8.6 Langdon Talks 345 mph, Vandergriff Spills the Rookie Beans

8.6 Langdon Talks 345 mph, Vandergriff Spills the Rookie Beans

From NHRA Insider Podcast by Brian Lohnes

February 23, 2026 · 54 min

About this episode

Shawn Langdon discusses his record-setting runs at Gainesville Raceway while Jordan Vandergriff shares his experiences as a rookie Funny Car driver.

On this high-speed episode of the NHRA Insider podcast powered by Speedmaster, Shawn Langdon talks about his historic week of testing at Gainesville Raceway and Jordan Vandergriff talks about a breakout rookie week earning his stripes as a Funny Car driver. For Langdon, Gainesville was not a test session but a continuation of a global drag racing journey he'd been on since November. Langdon ran 3.621, which is the unofficial quickest of all time, and then the next day went 345.62, the unofficial fastest of all time. He breaks down these runs, his globe-trotting odyssey, and more in this insightful interview. Vandergriff has massive shoes to fill at John Force Racing. He knows it, the world knows it. He had an amazing week, gaining a Funny Car license, running 3.80s, and putting the world on notice that he can do the job. Vandergriff tells all about his new status as a Funny Car driver, his new crew chiefs, and his new crew in this chat. This and some more testing and cool news on the show!

People in this episode

Guests: Shawn Langdon, Jordan Vandergriff

Topics covered

  • drag racing
  • Funny Car
  • testing
  • speed records

Keywords

  • Gainesville Raceway
  • 3.621
  • 345.62
  • Funny Car license

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Funny Car, Speedmaster

Places: Gainesville

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