[narrator] A new breed of
super machine is evolving.
Bigger, faster, smarter,
built to tackle
near-impossible feats.
Among them: the world's
ultimate dragster.
This missile on wheels rockets
to phenomenal speed.
>> Going 325 mph,
mishaps happen.
[narrator] In a blast of flame
and thunder, the fastest
accelerating vehicle
on the planet attempts
a record-breaking win.
>> That's not good. You could
end up hurting Shawn very bad.
>> When something happens
at that speed, you're just
along for the ride.
[narrator] Blowing this
phenomenal $400,000
missile apart,
we'll discover its
technological secrets,
from a super tough steel frame
and an air-blasting supercharger
that feeds an engine with the
pulling power of 2 freight
trains to an ingenious
braking system.
We'll reveal how this
extraordinary Top Fuel
dragster evolved to rise
above all other machines.
Pomona, California, home to the
National Hot Rod Association
finals, the supreme contest
for the fastest racing cars
on the planet.
Over the next 4 days,
18 elite category Top Fuel
dragsters will battle to win
the world championship.
The prize: the coveted
champion's trophy and
half a million dollars.
There can only be one winner.
>> I started when I was
12 years old, racing in
the junior dragster category.
The biggest race of my career
is this weekend.
[narrator] Shawn Langdon is
leading the championship table.
>> This is my first shot at
a Top Fuel world championship.
(whistle blowing)
A lot of nervous energy right
now but I'm excited for it.
[narrator] To clinch
the championship prize,
Shawn needs to keep his lead
for the next 4 races.
>> We're here, this is it.
Pomona Raceway, the big weekend.
[narrator] To win, Shawn has
to beat this man, his closest
rival, one of the fastest
drivers on the circuit and
the reigning world champion,
Antron Brown.
>> We're just going to come
out and do what we do. Shawn's
got a lot of points right now.
So we're just going to make
it hard on him. We just don't
want to give it to him.
>> I'm ready to go right now.
(Alan Reinhart): A couple of
hours man, a couple of hours.
>> We know it's not going to be
easy. That guy's a fighter.
We know he's going to give
everything that he's got.
[narrator] To beat Antron
and claim the top prize,
Shawn needs the fastest car
in the competition.
And this is it.
The Al-Anabi Top Fuel dragster,
a 25-foot missile on wheels.
Multi-million-dollar funding
makes sure that this unique
one-ton car incorporates
the ultimate technological
innovations.
It has a super light
carbon fibre shell to cut
through the air;
inside the nose, a tank full
of powerful nitromethane fuel;
behind the driver's seat,
an 8,000-HP engine
connected to tires that
can run over 300 mph.
These innovations make
this dragster the fastest
accelerating machine on land.
(commentator): Well, good
morning, race fans. It is
race day, my absolute favourite
day of the week here at
the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.
JORDAN HARRY, mechanic, Shawn's
team: We want to put a different
motor in it, so we're going to
take this short block out. And
we're going to put a new one in.
[narrator] It's 2 hours before
Shawn's first race. In the
pits, the team's mechanics
start building the engine.
>> It's almost like synchronized
swimming. As one's going in,
the other's coming out. They
really work well together.
They leave the engine build
as late as possible,
so it can be set up for
the weather conditions
at the time of the race.
>> They can disassemble a whole
car, motor, clutch, blower,
everything, put it back
together, and we can fire it up
in less than 40 minutes.
[narrator] The engine settings
are decided by the tuner.
>> We'll come in here
3 hours before we run and start
monitoring our weather.
Shawn's team manager, Alan
Johnson, tunes the car's engine.
>> We might have to change
this to 40.5.
[narrator] Changes in air
temperature and humidity
affect the engine and the
performance of the dragster.
Alan decides the car's settings
just 60 minutes before the race.
>> We'll put the engine
together, and hopefully,
we've made all the correct
calculations, decisions,
and we'll make a great
qualifying run.
