Qatar Al-Anabi Racing Top Fuel driver Shawn Langdon launches his qualifying session with the front end of the car in the air as Langdon raced to the No. 1 qualifying position after two of four qualifying rounds in St Louis, Missouri.
ST LOUIS, Missouri: The first two races of the Countdown to the Championship NHRA Play-offs have had their challenges for the Qatar Al-Anabi Racing Top Fuel team, the two-time NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel World Champions owned by Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Thani.
Yesterday, both Al-Anabi teams made magnificent qualifying efforts at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals, the third of six races that comprise the Countdown to the Championship NHRA Play-offs and the 21st of 24 events making up the United States’ 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.
Qualifying resumes today with eliminations set for tomorrow.
Silver Al-Anabi driver Shawn Langdon entered the Midwest Nationals tied with Doug Kalitta for first place in the NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel point standings. Langdon was quickest in the first round of qualifying which allowed him to be in the final pair of cars during yesterday’s session.
After watching six cars run quicker than his, Langdon was seventh before he ran, but he blistered the Gateway Motorsports Park track with a 3.761-second pass at 326.40 mph and is the No. 1 qualifier with two qualifying rounds remaining.
Should Langdon remain No. 1 after the two sessions today, it would be his sixth No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 12th of his career. After making the quickest runs in both qualifying sessions, Langdon earned three qualifying bonus points in each session and earned the maximum of six points today. He now enjoys a six-point lead in the NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel point standings.
“That 3.76 (second pass) is pretty close to what we were trying to run,” Langdon said.
“Right now, we are trying to focus on smart racing. The six qualifying bonus points we earned are crucial right now. We were trying to make two consistent runs and get the maximum bonus points we could get, and we did that. The Al-Anabi car had the front end in the air and carried it quite a ways; that’s generally a good indication that the car launched hard and was going to make an excellent run. I figured it would throw a big number up on the board, and it was quick.”
The news was almost as good on the gold side of the Al-Anabi pit.
After failing to qualify for the race in Texas last weekend, Second-year driver Khalid alBalooshi needed a strong qualifying effort to get the team back on track for a return to the form that earned the No. 5 seed in the Countdown to the Championship NHRA Play-offs.
The team wasted no time in that process making a smooth yet conservative run in the first session, and AlBalooshi was eighth quickest.
In the evening session, AlBalooshi made a marvelous 3.794-second pass at 322.81 mph and is fourth after two of the four qualifying rounds.
“The Al-Anabi team had a very good day – especially with what we did at the last race,” alBalooshi said.
“We are the No. 4 qualifier right now; the car is running well, and everything has been good today. It felt very good to run so well today. We have two more runs Saturday to get ready for race day, but so far, so good.”
Al-Anabi Racing 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 Mello Yello 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, one can visit www.alanabiracing.com fro more details The Peninsula
