Al-Anabi Racing prepared for Firebird Raceway

Reigning Top Fuel Champion Larry Dixon

Photo by: Ted Rossino

2010 NHRA Full Throttle Top Fuel champion Larry Dixon enters the Arizona NHRA Nationals, the fourth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs, in fourth place in the NHRA Full Throttle Top Fuel point standings. He trails his teammate, third-place Del Worsham, by 34 points and leads fifth-place Tony Schumacher by 32 points. Dixon trails points leader Spencer Massey by 108 points with three races remaining.

Dixon is a two-time winner at Firebird International Raceway having won races there in 1995 and 2008. He holds the track records for elapsed time (3.802 seconds set in February, 2009) and speed (317.57 set in February, 2010).

Dixon has advanced to at least the semifinals at 11 of the 19 races this season including four of the last five. He has one win in three final-round appearances and eight semifinals this season. Earlier this month in Reading, Pa., Dixon was the No. 2 qualifier. He defeated Pat Dakin and Bob Vandergriff before losing to points leader Spencer Massey in the rain-delayed semifinals.

Dixon prior to Phoenix: “For our team, you still go into the race the same way we’ve gone into the other races. We’ll try to qualify well and try to get a win. The only difference is that now, we need the guys ahead of us to have some trouble so that we can gain on them. We no longer have our destiny completely in our own hands; we need help from the teams in front of us. But with that said, until someone tells us we’re out of the championship battle, we’re still in it. We have three races and 12 rounds remaining. Our silver Al-Anabi team will keep fighting as hard as we can to try to win the last 12 rounds, and if we can do that, the points will take care of themselves. We’ll keep working to make our way onto the right side of these close races. We’ll fight to the end and see where we stack up when the dust settles at Pomona.”