[narrator] Twenty minutes
to race time. The team tows the
car out to the staging lanes.
The mechanics are anxious
they've done their job
correctly.
MATTHEW KOROL, mechanic, Shawn's
team: Obviously, if we screw up,
we could do something that could
lead to Shawn getting hurt,
you know.
>> You really put your life
into their hands. They have
to prepare the car properly.
They have to put the pieces
together properly every single
time, because one little
mistake can mean everything.
[narrator] Drag racing
is a dangerous pursuit.
Crashes happen every season.
Last time Shawn raced here,
his rival, Antron Brown,
had a narrow escape.
At 300 mph, his engine exploded.
>> Going 330 mph, when something
happens at that speed, there's
nothing you can do as a driver.
You're just along for the ride.
[narrator] Fifteen minutes
before the race, Shawn makes
his final preparations.
>> I'll have my 20-layer driving
suit, my helmet. Obviously,
we have protective gloves,
we have protective shoes.
DAVID COMBS, mechanic, Shawn's
team: The harness device
keeps his neck, the head
and neck... It keeps this
from rolling around.
>> Give them hell, kiddo.
>> Once we get in the car,
I'm just in there, kind of
mentally envisioning the run.
[narrator] In the first race,
Shawn is seeded to run
head-to-head against his closest
rival, Antron Brown, in the
Matco car.
If Shawn can hold onto his
points lead for the next
4 races, he will become
the Top Fuel World Champion.
Shawn's mother, Debbie,
has come to watch him race.
DEBBIE LANGDON, Shawn's mom:
I do get nervous sometimes,
but he's doing what he loves
and he gets to enjoy it.
[narrator] There will be 4 races
over the next 3 days.
Race 1. Shawn is in the near
lane; Antron, in the far lane.
(announcer): If Antron Brown
can pick up points here, he can
put himself back in the thick
of this championship battle.
[narrator] When he heads
down the track, Shawn depends
on a critical safety device.
Under the dragster's skin,
there's a safety cage that wraps
around the driver. It's built
on ancient technology
designed to climb high.
When Chinese builders wanted to
construct tall towers, they used
scaffolding made of bamboo.
Bamboo's tubular shape gives it
immense strength: it's 3 times
stronger than wood. It's also
hollow, making it light.
This helped the Chinese
to reach for the skies.
Inspired by this idea, Shawn's
dragster has 180 feet of
aircraft-grade steel tubing
welded into its body
to make it ultra tough.
It's lighter than a family car,
but in a 300-mph impact,
helps protect the driver,
giving Shawn the confidence
to go like a bat out of hell.
>> He's up right now.
(announcer): Let's see
how it plays out.
[narrator] It's the National Hot
Rod Association finals, the
world championship of drag
racing. Shawn Langdon, in his
super fast Top Fuel dragster,
is leading the competition.
But to beat the reigning
champion, Antron Brown,
Shawn must hold on to his lead
for the next 3 races.
Race 1. Shawn is in
the near lane.
(rock music)
(crowd cheering)
(commentator): Oh, what
an incredible drag race!
Shawn Langdon, number one;
Antron Brown, number two. And
the lead extends by one point.
>> Yes!
>> That went awesome!
Number one. Awesome.
>> Drag car coming in, guys.
[narrator] Shawn beats Antron
by a hundredth of a second.
He's run the fastest time
of the day and reached a top
speed of 322 mph per hour.
>> Floor's ready!
[narrator] Shawn gives it
full marks.
>> That was definitely an A+ for
the whole team. 3.77. 322 mph.
[narrator] For Shawn and his
team, it's a promising start
to the competition.
Day 2. 9 AM.
Shawn is anxious about
today's race.
>> You just never know what's
going to happen in the sport
of drag racing. Anything can
happen at any given time.
I know how Antron is.
And there's something about
certain competitors... They kind
of go into superman mode.
And, we know that he's got
the capabilities of doing that.
