Tony Schumacher (Jeff Burk photo)

Langdon got the win over eight-time Top Fuel world champion teammate Tony Schumacher in the final round on a holeshot with a .032 Reaction Time then 3.798/323.66 to Schumacher’s 3.783/317.49 but with a .064 RT.

"I don't know what changed today," Langdon said. "I was just really good on the tree. I was racing my Sportsman car last night and I lost and I was pretty ticked off about it. Throughout the year, you try to treat every race the same, but when you get into the Countdown there's a little bit of a spark or an edge, so any time you lose you get ticked off. I think maybe a little Sportsman racing and didn't get the job done it in and it gave me a second chance today and I was able to do a decent job.”

Richie Crampton (Jeff Burk photo)

Richie Crampton gained ground in NHRA's Countdown to the Championship playoffs with his third semifinal finish this year. Crampton and the Lucas Oil team moved up two slots in Top Fuel championship points from 10th to eighth by way of the seventh semifinal finish of his short three-year career.

Crampton started Sunday's race day from the No. 1 qualifying position (3.733 seconds, 323.50 mph), his second No. 1 spot of the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.

He defeated Kebin Kinsley and Brittany Force before fall to eventual winner Shawn Langdon.

"It's been a rough year but today's semifinal helps," Crampton said. "I'm a little more confident now and happy with the direction we've got this thing going. I think we are only going to continue to refine it for the last few races and try and resurrect what we can out of the championship points.”

Kebin Kinsley (Jeff Burk photo)

Pat Dakin (far lane) and JR Todd during qualifying. (Ron Lewis photo)

Veteran Pat Dakin surprised title contender Steve Torrence and sent him and his Capco Contractors/Rio Ammunition Top Fuel dragster to the sidelines in the first round. Dakin put up the best numbers of his 40-year career, running 3.779 a 324.98 mph to Torrence’s tire-hazing 4.405/186.28.

“Not taking anything away from Pat Dakin,” a disappointed Torrence said. “Those guys stepped up on the big stage, but I’d been a lot happier if they had stepped up against someone else.”

Dakin ran 3.779/324.98 in the next round, but lost to Antron Brown’s 3.774/320.20.