NHRA Shawn Langdon ends Top Fuel winless drought at U.S. Nationals

INDIANAPOLIS — Shawn Langdon powered to his first Top Fuel victory since 2016 on Sunday, beating Leah Pruett in the DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway.

Langdon had a 3.705-second run at 326.32 mph against Pruett for his 17th career win at second at Indy.

“There’s been a lot of hard work that has gone into this team,” NHRA driver Shawn Langdon said. “We’ve had an awesome car the entire weekend and it’s just a great team. How much work they put into this, it’s really impressive. This is an awesome deal, and when I hit the gas I knew we had it as long as we didn’t smoke the tires.”

We won INDY!!!!! 🏆

— Shawn Langdon (@ShawnLangdon333) September 6, 2020

Jack Beckman won in Funny Car, Erica Enders in Pro Stock, and Scotty Pollacheck in Pro Stock Motorcycle.

Points leader Beckman beat J.R. Todd with a 3.908 at 327.35 in a Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat for his second victory of the year and 32nd overall.

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Enders raced to her first victory of the season and 27th of her career, topping Matt Hartford with a 6.606 at 208.55 in a Camaro.

Pollacheck rode an EBR to his first career victory, going 6.790 at 200.53 in the final round against Andrew Hines to break the track speed record.

SHAWN LANGDON WINS THE U.S. NATIONALS!@ShawnLangdon333 runs 3.705 to Pruett’s 5.141@DHLUS | @ToyotaRacing | @NHRA pic.twitter.com/I8yiOOqBji

— Kalitta Motorsports (@TeamKalitta) September 6, 2020

NHRA Shawn Langdon — Shawn Langdon celebrates with Kalitta Motorsports owner Connie Kalitta after Langdon’s Top Fuel victory Sunday in the NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway (Jenna Watson/IndyStar via USA TODAY SPORTS NETWORK).

Benny Bloss will race for the factory Beta Motorcycles team in 2024 as that manufacturer joins SuperMotocross as the ninth brand to compete in the series. Beta Motorcycles will make their debut in the Monster Energy Supercross opener at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California in January.

*Benny Bloss finished among the top 10 twice in Pro Motocross, in 2016 and 2018. – Beta Motorcycles*

“The wait is over and we can finally share everything we have been working towards,” said Carlen Gardner, Race Team Manager in a press release. “It has been a great experience being a part of this development and seeing the progression. The only missing part was finding a rider that would mesh well with our Beta Family.

“After a one phone call with Benny, we knew it would be a good fit for him, and for us. We are happy to have him on board for the next two years and can’t wait to see everyone at Anaheim in January.”

Bloss debuted in the 450 class in 2015 with a 15th-place finish overall at Ironman Raceway in Crawfordsville, Indiana.

Bloss has a pair of top-10 rankings in the division with a sixth-place finish in the Pro Motocross Championship in 2016 and a seventh in 2018. His best Supercross season ended 15th in the standings in 2018.

“I’m extremely excited to join the Beta Factory Racing team,” Bloss said. “It’s cool to see a brand with such a rich history in off-road racing to come into the US Supercross and Motocross space. I know this team will be capable of great things as we build and go racing in 2024.”

Bloss is currently 22nd in the SuperMotocross rankings and has not raced in the first two rounds of the Motocross season.

Testing for Beta Motorcycles is scheduled to begin in August and the team expects to announce a second rider at that time.

The family-owned brand adds to the international flare of the sport. The company was founded in Florence, Italy in 1905 as Società Giuseppe Bianchi as they built handmade bicycles, The transition to motorcycle production in the late 1940s.

Beta Motorcycles competed and won in motocross competition in the late 1970s and early 1980s with Jim Pomeroy and other riders.

Beta will join Triumph Motorcycles as a second historic brand to join the sport in 2024. First established in 1902, Triumph has won in nearly every division they have competed in, dating back to their first victory in the 1908 Isle of Man TT. Triumph will debut in the 250 class in 2024 and plans to expand into 450s in 2025.

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