[narrator] Shawn has every
reason to worry. After
yesterday's run, Antron knows
his dragster can go faster.
>> It was a really good start to
the race weekend. We're pushing,
trying to go home with the
number one spot. Our car was a
little soft on the start line,
but it ran exceptionally well
everywhere else.
[narrator] When Antron's car hit
the finish line, it was actually
travelling faster than Shawn's.
>> Going in today, we're just
going to push a little harder to
get our car to run better
early. Go a little bit quicker,
which we're shooting for.
[narrator] To keep Shawn ahead
of Antron in the competition,
Alan must improve on yesterday's
run.
A key decision is to select
the right size of tire for
the conditions on the track.
>> Our race car tires develop a
tremendous amount of traction.
That traction is based on a
rubber-to-rubber interaction.
[narrator] The tires rub against
a layer of rubber laid down
on the track. To choose tires
for today's run, Alan relies
on information collected
during the first race.
During a run, a network
of sensors charts the
dragster's vital signs,
from magnetic sensors detecting
wheel speed to thermocouples
measuring the temperature
of the engine exhaust.
The sensors measure everything,
from fuel flow to air pressure.
This way, Alan can tune
this machine to perfection.
>> We measure the temperature
of the tires with infrared
sensors so we can see when
the tire's getting hot.
[narrator] If the tires get too
hot, they will slip on the track
and smoke. If he smokes the
tires, Shawn will lose the race.
>> 275, 280, that's the
threshold. There's no
turning back after that.
We've lost the run.
(announcer): Track temp is 92.
It feels a little warmer
out there.
[narrator] Knowing how hot
the tires got yesterday helps
Alan choose the set for today.
>> Ten degrees warmer.
>> Right.
[narrator] On a hot track,
large diameter tires work best.
They give more grip.
>> You know what,
put the 3/8ths on there.
>> Bigger tires are the way
to go, yeah.
>> Yeah. That's fine.
>> We're just making a tire
change to compensate for the
track temperature. The tires
that we end up putting on it are
about a quarter of an inch
larger than the tires that
we had on previously.
[narrator] It's a small change,
but if it prevents the tire from
smoking, it will be critical.
3:30 PM. Engine rebuilt,
tires ready to roll, Antron's
team heads to the start line.
Moments later, Shawn's dragster
rolls out of the pits.
>> Hop in and we'll go.
[narrator] Once again,
the 2 teams are racing
head-to-head.
>> We get a run against Antron
again. That's pretty cool.
[narrator] It's a nervous time
for Shawn's mom.
(announcer): And Antron Brown,
mathematically, he could catch
Shawn Langdon.
[narrator] Before the race,
Shawn must prepare the tires
by completing a short run
known as the burnout.
>> We have a specific time that
we like to do the burnout. So
I'll basically try to keep that
consistent to the same length
burnout every single time.
[narrator] The burnout
removes dust and debris
from the surface of the tires,
increasing their grip.
>> As soon as I feel the tire
start to hook, I'll push
the clutch pedal in
and it'll come to a stop.
[narrator] The tires are now
hotter and ready to stick to
the track. But when Shawn hits
the throttle, the tires must
also stay on the rims.
Travelling at top speed,
the wheels will spin 45 times
a second, creating more g-force
than a rocket on takeoff.
To stop the tires from ripping
away, the dragster's design
takes inspiration from
an old bicycle.
Early bike tires were fastened
with strips of canvas.
A real pain to replace.
That's until a British engineer
invented the clincher tire.
He folded beads of steel
into the rubber so the air
pressure hooked them
tightly onto the rim.
The dragster supersizes
the bicycle's tire beading.
470 feet of high-strength steel
wire wraps into a 50-pound tire.
Plates clamp the steel
bead onto the rim
to hold the tires on the wheel
even at full throttle.
Shawn must put his trust
in this technology as he
launches off the line.
Shawn Langdon is close to
winning the Top Fuel finals,
drag racing's world
championship. Race 2.
