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CLERMONT, Ind. -- Alan Johnson Al-Anabi Racing U.S. Nationals Preview Larry Dixon, Top Fuel Dragster | Larry Dixon won the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals in Reading, Pa., last month; it was his fifth victory of the season. He defeated Chris Karamesines, Tony Schumacher, Shawn Langdon and Spencer Massey on his way to victory circle. He also won races earlier this season in Gainesville, Fla., Topeka, Kan., Englishtown, N.J. and Norwalk, Ohio. | Dixon has qualified for the Countdown to 1 Playoffs which begin Sept. 17-20 at the second annual NHRA Carolinas Nationals at zMAX Dragway in Concord, N.C. A total of 10 drivers will compete for the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Top Fuel championship. | Dixon is second in the NHRA Full Throttle Top Fuel point standings; he trails first place by 187 points entering the last race of the regular season. Dixon has advanced to at least the semifinals in nine of the 17 races this season. He has won five of the six races in which he has advanced to the final round of eliminations; he has advanced to the finals in each of the last two events. | One year ago in the U.S. Nationals, Dixon was the No. 1 qualifier; he defeated Troy Buff before losing to Antron Brown in the second round of eliminations. Dixon has won the U.S. Nationals three times: 1995, 2001 and '05. | 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 48 victories. Joe Amato is in second place with 52 wins; Tony Schumacher tops the list with 59 wins. Dixon is in ninth place on the NHRA's all-time career victories list; he trails eighth-place Don Prudhomme by one win. Dixon was the 1995 NHRA Rookie of the Year.
Dixon prior to Indianapolis: "It's always exciting to race at Indy. It's obviously the biggest and most prestigious race on our tour and you want to be peaking right now. We have a really good car going into this race. I'm honored that I've won the U.S. Nationals. As a kid growing up in the sport, going to that race with my dad for so many years with my family top fuel car, we never did the full tour, but we always went to Indy. That's where everyone congregated on Labor Day weekend. "If you showed well there, you knew where you stood with the other racers. Guys that ran well in the 60s and 70s like Garlits and others, guys who have been around the sport for a long period of time, you can see it in their eyes and the grit in their teeth that they want to do well there. You can definitely see it with Alan and the rest of our team as well, and as a driver, you like to know that an event is that important to the team." For additional information on Larry Dixon, please visit http://www.alanjohnsonracing.com to view his full bio.
Del Worsham, Toyota Solara Funny Car: | Worsham will be working his first race with new crew chief Dickie Venables this weekend. Venables served as a consultant during last week's test session at O'Reilly Raceway Park and joined the team on a fulltime basis shortly thereafter. | Worsham is in seventh place in the NHRA Full Throttle Funny Car point standings; he trails sixth place by 53 points and fifth place by 67 points. He is 10 points ahead of eighth place. | Worsham has two wins this season; he visited victory circle in Madison, Ill. and Bristol, Tenn. Last month in Reading, Pa., Worsham was the No. 10 qualifier; he defeated Cruz Pedregon before losing to Tony Pedregon in the second round of eliminations. | One year ago at the U.S. Nationals, Worsham was the No. 8 qualifier and lost to Tim Wilkerson in the first round of eliminations. Worsham won the U.S. Nationals in 2005. | Worsham has 24 wins in his Funny Car career; he is seventh on the NHRA's all-time Funny Car wins list trailing sixth place by just two wins.
Worsham prior to Indianapolis: "Dickie started with us kind of as a consultant when we tested last week so he's already figuring out what we need to work on. We all want a consistent car we can count on to go down the track every time. That's Dickie's goal for Indy. We want to find the consistency so we can be competitive in the playoffs. "Fortunately, we've already qualified for the Countdown, and after Indy, the points will be reset. When we start the playoffs, all 10 teams will be pretty close in points so everyone will have a shot at the championship. For us, it all starts this weekend - our first job is to make the car consistent so we can do everything we can do to make a solid run for the championship. "With that said, I really want to win this race again. I was talking to my wife earlier this week, and I didn't realize how big of a deal it was to win the U.S. Nationals until I won it in 2005. That was a pretty special weekend because we won the Skoal Showdown for Funny Cars and then the whole event. I didn't realize how big of an accomplishment it was until I did it that weekend, and I really want to experience that again." For additional information on Del Worsham, please visit http://www.alanjohnsonracing.comto view his full bio.
About Alan Johnson Al-Anabi Racing:
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