Team Al-Anabi Heads to Vegas after 3 week Break
Shawn Langdon, Al-Anabi Racing Top Fuel Dragster (silver):
Reigning NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel world champion Shawn Langdon enters the 14th annual Toyota NHRA Nationals, the fifth of six races that comprise the Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs, in fourth place in the NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel Point standings. He trails third-place Steve Torrence by five points and leads fifth-place Antron Brown by 22 points. He is 148 points out of first place and 14 points out of second place with two races remaining in the season.
Langdon prior to Las Vegas:
“I’m feeling good about the race in Las Vegas this weekend; it’s always nice to head out to Las Vegas. It’s a fun town and a fun race. It’s always neat at the end of the year because of the hype that comes with racing in the Countdown. We’re excited to get back out there especially coming off the last race where we lost in the first round. We need to get back out there and have a strong finish to the season.
“The Al-Anabi guys spent these last three weeks working at the shop on diagnosing the problems that plagued us at Reading. Having three weeks off was nice because when you’re racing four weeks in a row, and the tune-up isn’t right, it’s really tough to address a problem quickly and get things figured out. We were able to go through everything from front to back and evaluate everything. We found a couple of little issues so we’re going to try to start at square one when we get to Vegas this week. We’re not completely out of the championship, but we definitely need a lot of help. Our main focus is to get the car running well again, do the best we can at the last two races and hopefully end the year on a good note and be ready to start fresh next season.
“At this point, we have enough of our own problems that we just need to focus on getting the Al-Anabi car where we want it. We’re not focused on points; we’re not focused on what other people are doing. Tony (Schumacher) has a seven-round lead with eight rounds to go so if there is a chance for us, we’re going to need a lot of help. Everything is going to have to fall our way. As long as we have a chance, we’re going to go for it, but more importantly, we need to get the Al-Anabi car back where we can manage it and get a good handle on the tune-up.
“We can’t go into these last two races with any expectations. We just need to get the car running well again. If things fall our way, we’ll do the best job we can possibly do to contend for the Mello Yello championship. If we can’t, we’re going to do the best job we can to contend for second place. With the intense competition in Top Fuel, second place isn’t a bad thing, but as long as we have a chance, we’re still shooting for the world championship.”
Khalid alBalooshi, Al-Anabi Racing Top Fuel Dragster (gold):
Third-year Top Fuel driver Khalid alBalooshi enters the 14th annual Toyota NHRA Nationals, the fifth of six races that comprise the Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs in eighth place in the NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel Point standings. He trails seventh-place Spencer Massey by 33 and leads ninth-place Brittany Force by 52 points. He is 52 points out of fifth place and 88 points out of second place with two races remaining in the season.
Khalid alBalooshi Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs Summary:
AlBalooshi prior to Las Vegas:
“We are in eighth place in the points, but we are close to fifth. We need to try our best to move up in the points in the last two races. We are looking for a strong finish in the last two races. We know the condition of the tracks will be good at the last two races. After that, we need to keep working on our stuff. Sometimes, we have a very good car, and everything is perfect. Sometimes the track can be tricky, though. At the next race, we want to have our stuff in good shape and race on the good track they have over there (in Las Vegas).
“I am happy with what the Al-Anabi team has done this year, but I know our team can do better. This year, we have been in way better shape than in the last two years, but still, we are looking to make the season better with what we can do in the last two races. We won two races, but we have a chance to win two more races. We are looking to put our team in a better position in the points.
“Las Vegas is always fun – especially if you have something to do. We can go to the race track and do our job, but then when you come back from the race, you are in Las Vegas, you know? You have things to do. I do not think I will dress up for Halloween this year. I think I am too old for that now.”
