EPPING, N.H. — Top Fuel points leader Shawn Langdon continued his torrid pace under the lights on Friday at New England Dragway, rolling to the provisional No. 1 qualifier position – and claiming the No. 1 Clawifier Award presented by NAPA – at the NHRA New England Nationals presented by bproauto.
Alexis DeJoria (Funny Car) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the eighth of 20 races during the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.
Langdon, who has won three straight races and four of the past six, powered to the top with a run of 3.709-seconds at 334.98 mph to close out Friday’s action in his 12,000-horsepower Kalitta Air dragster for Kalitta Motorsports.
The past world champion has been virtually unbeatable since late March and is now after his second straight No. 1 qualifier and fourth overall during what has already been a stellar 2026 season.
“It’s a great feeling. These guys have worked so hard the last couple of years and it’s nice to finally see the dividends of all that hard work show up on the scoreboard,” Langdon said. “I used to be a fan of those teams where you knew Friday night they were going to throw down. Now that’s our story and that’s a pretty cool feeling.”
“Brian (Husen, crew chief) is the opposite of complacent. He’s always pushing, always looking for the next thing, always trying to be better. I feel like that mindset is across the entire team right now. There’s really good chemistry going on. We did a really good job adapting to the conditions today, and then with the night run, we knew we had to step on it.”
Leah Pruett is right behind in the second spot after a run of 3.712 at and Josh Hart is third thanks to a 3.724 at 337.92.
In Funny Car, Alexis DeJoria has already enjoyed a solid start to her 2026 campaign and now she has an opportunity to pick up her first No. 1 qualifier in five years after putting together a run of 3.929 at 312.42 under the lights in her 12,000-horsepower Bandero Café Chevrolet SS for John Force Racing.
Her last top qualifier came in 2021 at Bristol, but DeJoria is in a great position to change that and earn her seventh career No. 1 spot. Friday’s stellar run also handed the veteran the No. 1 Clawifier Award presented by NAPA, something she hopes will lead to her first victory of the season on Sunday.
“Right now, we’re No. 1 and that’s all that matters. I got to sit in the lobster chair tonight, and we’re sitting No. 1. Our team really needed that,” DeJoria said. “We’ve come so close to so many things and just missed them. Tonight, everything paid off.
“We’ve worked really hard to build a consistent race car and now we’re starting to take that next step. We’re one, two and four. That’s a pretty good night for (John Force Racing).”
Her John Force Racing teammate Jordan Vandergriff is second with a 3.932 at 326.32 and Austin Prock, who won Sunday in Maryland, sits third after a 3.950 at 328.14.
Defending Pro Stock event winner Greg Anderson continued to roll at New England Dragway, taking the top spot – and the No. 1 Clawifier Award presented by NAPA – with a standout run of 6.508 at 210.67 in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro.
Anderson has thrived at the facility, winning three times, and comes in feeling good, too, after Sunday’s victory in Maryland. Should Friday’s run hold, Anderson would earn his fifth No. 1 qualifier of the year and 145th in his career. He also entered the weekend second in points, but just 11 back of KB Titan Racing teammate and reigning world champion Dallas Glenn, who is currently in the fifth spot.
“We won Friday and we won the lobster, so that’s about as good as you can possibly ask for today. We checked all the boxes and brought them all home,” Anderson said. “If you miss on that Friday night run, tomorrow is going to be a struggle. It’s going to be a hard challenge for anybody to catch that number. We’re going to go out there tomorrow and try to get some more bonus points, but I think we’re looking pretty good.
“Up and down the East Coast, people really appreciate Pro Stock and that makes you want to show off for them and prove why they love the class. We’re very fortunate to have tracks like this and Maryland on the schedule. The fans here understand and appreciate Pro Stock racing.”