ENNIS, Texas: Khalid AlBalooshi advanced to the final round of the delayed Pep Boys NHRA Carolina Nationals for the Qatar Al Anabi Racing Top Fuel Team, the three-time and defending World Championship team owned by H E Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Thani.
Last Sunday in Charlotte, North Carolina, AlBalooshi defeated his team-mate, Shawn Langdon in the first round before the remainder of the event was postponed to this weekend.
Yesterday in Texas, the eight teams that advanced to the second round completed the seventh annual Pep Boys NHRA Carolina Nationals, the 19th of 24 races that make up America’s 2014 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing season and the first of six races that comprise the Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs.
AlBalooshi raced veteran NHRA driver Morgan Lucas in the first round and made an excellent pass advancing to the semi-finals.
There, he defeated good friend Steve Torrence to advance to his fifth final round of the season. In the finals, he raced seven-time NHRA champion Tony Schumacher.
Both cars launched brilliantly, and the two were side-by-side until about half track when AlBalooshi’s gold Al Anabi dragster slowed allowing Schumacher to cruise to the finish line and take the points lead. “Our team had a good day today,” AlBalooshi said.
“Everybody on our team really wanted to win the race. We thought we had a chance even being in the right lane – the right lane is not as good as the left – but Tony made a very good run. We are happy to race in the final in the Charlotte race. We will try to win the Dallas race,” he added.
With the completion of the first race in the Countdown to the Championship NHRA Play-offs and AlBalooshi’s final-round appearance, the Dubai driver moved from seventh up to fourth in the NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel point standings. His team-mate, Shawn Langdon, dropped from third all the way down to seventh with his first-round loss in the first race of the playoffs.
The point standings will change again after the completion of AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals this week. THE PENINSULA
