alBalooshi takes Al-Anabi to Top Fuel Title at Winternationals
TOP FUEL WINNER: Khalid alBalooshi; Al- Anabi Racing Top Fuel Dragster (gold)
Qualifying: Khalid alBalooshi was the No. 7 qualifier at the Circle K Winternationals; during the first round of qualifying on Saturday, alBalooshi ran a 3.774-second pass at 324.59 mph.
Eliminations: AlBalooshi defeated Tony Schumacher, his teammate Shawn Langdon, Steve Torrence and Doug Kalitta on his way to the winner’s circle. It was alBalooshi’s third-career Top Fuel victory in five final-round appearances. Today’s win marks the third-consecutive win for the Al-Anabi Racing Team at Pomona’s Auto Club Raceway; Shawn Langdon won both Pomona races last year.
Unofficial Point Standings: AlBalooshi is in first place in the NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel point standings. He leads second-place Doug Kalitta by six points.
AlBalooshi on Pomona: “I am so excited. There is nothing better than to leave the first race of the season with the first trophy. Thanks to Jason (crew chief Jason McCulloch) and everybody on our team; they have been working very hard, and I thank everyone for his hard work on our car; I thank Sheikh Khalid for giving me the opportunity to drive his car; I am happy we could make him proud today.
“The Al-Anabi car had a strong day today. It’s a good win, especially when you have Tony Schumacher first round, Shawn Langdon second round, and ‘Steve-O’ (Torrence), who’s been doing a good job. Doug’s (Kalitta) car was the best car all weekend, so it made it a very big day for us to take him down in the final and get the trophy.”
“Last year, our car started to get better and better. I felt like our car was better down in Florida (in preseason testing), and I’ve been telling people, ‘I think we have a hot rod to start the season with.’ I feel like our car got better and better and better each round. When I won the first round against Tony, I felt like my day was open.”
Shawn Langdon – Al- Anabi Racing Top Fuel Dragster (silver)
Qualifying: Shawn Langdon was the No. 2 qualifier at the Circle K NHRA Winternationals. During the final round of qualifying Saturday afternoon, Langdon ran a 3.715-second pass at 326.79 mph. It was the fourth-quickest pass in NHRA history.
Eliminations: Langdon defeated Troy Buff before losing to his teammate, Khalid alBalooshi, in the second round of eliminations. It was just the second time Langdon lost to his teammate; Langdon now holds a 4-2 head-to-head advantage over alBalooshi. Today’s second-round loss was Langdon’s first since St. Louis in September, 2013.
Unofficial Point Standings: Langdon leaves the Circle K Winternationals in fifth place in the NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel point standings. The last time Langdon left an event occupying a points position other than first was at Charlotte, N.C., in September, 2013, five races ago. He trails points leader Khalid alBalooshi by 48 points.
Langdon on Pomona: “In the second round, there was a little bit of a mistake from the driver. I got out of the groove a little bit down there, but alBalooshi made a great run, 3.73, and he had an excellent light, too. So it was just a really good drag race; we lost by seven thousandths of a second, and that’s how NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing goes. You can win by seven thousandths, but you can lose by it as well.
“The Al-Anabi team made some excellent runs this weekend. They did an excellent job in qualifying. There are just a couple of little things we need to work on before we go to Phoenix (in two weeks). Congratulations to Khalid alBalooshi and the gold Al-Anabi team for winning the race today. Those guys did a great job – an Al-Anabi team won the race so that’s all that really matters.”
Next Race: The Al-Anabi Racing team will be back in action Feb. 21-23, 2014 at the Carquest Auto Parts NHRA Nationals in Chandler, Ariz. For additional information, please visit www.nhra.com. For additional information on the Al-Anabi Racing Team, please visit www.alanabiracing.com.
