Al-Anabi Ready for Indy Repeat
Shawn Langdon, Al-Anabi Racing Top Fuel Dragster (silver):
Reigning NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel world champion Shawn Langdon enters the Chevrolet Performance NHRA U.S. Nationals, the final race of the NHRA regular season, in third place in the NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel point standings. He trails second-place Antron Brown by 150 points and leads fourth-place Tony Schumacher by 129 points. Langdon has qualified for the Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs.
Langdon is the defending champion of the Chevrolet Performance NHRA U.S. Nationals; the Al-Anabi Team also won the U.S. Nationals in 2010 with driver Larry Dixon. Al-Anabi Racing team manager Alan Johnson has won the U.S. Nationals Top Fuel title eight times in various roles including crew chief, team owner and team manager. One year ago at the U.S. Nationals, Langdon was the No. 5 qualifier; he defeated Pat Dakin, Terry McMillen, Doug Kalitta and Steve Torrence on his way to the winner’s circle.
Langdon is also the defending champion of the Traxxas Nitro Shootout, the third-year special event for Top Fuel and Funny Car teams with $100,000 going to the winning team in each category. Last year, he defeated Brittany Force, Antron Brown and Steve Torrence on his way to the Traxxas Shootout title. With his Bristol win in June, Langdon became eligible for this year’s Traxxas Nitro Shootout.
Langdon prior to the U.S. Nationals:
“The U.S. Nationals is always the biggest race of the year, but the toughest thing about Indy is the week leading up to the race with so many pre-race commitments and friends and family in town. It’s a long, hectic week, but it’s always enjoyable to be a part of the biggest race of the year. To be able to have the success we had last year and knowing where we are, it gives us something to strive for this year.
“Winning the U.S. Nationals last year ranked right up there next to winning the Mello Yello Championship and the last race of the season the same weekend in Pomona last November. In this day and age, with the competition so intense in Top Fuel, being able to double up and put on the performance the Al-Anabi team did at Indianapolis last year, it’s tough to do. Everything has to fall into place just right for that to happen. We’re just excited to get back out there this week and give it a shot again.
“It definitely gives us something to shoot for; that Traxxas Shootout is a tough race against the best cars of the season. It’s only race winners and the most popular driver that hasn’t won this year getting the last spot. You know you have the best of the best competing in the Traxxas Shootout, and then you have to do it all over again to win the U.S. Nationals. Those races just aren’t easy to win.
“We’ve had a couple of days of testing; we’re still fine-tuning some things. I don’t think we’re where we were last year with the things we’re continuing to work on, but I think we’re in a pretty good place now. The things we’re working on show a lot more promise than what we had last year. We were able to make the tune-up work very well last year, but the things we’re fine-tuning now are to keep our performance improving in the long run. It’s taken us a little more time that we anticipated, but we’ll get it sorted out.
“Even though Indy is not a part of the Countdown, the U.S. Nationals is a big enough race so that the importance of winning it is right there with winning a Countdown race. From now until the end of the season, every run we make down the track is critical and crucial towards winning the NHRA Mello Yello championship.”
Khalid alBalooshi, Al-Anabi Racing Top Fuel Dragster (gold):
Third-year Top Fuel driver Khalid alBalooshi enters the Chevrolet Performance NHRA U.S. Nationals, the final race of the NHRA regular season, tied with Brittany Force for seventh place in the NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel point standings. The two drivers trail sixth-place Spencer Massey by 65 points and lead ninth-place Richie Crampton by 41 points. AlBalooshi has clinched his spot in the Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs.
AlBalooshi prior to the U.S. Nationals:
“This year, I really feel way different about the U.S. Nationals. I think we have a car that can compete with everybody. Our car is close to all of the fast cars, and especially with the good runs we made at the Indy test (open test session last week in Indianapolis). We used some of our new stuff; Jason (crew chief Jason McCulloch) is using some of the new stuff with some things we have already been doing, and we feel good about the Indy race. Our gold Al-Anabi car was one of the fastest in testing, and we tried some new things. Everything was working in the test, and it was the same conditions like we are going to race so I feel good about the race this week.
“We have our place in the Countdown. I was not worried about that; our crew chief and all of our crew guys do their best, and we all know we have a car to race now. I think we can win the U.S. Nationals – if our car is working exactly how we want it to, and we catch a little luck, why not? I have to try my best on race day to catch a good light and put the car in the groove. I have to do my best on everything I can do. I am excited about this race because I know our car is good enough to win it.”
