Two months ago, the Al-Anabi Racing Team was in California celebrating its third NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel World Championship in the last four years, as team driver Shawn Langdon took home the hardware, while teammate Khalid al Balooshi (above) finished eighth in points.
Today, Jan. 14, the team began pre-season testing at Palm Beach International Raceway in Florida with both Al-Anabi dragsters sporting new graphics for the new season.
Reigning NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel World Champion Langdon’s silver Al-Anabi dragster has a new design created by Tyrant Productions, LLC which builds on the previous look and emphasizes the Al-Anabi logo at its core.
Shawn Langdon
Al Balooshi’s gold Al-Anabi dragster is radically different from last year’s design. Created by Roland Sands Design, the new graphics feature gold images on a black background with a chrome finish on the top of the body.
The team will participate in the PRO Winter Warm-up this weekend before returning to its shop near Indianapolis to prepare for the start of the 2014 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing season.
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 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series team that is managed by Alan Johnson Racing. Sheikh Khalid’s initiative has created increased international awareness of the State of Qatar while highlighting the nation’s international sports outreach. Alan Johnson is a 15-time NHRA champion in various capacities including crew chief, team owner and team manager.
This story was originally published on January 14, 2014. 
