MADISON, Illinois: Winning the first championship is difficult; winning the second can be even tougher, but that’s what reigning World Champ Shawn Langdon aims to accomplish for the Qatar Al-Anabi Racing Top Fuel team, the three-time and defending World Championship team owned by Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Thani in the next four races.
Langdon, and his team-mate Khalid AlBalooshi, will continue their championship efforts at this weekend’s third annual AAA Insurance NHRA Nationals just across the Mississippi River from St Louis, Missouri, the 21st of 24 races making up the United States’ 2014 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series and the third of six events that comprise the Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs.
Qualifying is set for tomorrow and Saturday with eliminations scheduled for Sunday.
Langdon, who lost to AlBalooshi in the first round at the first Countdown race two weeks ago, dropped to seventh in points but surged back to fourth place with his semifinal showing in last weekend’s race near Dallas, Texas.
The reigning World Champion is just nine points out of second place. Catching second-place driver Steve Torrence is manageable – it could happen in one round of racing.
However, catching points leader Tony Schumacher, who won the first two races of the Countdown is a tall order – the seven-time World Champion leads Langdon by 115 points.
“We are fourth in points now, but we’re only nine points out of second place,” Langdon said.
“With Schumacher starting the countdown with two good races, we need to make up some ground, but it’s still in our hands. If we go to these last four races and compete the way the Al-Anabi Team is capable, we can make a good move in points and put some pressure on the other teams. We really can’t make too many more mistakes. We need to get our game plan back, get our butts in gear and get back up towards the top of the point standings. We just need a chance – that’s all we need, and we have four races left to get it done.” AlBalooshi advanced to the final round of eliminations at the first Countdown race but lost to Schumacher. With his final-round showing, he moved from seventh to fourth in points.
Sunday in Dallas, the Dubai native suffered a first-round exit and dropped back down to seventh in points. Still, AlBalooshi is just 12 points out of fifth place and 25 out of fourth so the third-year driver can make up a lot of ground quickly.
“I still think we are in good shape for the rest of the Countdown with what we have,” AlBalooshi said.
“In St Louis, it will be very important for us to do a better job in qualifying. We need to have lane choice on Sunday, and that is something our team has not been doing. Sometimes, when we show up for a race, the track is good – especially in the first round – and we don’t have lane choice. Our team needs to do a better job on Friday and Saturday so we have a better starting spot. That is our plan. We want to do better in qualifying. We have to make a move in points this week in St. Louis. Doing better in qualifying is definitely the way to go. That is how we can keep going and move up in the points.”
The Peninsula
