Even the new President of the United States doesn’t command the level of performance drag racing fans expect from Alan Johnson and the Al Anabi operation.
 
On an unusually warm March weekend in Florida, Larry Dixon delivered his high-horsepower state of the union address as he drove the Alan Johnson Racing Al Anabi Top Fuel dragster to its first-ever national event win by stopping Cory McClenathan in the final round of the NHRA Gatornationals.
 
He didn't just win, he dominated nearly every aspect of the race weekend, qualifying No. 1 and establishing low elapsed time oh his way to the first victory for Alan Johnson and Al Anabi.

Even the new President of the United States doesn’t command the level of performance drag racing fans expect from Alan Johnson and the Al Anabi operation.
 
On an unusually warm March weekend in Florida, Larry Dixon delivered his high-horsepower state of the union address as he drove the Alan Johnson Racing Al Anabi Top Fuel dragster to its first-ever national event win by stopping Cory McClenathan in the final round of the NHRA Gatornationals.
 
He didn't just win, he dominated nearly every aspect of the race weekend, qualifying No. 1 and establishing low elapsed time oh his way to the first victory for Alan Johnson and Al Anabi.
 
“You never think that far ahead, you just try and get your car down the track and qualified,” Dixon said of his fourth career Gatornationals title. “Qualifying doesn’t get you anything on race day except for the pairing that you are in. With as many changes as they made every round and to still have the car run that well was just amazing. Being with these guys they do make it look easy but it’s definitely not, Alan Johnson’s obviously a genius and Jason McCulloch is working right underneath him and getting his first win as a crew chief. I’m certainly honored to be able to get in the winner’s circle with this car.”
 
For two rounds the car ran straight as a string. The other two required the driving talents a 44-time national event winner commands.
 
“The first couple of rounds we had a good setup for it and then in the third round somebody oiled down in front of us and we had a bit of downtime,” Dixon explained. “In the semis it was like I was driving on water, I couldn’t get the tires on track but when I did get back on it the belt popped off. I was just fortunate that Brandon had more trouble than we did on that round. We ended up with lane choice in the final, too. To run as many runs within a hundredth, that’s awesome.”
 
Dixon missed the first race of the season in Pomona on a fluke, drew close to dominance in the second in Phoenix and in Gainesville, he drove the car that everyone expected him to have.
 
Is he confident that this is the race car that we will see for the rest of the year?
 
“I don’t ever get that confident,” Dixon admitted. “We [will] go to the next race, try and qualify then take it from there. It’s so hard to win these events. And to win at a place like this that I grew up and just wanted to compete at, let alone win, I’m as honored to win at this facility as I am just to race with this team.” 

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