TOP FUEL

Alex Laughlin and Bo Butner at the top end. (Ron Lewis photo)

Shawn Langdon and the Sandvik Coromant/Red Fuel Powered by Schumacher Top Fuel team scored their third event title of the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season on Sunday and his first at Gateway Motorsports Park. It also marked the first time that a fully-branded Sandvik Coromant dragster was parked in the winner's circle.

This weekend marked the first weekend of fall but summer heat and humidity challenged many teams - but not the team that picked up their other two event titles of the season in two of the hottest conditions of the year at Bristol, Tenn., and Norwalk, Ohio.

"We didn't have a great car in qualifying, we were fourth or fifth quick," Langdon said. "But we just kept working away at it. That's what we've been doing since we got our two wins earlier (this year). We hit a little bit of a slump, made a few changes and then we got a new car at Indy. The car has responded well. We've had a good car, just a couple little mistakes in the two rounds we lost, but it's always easy to look back after the run and see what you did wrong. All in all, just a great team effort. We had a couple little struggles today - warming the car up before the semis, and then we had an ignition issue, but they gave me a great racecar and if I could keep it straight I felt good about my chances."

Doug Kalitta (Jeff Burk photo)

The win propelled Langdon and the Sandvik Coromant team from seventh to fourth in Top Fuel points standings. Langdon knocked out points leader and Don Schumacher Racing teammate Antron Brown in the opening round (3.771/325.53 to 3.774/320.20), second place in points Doug Kalitta in the quarterfinal (3.782/322.27 to 3.861/310.91), and No. 1 qualifier Richie Crampton in the semifinal (3.784/322.27 to 3.844/317.79).