Shawn lines up against the man
he needs to beat, Antron Brown.
Shawn is in the far lane.
In a flash, Shawn is
travelling over 300 mph.
At this speed, in 5 seconds, he
will hit the end of his track.
To slow down the dragster, it
has an ingenious braking system.
It evolved 20 million years ago.
(chattering)
The flying squirrel
has a built-in air brake.
When it leaps from a tree,
it spreads its limbs
to deploy a thin membrane.
This slows down the fall
so it can land without
breaking its bones.
Like the flying squirrel,
the dragster has an
advanced air brake.
20 pounds of nylon are
primed to explode into two
75-square-foot parachutes.
Each parachute is crammed into
a space the size of a football,
waiting for the moment Shawn
reaches the finish line.
(announcer): 3.75!
(crowd cheering)
>> Unbelievable. The car's
running awesome, he's doing his
job, the team's doing their job.
It's all right on track.
It's gonna happen.
[narrator] Shawn wins the race,
in the fastest time of the day.
>> Well, the last run was a
great run for the Al-Anabi team.
We went 3.750 at 327 mph.
It kept us in the number one
qualifying position.
[narrator] Antron is second
again, but still has a chance
of holding onto his title.
>> We attack the track and we
grow from each run. That's our
main focus that we do every run.
We go after it every time.
We've proved in the past that
we're a hard team to beat.
[narrator] Shawn's team
manager, Alan, is delighted
with the result.
>> I give it a straight A.
Today was a good run.
[narrator] As soon as Shawn's
car arrives back in the pits,
the mechanics start stripping
down the engine, looking for
signs of damage.
>> Good!
>> That's good!
>> Mechanics are doing well.
Everything so far, no issues.
The engine looks really well.
We're not beating it up.
[narrator] The only problem
is that Shawn's tires are
gripping the track too well.
>> The racetrack's so good it's
pulling chunks out of the tire.
That's not good. You don't want
to run that. It could end up
blowing a tire and hurting
Shawn very bad, so it's junk,
man. No good.
[narrator] Unlike the tires,
Shawn reuses his parachutes,
race after race.
>> When it kind of settles down
a little bit, I will come
in there and then I'll start
packing the parachutes.
You know, their kind of joke is,
"Hey, we don't want to touch it,
that's the driver's thing."
>> Nobody else wants
the responsibility
if it doesn't come out.
You have to make sure
the parachutes come out.
It's your ass.
[narrator] The parachutes are
Shawn's main braking system. But
if they fail, he has a backup:
high-tech disc brakes.
Four high-friction carbon fibre
pads clamp onto 2 carbon discs
with more pressure
than a biting tiger.
Within seconds, the brakes are
as hot as a volcano but bring
Shawn to a stop safely.
It's been a successful day.
But as Shawn's team packs up
for the night, they know that
tomorrow is make or break.
(announcer): Yesterday, Shawn
made the best run and extended
his lead. Antron needs to cut
into it right here.
[narrator] Day three of the
finals. Today's 2 races
will be the most important
of Shawn's life.
If he can hold onto his lead
until the end of the day, he
will win the championship trophy
and half a million dollars.
>> Today is a big day for
the Al-Anabi team because
we should be able to
clinch the championship.
So it would be my first title
in the Top Fuel category.
I'm very excited but I'm trying
not to think about it too much.
A lot of nervous energy,
but I'm ready to get out
on the racetrack.
[narrator] Sixty minutes to race
time. Alan needs to decide what
settings to run with on the car.
>> Both runs we've made so far
this weekend, the track was 93.
Today, it's probably going
to be more like 100 to 103.
So, it'll be 10 degrees hotter.
[narrator] The hot track makes
it more likely the car's wheels
will slip, smoking the tires.
But Alan is determined to push
it as fast as before.
>> There's been more cars that
have run down the racetrack,
and it has, you know, a better
coating of rubber on it.
So, I suspect... Even though
it's a little warmer, we should
be able to run close to what
we ran yesterday afternoon.
