The Al-Anabi Racing Team and His Excellency Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Thani 59th annual Chevrolet Performance NHRA U.S. Nationals
Shawn Langdon, Al-Anabi Racing Top Fuel Dragster (silver) – Race Winner
Qualifying: Shawn Langdon was the No. 5 qualifier at the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals with a 3.821-second effort at 316.60 mph. During the third and fourth rounds of qualifying on Sunday, Langdon won the semifinals and finals of the second annual Traxxas Nitro Shootout taking the trophy and the $100,000 winner’s prize.
Eliminations: Langdon defeated Pat Dakin, Terry McMillen, Doug Kalitta and Steve Torrence on his way to the winner’s circle. Langdon won yesterday’s Traxxas Nitro Shootout, a special event for race winners and today’s race defeating Torrence in the final round both times.
Unofficial Point Standings: Langdon remains No. 1 in the NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel point standings. He finishes the regular season with a 215-point lead over second-place Spencer Massey and will enter the Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs as the top seed in Charlotte in two weeks. After the points reset, Langdon will lead Massey by 30 points.
Langdon on the U.S. Nationals: “This is the biggest race of the year by far and this Al-Anabi team just did a phenomenal job. With how special this event is and with the history behind the race, it was important for me to win this, and I wanted it bad; this is a special race for the Johnson family with all they’ve been through at this race track, and I meant a lot to me to hand the trophy to Alan.
“It was great to win another race with Sheikh Khalid here to see it; we all appreciate everything he does for our race team. This team has given me a great car and it’s a dream opportunity. Having a car like this Al-Anabi car gives you confidence, and now it’s up to me to perform. We have a chance to contend for the Mello Yello Championship now, and we want to keep the momentum going and keep working hard. It’s a pressure situation from here on out.”
Khalid alBalooshi – Al- Anabi Racing Top Fuel Dragster (gold)
Qualifying: Khalid alBalooshi was the No. 10 qualifier at the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals. During the first round of qualifying on Sunday, alBalooshi recorded a 3.832-second effort at 319.60 mph.
Eliminations: AlBalooshi defeated David Grubnic and Clay Millican before losing to Steve Torrence in the semifinals.
Unofficial Point Standings: AlBalooshi remains fifth in the NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel point standings. He trails fourth-place Doug Kalitta by 12 points and leads sixth-place Antron Brown by 39 points. AlBalooshi will be the No. 5 seed when the Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs begin in two weeks at Charlotte. When the points are reset for the Countdown, alBalooshi will trail Kalitta by 10 points and lead Brown by 10 points.
AlBalooshi on Indianapolis: “Our team had a very good race. It was good to be in the semifinals. I wish we could have raced Shawn in the final round, but it was really a great weekend for our team in a lot of ways. Shawn won the Traxxas Shootout yesterday and the U.S. Nationals today. We made it to the semifinals, and Sheikh Khalid was here to see it all. We finished the regular season first and fifth in points, and our team signed a five-year contract extension with Qatar and Al-Anabi. So for everyone on our team, it was a very good weekend.”
