The Al-Anabi Racing Team and His Highness Sheik Khalid Al Thani
26th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals
Firebird International Raceway; Chandler, Ariz.
Pre-event Notes and Quotes
Larry Dixon, Top Fuel Dragster
Residence: Avon, Ind.
Hometown: Van Nuys, Calif.
Date of birth: Oct. 23, 1966
Crew chief: Jason McCulloch
2010 wins/final rounds: 1/1 (1.000)
Career wins/final rounds: 49/93 (.527)
2009 No. 1 qualifiers: 9
Career No. 1 qualifiers: 40
Best points finish: 1st (2002, ‘03)
Countdown to the championship appearances: 2007, ‘08 and ‘09
First start: Pomona 1, 1995
Career-best elapsed time to 1000 feet: 3.783 seconds (Richmond 2009)
Career-best speed to 1000 feet: 321.58 mph (Pomona2 2009)
Larry Dixon won the 50th annual NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Calif. last weekend making him the points leader entering Phoenix. Dixon is 26 points ahead of second-place driver Doug Kalitta, and it is the first time either of Al-Anabi Racing drivers has been the points leader following an event since the team started last season. Dixon was the No. 2 qualifier at Pomona; he defeated Steve Chrisman, Brandon Bernstein, Tony Schumacher and Kalitta on his way to victory circle.
Dixon won at Firebird International Raceway in 1995 and 2008. One year ago, he was the No. 1 qualifier; he defeated Terry Haddock and Doug Kalitta before losing Brandon Bernstein in the semifinals.
Dixon won five races last season: Gainesville, Fla., Topeka, Kan., Englishtown, N.J., Norwalk, Ohio and Reading, Pa. He finished second in the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Top Fuel point standings just two points out of the championship in the inaugural season for Al-Anabi Racing.
Dixon was the No. 1 qualifier nine times last season including five of the six races in the Countdown to 1 NHRA Playoffs; he has never won more poles in a season in his career. Dixon was the No. 1 qualifier more than any other driver in Top Fuel or Funny Car last year. He was the No. 1 qualifier seven times in 2002. Dixon has been the No. 1 qualifier 40 times in his career.
The Al-Anabi Racing Top Fuel dragster has a new paint scheme for the 2010 season. The familiar maroon, black and gold from last year’s dragster has been replaced with a maroon paint scheme with silver, black and gold accents. The Al-Anabi Racing team transporters reflect a similar pattern. In addition, the words Al-Anabi Racing are now displayed inside an oval.
Dixon won the NHRA Top Fuel championship in 2002 and ’03. He is currently third on the NHRA’s all-time Top Fuel winner’s list with 49 victories. Joe Amato is in second place with 52 wins; Tony Schumacher tops the list with 61 wins. Dixon is tied with Don Prudhomme for eighth place on the NHRA’s all-time career victories list; Dixon was the 1995 NHRA Rookie of the Year.
Dixon prior to Phoenix:
“Winning the 50th Winternationals was really cool. I remember I had the opportunity to win the 50th U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, but (Tony) Schumacher beat us. That loss had more sting to it than others. So winning this past weekend was really special; I understand the significance. They gave all three winners a golden “Wally” instead of a regular winner’s trophy so that tells me NHRA things it’s bigger than other races, too. I feel honored and fortunate to have been able to get the win for Al-Anabi Racing on Sunday. It all came together perfectly, and I’m grateful for that.
“Going into Phoenix last year, we had just missed the first race of the season; it was hard to accept that we didn’t qualify for the Al-Anabi Racing Team’s first race. We knew we were a capable team and that it was just a matter of getting more than one run to show our work. (The field was set after only one round of qualifying due to weather.) So last year in Phoenix, sitting on the pole, going to the semis and having a freak part failure keep us out of the finals reassured us we were a good team.
“This year, our confidence is a lot higher about being able to go to an event and have an opportunity to get the pole and win the race. From that standpoint, we’re definitely more of a team than we were a year ago. Jason (crew chief Jason McCulloch) knows all the parts; I know the team, and the team knows me. Our Al-Anabi Team has a couple hundred more runs together than we did last year at this time, and it shows.