[narrator] Alan sets the
car up to push to the limit.
It's a critical decision.
If he's wrong, it could cost
Shawn the championship.
[narrator] 12:30 PM.
With 2 races this afternoon,
Shawn Langdon is within sight of
beating reigning champion Antron
Brown. One hour till the next
race, Shawn's crew fuels up.
>> The nitromethane, when you
smell it, it'll make you cry. I
don't know what it is about it.
SHAWN FORD, mechanic, Shawn's
team: Nitromethane is not like
your average gasoline, that's
for sure. It's pretty potent.
[narrator] An engine running
on nitromethane produces over
twice the power of one running
on gasoline. But the car
still needs a lot of it
to travel 1,000 feet.
>> One run, like, 13 gallons
probably, average.
[narrator] The problems with
nitromethane don't stop there.
The power it produces changes
with the weather.
>> Nitromethane is extremely
sensitive to humidity.
So the water that's in the air
affects our tune-up.
[narrator] Alan has set the car
up for the humidity he predicts
will be in the air at the time
of the race. He must hope
the weather doesn't change.
Once again, Shawn is racing
against Antron Brown. But as
the 2 teams line up in the
staging lanes, there's a delay.
A dragster has spilt oil
on the track.
While the race crew cleans it
up, time ticks by. The air grows
more humid, playing havoc
with Alan's engine settings.
Twenty minutes later than
scheduled, Shawn and Antron
reach the start line. Race 3.
Shawn is in the near lane.
(announcer): It's all on
the line here. Let's see
how it plays out.
[narrator] To give the engine
maximum power in the humid air,
the dragster has a mighty
supercharger: an engine booster
with roots in the industrial
revolution.
In the mid-19th century,
iron production is slow.
Traditional bellows can't supply
enough air to melt large
quantities of iron ore.
So 2 American brothers
invent a unique air pump.
Two 3-foot-tall rotors
trap masses of air and blast it
into the furnace.
This pushes up the heat to
produce iron on an industrial
scale. The dragster ramps up
this air pump.
The 2 rotors in the supercharger
spin at 12,000 rpm, pushing over
400 gallons of air into the
engine every second.
They boost the dragster's top
speed to more than 300 mph.
Shawn and Antron line up.
In drag racing it only takes
4 seconds for the tables
to turn.
(motor roaring)
(announcer): Oh, check it out!
The Al-Anabi car smokes the
tires, and Antron is going
to chip away at that point
lead. This championship
is not over yet.
[narrator] Just when the
championship was within reach,
Shawn has lost a vital race.
>> Just smoked the tires.
Probably about 500 feet
or so, we smoked the tires.
But we'll be able to get it
fixed for the next run.
[narrator] Halfway down the
track, Shawn spun the tires
in a puff of smoke.
The car needed better grip.
But the invention that should
have provided it didn't perform
as well as they hoped.
To help the dragster grip,
a precision-engineered wing,
supported by a high-strength
frame, creates 5,400 pounds of
downforce. It pushes the wheels
firmly onto the track.
>> The wings are a very, very
important part of the car.
Running these speeds, you have
to have that much downforce.
Otherwise, you will not be able
to keep the car on the ground.
[narrator] The crew can change
the angle of the wing to
create more or less downforce.
On the last run, they got the
settings fractionally wrong.
It's a fine line between
wheel spin and a win.
>> When it smoked the tires
down the track, you don't
want to stay in it because
you'll over-rev the motor and
you'll blow the motor up.
So at that point, I lifted to
save the parts. I didn't want
to blow anything up, give
the guys more work to do.
In the opposition pits, Antron
Brown's team is delighted
with their win.
>> It was a pretty good run.
Hopefully, we build on that for
the run this evening. Hopefully,
it'll be a little better
conditions. Maybe we can take
that number one spot.
>> This is definitely my
passion, what I enjoy doing.
