READING, Pennsylvania: For the first time in his Top Fuel career, Dubai driver Khalid alBalooshi returns to an NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event as its defending champion.
The Qatar Al-Anabi Racing Top Fuel Team, the two-time World Championship team owned by Sheikh Khalid Hamad Al Thani heads to Reading, Pennsylvania for this weekend’s Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals, the fourth of six races that comprise the Countdown to the Championship NHRA Play-offs.
One year ago, alBalooshi entered this event riding a wave of confidence. After spending the majority of his rookie Top Fuel season learning how to pilot the 8,000 horse power beast also known as a Top Fuel dragster, alBalooshi’s confidence was on the way up.
AlBalooshi defeated Spencer Massey, Ike Maier, his team-mate Shawn Langdon and eventual 2012 Top Fuel champion Anton Brown on his way to the winner’s circle.
Now, the Dubai native returns to eastern Pennsylvania as the defending champion for the first time, and he is once again riding a wave of confidence.
Last weekend in St. Louis, alBalooshi qualified fourth earned a runner-up finish moving up a spot to eighth place in the NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel point standings, and he is just 53 points out of fifth place.
AlBalooshi said: “I am very excited to back to Reading this week. From last year when I won the race there, I have been thinking about when I go back there. Everybody runs fast in Reading, and a lot of the records were broken there last year. I know our car is running well, and I am very excited to back there with our Top Fuel car.”
He added: “I think it will feel good to get back to Reading because I know I have done this before. I will not have any thoughts about not being able to win there because I won there last year, and that will give me an advantage. With Jason (crew chief Jason McCulloch) and the rest of our Al-Anabi team, I am always confident. I don’t know exactly which tune-up he will use in Reading, but I know I will have a nice hot rod for the race. Our Al-Anabi car will be ready to race over there. We are in eighth place but we are really close to fifth. Our plan is to win rounds and earn points. That is what we did in St. Louis. I hope we can win four rounds this weekend in Reading and win another race for Sheikh Khalid.”
Silver Al-Anabi driver Shawn Langdon increased his slim lead over the rest of the Top Fuel field to 33 points over Doug Kalitta in the Countdown to the Championship NHRA Play-offs.
When he began the Play-offs as the top seed, he enjoyed a 30-point advantage over the rest of the Top Fuel field. Through three of the six play-off races so far, Langdon has increased his points lead. THE PENINSULA
