Al-Anabi heads to Dallas with 2 races to complete
Shawn Langdon, Al-Anabi Racing Top Fuel Dragster (silver):
Reigning NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel world champion Shawn Langdon enters the AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals, the second of six races that comprise the Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs, in third place in the NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel Point standings – the same position in which he started the Countdown last week in Charlotte. Langdon lost to his teammate, Khalid alBalooshi, in the first round of Charlotte eliminations, but since the race was suspended and will be completed this weekend, the point standings are unchanged.
Last week in Charlotte at the opening round of the Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs, Langdon was the No. 6 qualifier and lost to his teammate, Khalid alBalooshi, in the first round of eliminations. It was the second time in as many years that Langdon opened the Countdown with a first-round loss, but last year, he went on to win the NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel world championship.
Langdon prior to Dallas:
“We lost a good race to our teammate on Sunday in Charlotte; unfortunately, sometimes you have to race your teammate, and it’s just the nature of the beast. You just race your teammate like any other competitor. We made a great run, but Balooshi and the gold Al-Anabi team were a little bit better. We had one of the quicker runs of the round, but the car spit out a couple of spark plugs. It was unfortunate because we’ve had a great race car; it’s been very competitive. I think our run would have been a little bit better if that hadn’t happened, and maybe we would have been racing in the second round this weekend in Dallas. But that’s part of the sport; parts failures are going to happen, but the timing was unfortunate.
“We did a good job last year bouncing back from a first-round loss in the first race of the Countdown, and we plan to do the same this year. We have five races to be absolutely perfect so we have to head to Dallas and be ready to perform this weekend.
“Last year, we accomplished a lot in the last five races of the season, and I know the Al-Anabi team can do the same this year. If you look back at what this team has done in the past, when you really get down to it, this team knows how to handle pressure and perform when it counts. The Al-Anabi team has done it in the past, and they can do it again. We just have to look forward, keep our heads up, keep working hard and keep doing the best we can.
“It’s easy to let the pressure get to you and fold under it, but the Al-Anabi team, having been there before, knows how to deal with the pressure. That’s something they taught me last year. So hopefully the team’s experience and the little bit of experience I have now will come together when we need it.”
Khalid alBalooshi, Al-Anabi Racing Top Fuel Dragster (gold):
AlBalooshi defeated his teammate, Shawn Langdon, in the first round of the Pep Boys NHRA Carolina Nationals on Sunday at zMAX Dragway near Charlotte. The majority of the race was postponed until this weekend when eliminations will resume during qualifying. AlBalooshi will race Morgan Lucas in the second round of eliminations on Saturday, which will also be the third round of qualifying for the AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals. Should alBalooshi win, the fourth round of qualifying will double as the Pep Boys NHRA Carolina Nationals semifinals. The teams that reach the final round of Charlotte eliminations will race after the fourth round of Dallas qualifying Saturday evening.
AlBalooshi and his gold Al-Anabi Racing Team have a very consistent race car. At the U.S. Nationals Labor Day weekend in Indianapolis. The car made four excellent qualifying runs in five attempts and made excellent passes in the first and second rounds of eliminations. That consistency continued this past weekend in Charlotte when the team made three solid passes in four qualifying attempts and made their best pass of the weekend in the first round of eliminations, a 3.780-second effort at more than 317 mph.
Texas Motorplex near Dallas is one of just four race tracks on which the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series competes at which the Al-Anabi Racing Team has never won a race. The other three are in Epping, N.H., Denver and St. Louis. One year ago in Dallas, alBalooshi did not qualify for eliminations.
AlBalooshi prior to Dallas:
“Running two different races in Dallas will be tough on all of the crew chiefs this week. You have one race (Charlotte) during qualifying, but you still have to make the show for the race on Sunday (Dallas). So it will be hard on the crew chief and the crew guys especially for the teams that make the Charlotte final round – that will be an extra run. What I know for sure is we have a good, consistent car, and I am looking forward to racing in Dallas this week.
“We will continue the Charlotte race in a completely different place with completely different conditions, but we have a smart crew chief. I know our guys will have everything figured out, and we are hoping to catch a good weekend over there. We did not have a good race there last year, but I do not worry about that. I am going to the race knowing that I am going to do my best, my crew chief will do his best, and all of our crew guys will do their best. Our car is back, and I know we can do some big things with it soon.”