You put your heart and soul
in it, and no matter how hard
the times get, it makes it
that much easier to get through
the hard times when you have a
group like we have. And that's
what it takes. You have to have
a unique group of individuals to
make what we have here special.
[narrator] Antron could yet
snatch victory. For Shawn's
team, there's little time for
a postmortem. The next race
is just 90 minutes away.
>> It's coming down to this
last race of the day. If we
stay number one, we'll have
the championship.
[narrator] Shawn Langdon is now
just one race away from winning
the Top Fuel drag racing
world championship.
Shawn's crew swings into
action to rebuild the car for
the final race of the day.
The dragster's 500-cubic-inch V8
engine is at the heart of the
team's success. But getting the
pulling power of 2 freight
trains out of a block of metal
this small isn't easy.
The job of creating this
Top Fuel engine started long
before the race season began,
190 miles away, in Santa Maria,
California.
To ensure he has the
best motors, Alan builds
the engine components
himself in his factory.
>> To be successful in Top Fuel
racing, your car has to perform
absolutely at the utmost level.
We're fighting for thousandths
of seconds on the racetrack,
and that has to start here on
the ground floor as we start
to produce the parts.
[narrator] The engine starts
as a 350-pound lump of
forged aluminium alloy,
which is machined to make
the engine block.
>> We generally machine
everything to plus or minus
5/10ths of a thousandths.
Which, on this big of a part,
is very, very tight, and it's
really not that easy to do.
[narrator] It takes 11 hours
to produce the finished block.
>> At this stage, they're about
130 pounds. I wouldn't want
to lift that by myself.
[narrator] It can take over 170
runs to win a championship. So
Alan needs to make a lot
of engines.
>> We ask these engine blocks to
do a tremendous amount of work.
We're producing over 8,000 HP.
And for an engine block of
that size to be able to handle
that kind of horsepower,
its longevity is in question.
And so, what we try to do
is we try to build a product
here that'll last, you know,
a minimum of 8 runs.
We use usually an inventory
of about 18 blocks,
and we manage to rotate
those throughout the year.
[narrator] It's this precision
engineering that gives Shawn
one of the best engines
in the business.
At the Pomona racetrack,
the mechanics finish
rebuilding the engine.
>> It's almost kind of sad
for this is to be the last
race of the season because
the car's running so well.
You're putting the tune-up in it
and it's just making good clean
runs down the track, not hurting
any parts. Everything is really
coming together. It's good.
[narrator] There's just
50 minutes to the last critical
race. Before they head to
the start, Shawn's crew must
check that all 500 components
in the newly built engine work.
JOSH ADAMS, mechanic, Shawn's
team: This is what we call
a starter dog. We'll have
a C12 racing gasoline just
to kind of get it going on.
We just pull this trigger.
Once that starts turning and
fuel starts coming into the
engine, then it starts the
combustion of everything, and
that's how you start the car.
[narrator] Shawn will test
the engine by ramping up the
ignition. Spinning magnets
generate up to 50,000 volts,
firing it into the cylinder's
spark plugs 50,000 times
per second.
This lights the dragster's
nitromethane fuel and hopefully
powers it to victory.
BRIAN HUSEN, crew chief, Shawn's
team: The fumes are pretty bad.
If you didn't have one of these
guys, you probably wouldn't
be able to stand around
for very long. It just makes it
where we can be comfortable
while we're checking
everything on the race car.
>> I'm just going to warm it up
real quick, make sure
everything's good.
>> Before every run,
Shawn test fires the engine.
He will push the revs
to full throttle to check
the supercharger, engine and
transmission all run perfectly.
>> It's a little intimidating
at times. Sometimes, it can be
an uneasy feeling, but that's
why you hire the best guys.
[narrator] The engine is
so loud it's been measured
at over 3 on the Richter scale.
>> 8,000 HP inside those motors.
The feeling that you get in your
body, it takes your breath away.
[narrator] This noise is part of
the attraction for racing fans.
Earplugs are essential.
