellow Don Schumacher Racing( DSR) driver Leah Pritchett and her team for the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season. The news was announced in preparation for the annual NHRA preseason test session near Phoenix.

Pritchett and the DSR Mopar / U. S. Army Dragster team will join eight-time champion Schumacher and three-time champion Brown when the Army Racing heritage marches into its 18th full season of NHRA competition since“ The Sarge” debuted the U. S. Army colors on his DSR Dragster at the prestigious U. S. Nationals just outside Indianapolis in September 2000.

“ Throughout the U. S. Army’ s 17-year partnership with DSR, the Army colors have exhibited dominance and resilience with one of the most elite organizations in all of motorsports,” said Elizabeth Wilson, deputy assistant secretary of the Army for Marketing and Director of the Army Marketing Research Group.“ Tony Schumacher, Antron Brown and their respective teams have been the ultimate representatives of our more than 1 million U. S. Army Soldiers around the world. And today, we are extremely proud to welcome Leah Pritchett to the Army Racing family and look forward to the addition of a third championship-contending driver and team to the lineup.”

In addition to representing the U. S. Army on the racetrack during the 24-event NHRA

PHOTO: DON SCHUMACHER RACING

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