READING, Pennsylvania: The dream season continues for Shawn Langdon and The Qatar Al-Anabi Racing Top Fuel Team, the two-time World Championship team owned by Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Thani.
Langdon won the just-completed Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals, the fourth of six races that comprise the Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs and the 22nd of 24 races that make up America’s 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing season and now enjoys a significant points lead.
The day worked out perfectly for the driver of the silver Qatar Al-Anabi Racing Top Fuel car, but it almost ended in the first round.
Langdon, who was the No. 2 qualifier, launched perfectly, but the Al-Anabi car smoked the tires allowing Leah Pruett to race to a huge lead with Langdon struggling to get his Goodyear tires to stick to the track.
When Pruett’s car experienced engine problems, Langdon was able to get the Al-Anabi car hooked up and get to the finish line just ahead of Pruett and move onto to the second round.
Langdon got the most of his lucky second chance and blistered the field from there.
He dispatched Bob Vandergriff, Doug Kalitta and defending World Champion with the Al-Anabi car getting quicker with each pass. In the final round, Langdon’s 3.779-second pass gave him the win light and the starting-line celebration ensued. Langdon continued the Al-Anabi Racing Team’s Reading domination with four wins and five final rounds in the last five races there. With the win, Langdon increased his points lead from 33 points entering the event to 83 points with two races remaining in the season, but he knows how important his “race day luck” was on Sunday.
“First round, we were just trying to make a good, safe run,” Langdon said. “I pedaled the Al-Anabi car five or six times. I could see Leah out there in front of me, and then her chutes came out. I’m trying to get this thing to recover, and it is all over the race track. I got back to the pit, talked to Alan (team manager Alan Johnson) and Brian (crew chief Brian Husen), and they said, ‘well, we won’t have to worry about that anymore because the car won’t smoke the tires the rest of the day.” That’s what it did.
“We definitely had a little bit of luck there, and you need that on Sunday. If we had that much luck, I think it was meant to be for us to win today. That just shows how great this Al-Anabi team is; to be able to come back like that. We took advantage of the opportunity. It was a great job for this whole team; it’s a critical time to get that win right now. Thanks to Sheikh Khalid and everyone in Qatar; we really appreciate the support, and we’re going to do everything we can to win another World Championship for the State of Qatar.”
The news was not as good on the gold side of the Al-Anabi pit area where second-year Top Fuel driver Khalid alBalooshi entered eliminations as the No. 13 qualifier. The Dubai native raced veteran Top Fuel pilot Brandon Bernstein in the first round of eliminations. AlBalooshi made an excellent run, but Bernstein’s was slightly better. AlBalooshi was knocked out in the first round. Despite the early exit, alBalooshi remains eighth in the NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel point standings. He trails seventh-place Clay Millican by nine points and leads ninth-place Bob Vandergriff by 36 points with two races remaining in the season.
“Today was not the best day for our team, but we are all happy for Shawn and the silver team for winning the race,” alBalooshi said. “Our Al-Anabi car made a very good run in the first round. It just wasn’t good enough. I am sorry our day was not good, but this is racing. I know our car is still one of the best in the show. We have two more races to move up in the points; I know everyone on our team will do his best in the last two races, and everything will be OK. I thank Sheikh Khalid for this opportunity, and I hope we can finish the season strong for him.”
The Al-Anabi Racing team will be back in action Oct. 25-27 at the Toyota NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas, the fifth of six races that comprise the Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs. For additional information, please visit www.nhra.com. For additional information on the Al-Anabi Racing Team, please visit www.alanabiracing.com.
The Al-Anabi Racing Team operates out of multiple locations in both the United States and Qatar. In the United States, the Brownsburg, Ind. based operation is a two-car NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series team that is managed by Alan Johnson Racing. Sheikh Khalid’s initiative has created increased international awareness of the State of Qatar while highlighting the nation’s international sports outreach. Alan Johnson is a 14-time NHRA champion in various capacities including crew chief, team owner and team manager. For additional information on the Al-Anabi Racing Team, team manager Alan Johnson or drivers Khalid alBalooshi or Shawn Langdon, please visit www.alanabiracing.com.
The Peninsula
