After Alan Johnson Al-Anabi Racing Top Fuel driver Larry Dixon won the 40th annual AC Delco NHRA Gatornationals
in Gainesville, Fla. on March 15, team owner Alan Johnson traveled to
Doha, Qatar to deliver the race-winner’s trophy.
The trip was planned before the team won at Gainesville, but with
Dixon’s Top Fuel win, the trip became the perfect opportunity to
deliver to trophy to team partner Sheikh Khalid Bin Hamad Al Thani.
Johnson returned to the United States late Saturday night.
“It was cool to be able to give him the trophy in person,” Johnson
said. “He came to the hotel the first night we were there, and we gave
him the trophy; it was great! He was definitely excited that we won a
race in our third attempt because he knows how this sport works.
Starting a team is one thing, but being competitive is completely
different. We knew we could do it, but we didn’t know how long it
might take.”