Race Weekend Central

NHRA Top Fuel Team Suddenly Without Sponsor as First Race of Season Looms

The Qatar Racing Club notified teams today that it was terminating funding for all North American Racing operations, a decision reached in the closing days of 2014. This includes the NHRA’s Al-Anabi Racing Team run by Alan Johnson Racing, which fields two Top Fuel dragsters for drivers Shawn Langdon and Khalid alBalooshi.  The NHRA season is scheduled to open in one month in Pomona.

“We are obviously surprised and disappointed about this completely unexpected turn of events,” said team owner Alan Johnson. “Our plans for the 2015 NHRA season were nearing completion starting with pre-season testing next week in Florida and the first race of the 2015 NHRA season a month from today in California. Many things are uncertain, and our situation is obviously still evolving. We are currently exploring our options, and we hope to have more news in the near future.”

Al-Anabi Racing has won 42 races over the last six seasons and three Top Fuel world championships, most recently taking the 2013 title with Langdon. Plans for the team for 2015 are now unclear and more announcements will follow as more information about the future of the operation becomes available.

About the author

A writer for Frontstretch since 2002, and editor since 2006, Toni heads up the NHRA coverage for the site. She’s responsible for post-race coverage in the weekly Pace Laps multi-series round-up along with the weekly Nitro Shots column featuring news and features from the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. An award-winning former writer for the Presbyterian Church, Toni works in web design and freelances with writing in North Carolina.

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