(guys cheering)
Engine tested, Shawn's team
heads to the start. In the rival
pits, Antron's mechanics roll
out their car. This is the big
one! The next race could decide
who will be world champion.
4:10. Thirty minutes
to the race that could
win Shawn the championship.
>> I'm excited, nervous.
Every run's important but with
the opportunity today, it's
nerve-racking. Didn't get a
whole lot of sleep last night.
[narrator] Antron Brown,
the reigning world champion,
appears cool and confident.
Shawn Langdon, within sight
of his first championship,
is raring to go.
>> Just excited to get down
the track. Hopefully, we can
get the championship clinched
on this next run.
[narrator] Both crews have
adjusted the tires, the engine
power and the wing angle, but
one mission-critical component
will make all the difference
on this final run.
>> When it comes to winning
races in Top Fuel, probably
the most important part
is the clutch.
[narrator] The clutch
is Alan's secret weapon.
>> The more you know about
the clutch and how it works,
the better off you're going
to be in the long run. So we
focused predominantly most
of our energy on the clutch.
[narrator] The dragster has
no gears, so it uses its clutch
to accelerate. It connects
the engine to the wheels
and increases speed by using
a trick from an ancient
war machine.
The Chinese rapid-fire
siege catapult.
A huge wheel spins bags
of rocks at high speed.
A blade releases the missiles
and hurls them towards the
enemy, smashing their defences.
The dragster's spinning
clutch also uses its rotation
to throw out 6 levers.
These push against metal plates
that lock together to transmit
the revs of the engine.
A plunger slides back to
release 12 more levers, locking
the clutch into full throttle,
pushing the dragster
to a top speed that, in
the next 4-second race,
could decide the championship.
Race 4. This is the
critical race.
For Shawn, it's his first chance
to win the world championship.
For Antron to stay in the game,
he needs to clinch this run.
Antron is in the near lane;
Shawn, on the far side.
(announcer): They're staged up
and ready. Is this the
championship moment?
Yes, it is! Antron smokes
the tires, and it is over.
Al-Anabi wins championship
number 3, and Shawn Langdon
wins his first in Top Fuel.
>> Yeah, baby!
(crowd cheering)
(announcer): Shawn Langdon,
ladies and gentlemen, your
2013 Top Fuel World Champion!
[narrator] Shawn has won.
He can hardly believe it.
>> It's a great feeling.
Something I've dreamed of
as a kid. There isn't a single
word in the dictionary that can
describe that feeling. The
greatest feeling in the world.
>> Incredible, incredible.
We're all so happy.
We're very, very proud of him.
He did his job so well.
[narrator] The action replay
show Antron, in the near lane,
smoked his tires just 150 feet
down the track.
>> When he smoked the tires,
you know, that's when I knew
we'd won.
(announcer): Alan Johnson,
maybe the best ever
to tune one of these cars.
[narrator] Alan's skill and
experience have paid off.
(announcer): Race fans, let's
hear it for your world champion,
Shawn Langdon!
(crowd cheering)
>> Now the real fun begins.
(laughing)
>> Drag racing is a tremendous
amount of work. And I obviously
love it. And when you love
something the way all the people
on this team do, that's when
you really get good at it.
[narrator] The Al-Anabi
dragster, a 25-foot-long
rocket on wheels, is American
engineering at its boldest
and loudest.
>> The car's just done a great
job. This is by far the best car
that we've ever had. It's not
a middle-of-the-pack car; it's
a championship-calibre car.
[narrator] The Al-Anabi
dragster is an extraordinary
feat of engineering.
It's all thanks to high-speed
tires that give phenomenal grip,
spring-loaded parachutes
that act as brakes,
an ingenious clutch
that ramps up the speed,
a twin-rotor supercharger
that pumps up the power
and a tubular frame
that protects the driver.
It's these technological
secrets that have helped
this dragster evolve to rise
above all other machines.
Subtitles: Epilogue Technical Services Inc.