TOPEKA, Kansas: The Qatar Al-Anabi Racing Top Fuel Team, the two-time World Championship team owned by Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Thani, and driver Shawn Langdon won yesterday’s 25th annual NHRA Kansas Nationals, the eighth of 24 races that make up America’s 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing season.
After having what appeared to be the car to beat at each of the last three events yet failing to win the races, Langdon and the silver Al-Anabi team would not be denied this time. The Top Fuel dragster was brilliance in motion yesterday in America’s heartland dispatching each of the day’s opponents with precision execution.
Langdon was the No. 1 qualifier on the strength of a dazzling run; it was Langdon’s second-straight No. 1 qualifier, his third of the season and the ninth of his career. On race day, he defeated No. 16 seed Pat Dakin in the first round and Steve Torrence in the second.
In the semi-finals, Langdon faced Spencer Massey, a driver he had never beaten. He has now. Langdon dispatched Massey and headed to a final-round showdown with seven-time NHRA World Champion Tony Schumacher, the driver he defeated in each of his previous two race wins.
This time would be no different as Langdon used the superior Al-Anabi power plant to motor past Schumacher and claim the third win of his young career.
With the win, Langdon moved up one position to second place in the NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel point standings; he now trails Schumacher, the points leader, by just 34 points.
“The Al-Anabi crew guys just did a phenomenal job this weekend,” Langdon said. “We’ve been close to winning for the last few races; the car has been running well, but we just had not been able to finish it out yesterday. The Al-Anabi crew had the fire in their eyes today. We didn’t want to go four races in a row feeling we had the car to win and not getting it done.
“Sheikh Khalid (team owner Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Thani) and Alan Johnson (team manager) put together a phenomenal team, and I’m just happy to be a part of it. They don’t settle for second place; they always want to be the best, they always want to be No. 1 and have the fastest car. I love racing for Sheikh Khalid. I love racing for Alan Johnson. Brian Husen, my crew chief, we have great team chemistry. This team did a great job before I got there, and they’re doing a great job now. I’m just lucky to be the one driving the car. We were proud to win yeserday’s race for Sheikh Khalid and the people of Qatar.”
On the gold side of the Al-Anabi pit, second-year driver Khalid alBalooshi also had a good weekend. He was the No. 4 qualifier on the strength of four excellent qualifying attempts. On race day, alBalooshi’s car was equally strong. He defeated Brittany Force in the first round of eliminations but lost to Spencer Massey in the quarter-finals; it was a very close race with Massey winning by a mere .0625 seconds.
With the quarter-final run, alBalooshi remains sixth in the NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel point standings, but he has increased his lead over seventh-place. He now trails fifth-place Doug Kalitta by 28 points and leads seventh-place Brandon Bernstein, also by 28 points.
“Our car was very good again this weekend,” alBalooshi said.
“We made four very good runs in qualifying, and today, we made two more good runs. Spencer beat us by a little bit in the second round. I still need to do a better job leaving the starting line faster, and I am working on that. Our Al-Anabi car is very good, and I know everything will be OK. Our day will come because we are getting better and better every time. We will try again in New Jersey, and I thank Sheikh Khalid for this opportunity.”
The Al-Anabi Racing team will be back in action May 31 to June 2 at the 44th annual Toyota NHRA Summernationals in Englishtown, NJ.
For additional information, fans are requested to visit www.nhra.com. For additional information on the Al-Anabi Racing Team, fans can visit www.alanabiracing.com. The Peninsula
