Tony Stewart falls short of back-to-back glory, but racing history abounds at zMAX
The zMAX Dragway in Concord, just outside of Charlotte Motor Speedway, almost saw Tony Stewart do what he’d never done before — a pretty steep feat considering the racer’s decorated career.
And that would’ve been special.
But the dragway saw plenty of history nonetheless: from zMAX hosting the Top Fuel series’ 1,000th race, to a new industry speed record in qualifying.
Here’s a recap of the racing festivities Sunday.
Shawn Langdon defeats Tony Stewart in Top Fuel finals
Stewart made the finals of the Top Fuel NHRA 4-Wide Nationals on Sunday. That marked the third straight weekend the 53-year-old retired NASCAR legend had done so — following a final made on March 30 in Pomona, Calif., and then his first career victory at Las Vegas on April 13.
A win Sunday, thus, would’ve marked the first set of back-to-back NHRA triumphs in Stewart’s career.
Instead, however, it was Shawn Langdon who defeated the four-wide field on Sunday afternoon. He outdueled a field that included Stewart, Justin Ashley and Antron Brown, and did so thanks to:
▪ A .071 reaction time (how much time it took to react to the “go” sign at the start of the race)
▪ A field-best 3.714 elapsed time
▪ And a field-best 330.63 miles-per-hour top speed
“I didn’t even know the win light was on, to be honest. I saw a blinking light,” Langdon said. “I didn’t know if that meant I got first or second. So I didn’t know until (my teammate) was giving me a thumbs up when I rolled around the corner. ... Obviously it’s a great feeling. It’s something that I know years down the road I’ll be very proud.”
Top Fuel is a type of drag race which features the quickest accelerating race cars in the world. These cars, with their skinny tires up front, skeletal body and explosive engine, generate up to 11,000 to 12,000 horsepower and reach speeds in the mid-300 mphs in just 1,000 feet and require parachutes to safely arrive at a stop.
Watching the race in person requires ear muffs and a willingness to hear your brain and heart vibrate to a motor’s adrenaline. Winning a race, as Langdon did, requires 1,000 things to go right — from the engine being tuned up just right, to the clutch being up to snuff to control and deliver the power to the car’s massive rear tires, to the driver reacting to a light in time matters of infinitesimal.
One way that zMAX is a bit different is that it is one of two four-wide dragways in the U.S. that hosts NHRA events. But the rest? The experience remains.
Same could be said about Langdon’s win. This one was sweet, just as it always is.
But was it sweeter considering it marked the 1,000th Top Fuel race?
“Obviously this sport has so much history,” Langdon said. “So to be a part of that, it’s honestly very humbling.”
Austin Prock on his way to cementing quite a Funny Car legacy
Austin Prock won a Funny Car victory on Sunday. And while there’s no history there, necessarily — Prock is winning at a clip that is making record books quiver.
The 28-year-old driver wasn’t coy about his recent successes post race.
“We were watching one of the qualifying recordings this morning, and they spit out some of my stats. ... I had no idea to be honest,” Prock said. “Like I said, I don’t really pay attention to those things. They matter, but they don’t really matter. So yeah that’s pretty incredible. Glad we still got fans after all these wins.”
He added: “Everybody likes a winner until you win too much. So we might be right on the cusp.”
The joke was met with laughs in the press room. And there’s a reason for that. Good jokes, after all, contain kernels of truth.
The 28-year-old driver, only his second season in Funny Car, just notched his 14th NHRA win — four in Top Fuel, now 10 in Funny Car. He won a Funny Car championship in 2024. He’s the first driver to break the 240-mph barrier in Funny Car, too.
He drives for John Force, who is considered one of the greatest NHRA drag racer of all-time with 16 NHRA titles to his name.
Brittany Force makes NHRA history with top speed
Brittany Force recorded the fastest top speed in drag racing history. The daughter of John and a two-time NHRA Top Fuel champion laid down a run that saw a top speed of 341.59 mph run at zMAX Dragway on Friday during qualifying.
The previous speed record was 338.94, which also belonged to Brittany.
More on zMAX Dragway seeing 1,000th Top Fuel race
The dragway just outside of Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord reached a special milestone on Sunday: It featured its 1,000th Top Fuel race in the sport’s history.
To commemorate the event, the racetrack invited Don Garlits to the show. Garlits was the NHRA’s inaugural Top Fuel winner back in 1963 and is referred to the father of drag racing — so much so that he’s known as “Big Daddy.”
The win delivered race winners the “Wally,” but also a special commemorative trophy that was a replica of the one Garlits won decades ago.
