Everyone knew that it was only a matter of time before the world's most accomplished nitrous racer
would have to get back behind the wheel and do what he does best, and that is exactly what will
happen this weekend during the 2nd running of the ADRL Quarter-Max Memphis Drags as Shannon "The
Iceman" Jenkins will return to the driver's seat for the first time since the season-opener in
Houston.
When asked if he was excited to get back behind the wheel Jenkins didn't hesitate to show his
enthusiasm.
"This is what I do," Jenkins said from the Tuscaloosa, Alabama-based Al-Anabi Racing facility. "I
drive race cars. And to say the least, I'm real excited to get back after it in Memphis. We had a
minor setback and I took some time out of the driver's seat to get this team organized; it has
really started to pay off and we've got a group of extremely competitive race cars in this camp."
Jenkins, who maintains the No. 14 spot in the SPEEDTECH Nitrous ADRL Battle for the Belts point
standings, has spent the days leading up the ADRL Memphis Drags testing his fly-weight Pro Nitrous
'68 Chevy Camaro, seeing results that were more than satisfying.
"Right out of the trailer our SPEEDTECH/Al-Anabi Racing '68 Camaro went .975, 3.93," reported
Jenkins. "We've got a good baseline and down in Memphis, in the heat, I think we've got a program
capable of winning the race. It's been awhile since we've run at Memphis, but I'm looking forward
to getting back to business as usual."
Along with Jenkins, Mike Castellana, who currently is third in the SPEEDTECH Nitrous ADRL Battle
for the Belts points standings, will once again take on the ultra competitive Pro Nitrous category
behind the wheel of the Al-Anabi Racing '68 Pontiac Firebird looking to lock up a second ADRL
victory for the '09 season. The Westbury, New York native has seen his share of success this
season, but it will probably take a combination of his patented super-quick reaction times and
equally fast elapsed times to bring home the big check in Memphis as the ADRL's Pro Nitrous
division continues to raise the bar, performance wise, with the completion of each event.
Just 6 weeks after knocking off the quickest and fastest pass in the history of ADRL Pro Nitrous
competition with a 3.871 at 196.33mph, K.A. Balooshi will return to ADRL Pro Nitrous competition
looking to duplicate that performance and demonstrate the consistency necessary to go rounds on
race day. Balooshi, "The Beast from the Middle East", has showcased his constantly improving
driving skills in two continents in 2009, competing for the Arabian Drag Racing League in Qatar and
Bahrain, as well as here in the United States of America in the ADRL. The Memphis Drags may provide
the standout Pro Nitrous driver to earn a birth in the all-important SPEEDTECH Nitrous ADRL Battle
for the Belt.
Burton Auxier will also look to flex his muscles on the outlaw eighth-mile of the American Drag
Racing League on behalf of Al-Anabi Racing this weekend in Tennessee, hopefully building on an
already successful season that has earned him the No. 5 spot in the points. Fresh off a win in the
quarter-mile NHRA Pro Modified series, Auxier has shown the kind of race day consistency that is
crucial to a successful racing program and when the track heats up on Saturday afternoon during the
early rounds of eliminations, his experience will be the tool he uses to put an Al-Anabi-backed hot
rod in the final.
Open testing begins at noon on Friday, May 22nd for ADRL Quarter-Max Memphis Drags II with the
opening round of qualifying slated for 7:00 PM. Qualifying continues on Saturday at 10:00 AM and
1:00 PM with pre-race ceremonies beginning at 6:45 PM with eliminations following.
