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Sweeping any series of sporting events is a tall task, but the Qatar Al-Anabi Racing Top Fuel team, the three-time and defending World Championship team owned by HE Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad al-Thani, has a chance to pull off a nearly unprecedented sweep this weekend. |
Khalid al-Balooshi has swept the first two California races this season, and he looks for to complete the California season sweep at this weekend’s 50th annual Auto Club NHRA Finals in Pomona, California, the last of 24 races making up the United States’ 2014 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series and the last of six events that comprise the Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs. Qualifying is set for Friday and Saturday with eliminations scheduled for Sunday.
Al-Balooshi and his gold Al-Anabi Racing Team, who enter this weekend’s race in eighth place in points and out of championship contention, won the season-opening Circle K NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, California, site of this weekend’s race. In July, al-Balooshi won the Sonoma NHRA Nationals in Northern California. This weekend, he will look to win the Auto Club NHRA Finals and sweep the California season.
“We have one race to go,” al-Balooshi said. “I think we have a good chance to win the next race in California. We won at Pomona in February; we won at Sonoma in July, and I hope we can win the race in Pomona this week. You have to be very good to win, but I know we have one of the best cars in the show, too. We can do it.”
And should he do it, his team would complete the “California Sweep” – a tremendous accomplishment that al-Balooshi’s teammate, Shawn Langdon” pulled off last season. If Langdon happens to win the race in Pomona this weekend, even though it would prevent al-Balooshi’s “California Sweep” it would make six-straight California wins for the Qatar Al-Anabi Racing Top Fuel Team.”
“I am very excited to race in Pomona because it is kind of our home race,” al-Balooshi added. “We have a lot of the fans coming to watch the race so I hope we can do something good. I live in Los Angeles when I am in the US. It is also a home race for Alan (Al-Anabi team manager Alan Johnson) so I know he wants to have a good weekend, too. Winning the third race in California would be very nice, but you know, Top Fuel is very hard. Everyone on our team will work his hardest to win the race this week.”
Langdon, who enters the weekend in fourth place in the standings, is the reigning NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel World Champion for one more week; while it is mathematically possible for him to make a major come-from-behind surge and win the World Title, it is highly unlikely. Langdon and his silver Al-Anabi team will do all they can to salvage the season with a second-place finish in the final point standings.
“There’s no consolation when you don’t win the NHRA Mello Yello World Championship, but we’re shooting for second place now,” Langdon said. “If we can do that, we can show we’re capable of putting up a fight. The Al-Anabi Team had its opportunities to contend for the Mello Yello title, but we weren’t able to capitalise on them. It’s a little disappointing, but we know what our team is capable of accomplishing and we understand how tough the competition is in Top Fuel. We are focusing on getting our car back to where we like it so we can get a head start on 2015.”