Langdon leadsTeam Al-Anabi and Top Fuel Points into Brainerd
Shawn Langdon, Al-Anabi Racing Top Fuel Dragster (silver):
Shawn Langdon enters the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in first place in the NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel point standings. He leads second-place Tony Schumacher by 147 points. Should Langdon leave Brainerd with a points lead of 154 points or more, he would clinch the top seed in the Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs.
Langdon has four wins this season, more than any other Top Fuel driver; his four wins came in seven final appearances, and he has advanced to at least the semifinals at 10 of the last 12 races. He visited the winner’s circle at the season-opening NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Calif. in February, Topeka, Kan. in May, Englishtown, N.J. in June and the Sonoma, Calif, in July. He has five-career Top Fuel wins.
Langdon has also been a solid qualifier this season; his average qualifying position is 4.75. He has four No. 1 qualifiers taking top-qualifier honors at Charlotte, Atlanta Dragway, Topeka and Seattle, and he has qualified in the top-five positions at 11 of the 16 events this year. Langdon has 10 career No. 1 qualifiers.
Langdon prior to Brainerd:
“The Al-Anabi team has made huge strides in these last few races; the car has been running really well. We are qualifying better, and the car has been running really well on race day. It was nice to go on the Western Swing and get that win in Sonoma to extend our points lead, and if all goes well this weekend in Brainerd, we hope to leave there with the top seed in the Countdown. If we can keep pace with Schumacher (second-place Tony Schumacher) and Massey (third-place Spencer Massey) this weekend, we should be in pretty good shape.
“I’ve said it before – I think the days of watching someone dominate Top Fuel are over. I don’t think you’ll ever see one team dominate like you did in the old days or even just a few years ago. So to have four wins at this point in the season, I think that’s really impressive. We’ve had eight different winners in Top Fuel, and there are three or four other cars that can win any time. So to drive the car that has the most Top Fuel wins just shows how hard the Al-Anabi team has been working and the potential we have going forward. Hopefully we can get a couple more wins along the way.
“Brainerd is always an exciting weekend because everyone has so much fun there. It’s nice to be able to get together with your peers, drivers and crew members, and be able to go to a race and relax a little bit after the long Western Swing. It’s nice to go to Brainerd and be able to get down to business on the race track but be able to enjoy the weekend a little bit, too.”
Khalid alBalooshi, Al-Anabi Racing Top Fuel Dragster (gold):
Khalid alBalooshi enters the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in sixth place in the NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel point standings. He trails fifth-place Doug Kalitta by 36 points and coincidentally leads seventh-place Morgan Lucas by 36 points. AlBalooshi currently leads 11th place in the point standings by 257 points. If he leaves Brainerd leading 11th place by at least 154 points, he will clinch his spot among the 10 drivers who qualify for the Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs.
AlBalooshi won the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio in July. It was his first win of the season and the second of his Top Fuel career. Two weeks ago in Seattle, alBalooshi was the No. 4 qualifier; he defeated Brittany Force before losing to race winner Morgan Lucas in the quarterfinals.
AlBalooshi prior to Brainerd:
“Our team is excited to race this weekend in Brainerd. In Seattle, our car was very good and very fast. I think we could have won the race; Jason (crew chief Jason McCulloch) also thinks we could have won the race. A spark plug broke, and the engine lost a cylinder. These things happen, we know, but we are excited to get our car back on the track this weekend and do our best the win the race. We won a race already this year, we are in the Traxxas Shootout, and now we need to get in the Countdown. That is our next goal, and I hope we can do this weekend.”
