Second-year Top Fuel driver Khalid AlBalooshi, near lane, launches in a race he won against David Grubnic on St Louis, Missouri last month. The Dubai native looks to win his second race of the year at the Toyota NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas this weekend.
LAS VEGAS: Second-year NHRA Top Fuel driver Khalid alBalooshi knows he cannot win the NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel World Championship this year, but his teammate can.
And alBalooshi is pulling for Shawn Langdon to seal the deal and win the third World Championship in five years for the Qatar Al-Anabi Racing Top Fuel Team, the two-time World Championship team owned by Sheikh Khalid Hamad Al Thani.
The team races in Las Vegas this weekend at the 13th annual Toyota NHRA Nationals, the fifth of six races that comprise the Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs and the 23rd of 24 races making up the United States’ NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.
Qualifying is set for today and tomorrow with eliminations scheduled for Sunday.
AlBalooshi has one victory in three final rounds and four additional semifinal appearances. He has won 25 rounds of racing – nine more than his 2012 total – and he has two races remaining.
He is eighth in the NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel point standings, and with good performances at the remaining races, he can still improve his position. He and his gold Al-Anabi Racing Top Fuel team will do everything in their power to win the season’s last two races, and hopefully, help Langdon win the World Championship at the same time.
“I am looking forward to racing in Las Vegas this weekend,” alBalooshi said. “Our gold Al-Anabi team had some bad luck in the Countdown so now we are eighth, but we want to finish the season the best we can in the last two races. We want to win the race, but if we can help Shawn win the championship, that will be good, too. If we have a chance to race against Doug (second-place driver Doug Kalitta) or Spencer (third-place driver Spencer Massey), our team will do everything it can to take them out so we can help Shawn win the Championship.
“We want to win the race, but we also want to help Al-Anabi win a third world championship because we have two cars, but we are one team. Winning the World Championship will be good for Sheikh Khalid, good for Qatar and good for everyone on our team so I will do anything I can to help Shawn close the season with the championship.”
Langdon enters the Toyota NHRA Nationals as the No. 1 driver in the NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel point standings.
He leads second place Doug Kalitta by 83 points and third place Spencer Massey by 85 points. Langdon has enjoyed a dream season. He has won six races in 10 final-round appearances and has advanced to at least the semifinals at 14 of the last 18 races.
His 83-point lead amounts to the number of points a driver can earn in four rounds of racing; eight rounds of racing remain in the season.
While it is mathematically possible for Langdon to clinch the World Championship this weekend, it is highly unlikely. Chances are the world championship chase will go down to the season’s final race in Pomona, California November 7-10, and Langdon understands this season is far from over.
“Going into the last two races with a points lead is kind of a different feeling for me,” Langdon said.
“I am very excited, and I am very proud to be in this position with a four-round lead going into Las Vegas. But we have keep working as hard as we can because there are still eight rounds of racing left. We’ve seen it year after year. Somebody always gets hot in the last couple of races, and a four-round lead can deteriorate quickly.
“The Al-Anabi team has had a really good year, and we would love nothing more than to finish it off with a Mello Yello World Championship for Sheikh Khalid and for Qatar so our team will keep working as hard as we can. If we can manage to leave Las Vegas with a lead like we have now, I’ll probably be a lot more excited about it.”
For additional information on the Al-Anabi Racing Team, team manager Alan Johnson or drivers Khalid alBalooshi or Shawn Langdon, please visit www.alanabiracing.com.The Peninsula
