Toyota Seattle NHRA Preview

BROWN’S RUN FOR TOP SEED COMING DOWN TO THE WIRE – With just three races remaining in the regular season, Toyota driver Antron Brown trails Doug Kalitta by just 46 points for the top seed in Top Fuel for the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.   Brown currently leads the series in wins with five, while no other driver in the series has won more than twice this season.

He also has registered Top Fuel wins at each of the three tracks remaining on the schedule – winning at Seattle in 2009, Brainerd in 2009 and at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis in 2011.   The first seed begins the Countdown with a 30-point advantage over number two.  A Toyota Top Fuel driver has won each of the past four championships – Larry Dixon in 2010, Del Worsham in 2011, Antron Brown in 2012 and Shawn Langdon in 2013.

’13 CHAMP LANGDON LOOMS IN BACKGROUND – Shawn Langdon has quietly moved into the hunt for the number one spot in the Countdown.  The 2013 Top Fuel world champion has closed to within 156 points of the lead and is 112 points out of second.   After last week’s runner-up showing in Sonoma, Langdon has now advanced to four final rounds in the last eight races.  The Al-Anabi team also debuted a new car at Sonoma.

TOYOTA DRIVERS PUSH FOR COUNTDOWN – Two Toyota drivers have now clinched their berths in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs as Antron Brown and Shawn Langdon have guaranteed their spots with three races remaining.  Khalid alBalooshi (TF), Alexis DeJoria (FC) and Richie Crampton (TF) are all in strong positions if they each qualify for the last three races as each carries at least a 132-point advantage.   Cruz Pedregon (eighth) and Del Worsham (ninth) would each currently qualify with 97 and 73-point leads in a hotly contested battle for the final Funny Car playoff spots.