MORRISON, Colorado: Denver is called the “Mile-High City” because, located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, it is more than a mile above sea level.
That’s great for those who enjoy outdoor activities, but it’s hard on racing engines.
Despite the thin air at that elevation, it was a solid opening day of qualifying for the Qatar Al Anabi Racing Top Fuel team, the three-time and defending NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel World Champions owned by His Excellency, Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Thani. Shawn Langdon is fifth, and Khalid AlBalooshi is seventh after the first day of qualifying for the 35th annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, the 14th of 24 events that make up the United States’ 2014 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.
Langdon’s opening qualifying attempt began well, but the 2013 World Champ ran into problems later in the run.
In the evening qualifying session, Langdon once again started well, but this time, he finished well reaching the finish line in just 3.868 seconds at more than 315 mph.
Langdon is fifth after two of the four qualifying rounds.
“We didn’t make a good run in the first round,” Langdon said.
“We were a little down on power and smoked the tires. The track got a little bit better in the second round, and we made a pretty good run.”
AlBalooshi’s day was striking in its similarity to Langdon’s. In the first session, he began brilliantly before having problems later in the run.
However, in the evening session, the third-year Top Fuel driver’s car stayed hooked up all the way to the finish line.
His 3.893-second effort at nearly 313 mph placed him seventh in the order with two qualifying attempts remaining.
“It was a good start for the Al Anabi team,” AlBalooshi said.
“In the first round, we were on a good run when the car had some problems. In the night run, we were much better. The car did just what we wanted it to do; that is good news for our team. We are excited about the rest of the race,” he added.THE PENINSULA