“It’s been a while since I’ve led the points, and I am happy to be called the points leader even though it’s so early in the season. We got as high as second last year, but we never led the points at the end of an event weekend; it’s nice not to be chasing. We earned 122 points at Pomona, and that’s 112 more than we got at Pomona last year, but again, it’s just one race. It’s a long season, and we have only just begun what will be a 23-race battle for the championship.”
For additional information on Alan Johnson and Larry Dixon, please visit www.alanjohnsonracing.com to view their full bios.
Del Worsham, Toyota Camry Solara Funny Car:
Residence: Chino Hills, Calif.
Hometown: Whittier, Calif.
Date of Birth: February 11, 1970
Crew Chief: Dickie Venables
2009 wins/final rounds: 3/3
Career wins/final rounds: 25/38 (.658)
Career No. 1 qualifiers: 4
Career-best points finish: 2nd (2004)
Countdown to the Championship appearances: 2009
First professional start: 1990
Career-best elapsed time to 1000 feet: 4.038 seconds (Pomona 1, 2009)
Career-best speed to 1000 feet: 312.35 mph (Pomona 1, 2010)
Del Worsham is fifth in the NHRA Full Throttle Funny Car point standings; he trails fourth place by 15 points and leads sixth place by two points. Worsham finished seventh in the 2009 season-ending standings. It was his first appearance in the Countdown to 1 NHRA Playoffs.
Worsham was the No. 2 qualifier at last weekend’s NHRA Winternationals. He defeated Jeff Arend before losing to Jack Beckman in the second round of eliminations. Worsham won three races last season; he visited victory circle in Madison, Ill., Bristol, Tenn. and Richmond, Va.
Worsham won the Phoenix event in 2002 and ’04. One year ago at Firebird International Raceway, Worsham was the No. 4 qualifier; he defeated Cruz Pedregon and Robert Hight before losing to event winner Ron Capps in the semifinals.
The Al-Anabi Racing Toyota Camry Solara Funny Car also has a new paint scheme for the 2010 season. The familiar maroon and gold from last year’s body has been replaced with a maroon paint scheme with silver, black and gold accents. The Al-Anabi Racing team transporters reflect a similar pattern. In addition, the words Al-Anabi Racing are now displayed inside an oval.
Worsham has 25 wins in his Funny Car career; he is seventh on the NHRA’s all-time Funny Car wins list trailing sixth place by just one win.
Worsham prior to Phoenix:
“Our Al-Anabi Toyota ran pretty well at Pomona, and I’m happy with our progress. When conditions were cool, the car was outstanding. We only got one qualifying run in the heat of the day, and the car didn’t get down the race track. On Sunday, Dickie (crew chief Dickie Venables) made some great adjustments, and the car went right down the track in the first round. In the second round, we were running great but a mechanical failure ended our day. Still, it was a nice way start to the season for the Al-Anabi Racing Team.
“Having a whole year for the team to come together can make things so much better. Last year at this time, we were all still getting to know each other. Now, we’ve had a year together. Dickie (crew chief Dickie Venables) and Curt (assistant crew chief Curt Elliott) joined our team in August, and from that time, they’ve been making adjustments.
“Dickie and Kurt had the entire winter to massage the car and make their changes. They have made the changes they wanted to make so they’re more comfortable with the parts set up and having the car built how they want it built. Now, Dickie will be able to make the adjustments he wants to make on race day so he should be even more effective.”
For additional information on Alan Johnson and Del Worsham, please visit www.alanjohnsonracing.com to view their full bios.
About Al-Anabi Racing:
Al-Anabi Racing operates out of multiple locations in both the United States and Qatar. In the United States, the Brownsburg, Ind.-based operation is a two-car NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Team fielding entries in Top Fuel and Funny Car competition that is managed by Alan Johnson Racing. At the forefront of this team is His Highness Sheik Khalid Al Thani’s goal to promote the domestic and international awareness of Motorsports in the nation of Qatar. Alan Johnson is an eight-time NHRA Top Fuel Championship crew chief.