Notorious for the number of drag racing performance marks that have been set on its incredible surface, Virginia Motorsports Park this week prepares for the world's most dominant nitrous racing team to go head to head with the best in the business for those increasingly precious championship points. Fresh off a masterful performance in Topeka, Kansas, where legendary driver and tuner Shannon "The Iceman" Jenkins swept the event by qualifying No. 1 and taking the win, Al-Anabi Racing carries into Dinwiddie's Virginia Motorsports Park a feeling of security and momentum that is priceless in this line of work.

"There's something about being on a roll," said Jenkins, a six-time Pro Modified world champion (four as a driver, two as crew chief), "and that's exactly what we have going on right now. We've got a stable full of consistently fast hot rods; we're going to be hard to handle this weekend in Virginia - there's just no way around it."

Inarguably the hottest driver in the ADRL Pro Nitrous division, which has cemented itself as one of the most competitive categories in all of drag racing, Jenkins will be the odds-on favorite going into Virginia. With the hot weather conditions predicted for the daylight racing hours, and the cool conditions and good air that will be provided in the evening hours, "The Iceman" looks to demonstrate two entirely different aspects of his drag racing prowess: big performance numbers, provided by the ample horsepower available from the Reher-Morrison/SPEEDTECH Nitrous engine program, but also the ability to repeat - especially in the heat - on race day.

Adding to the intimidation factor for all those opposite the Al-Anabi Racing this weekend will be the brand-new car of Mike Castellana's - a sleek 1970 ? Chevy Camaro outfitted with the latest Reher-Morrison Racing Engines and SPEEDTECH Nitrous package - that is sure to blow the lid off of current performance marks in ADRL Pro Nitrous. The newest purpose-built, flyweight car built for the team has spent the days leading up to the National Guard ADRL's and its own debut in Virginia in testing, and will likely be a threat for low qualifying honors right out of the trailer.

Again making the trek from Doha, Qatar will be the "Beast from the Middle East" K.A. Balooshi, who will pilot the world's quickest and fastest nitrous doorslammer again at the ADRL NATIONALGUARD.com U.S. Drags II, his beautiful '68 Chevy Camaro, in hopes of securing his first-ever career ADRL Pro Nitrous victory. With "Tricky" Rickie Smith calling the shots on Balooshi's Pro Nitrous ride, the veteran driver, but ADRL rookie, has continued to improve with every race in 2009, qualifying No. 1 for the ADRL Ford Drive One Summer Drags V and advancing to the semi-finals in Topeka, with only one thing left to accomplish - a Pro Nitrous win.

Rounding out the ADRL Pro Nitrous fab-four will be Virginia-native Burton Auxier, who struggled in his last outing in Topeka, breaking a rear-end during the final qualifying session and ultimately missing the tight field. While Auxier is enjoying quite possibly the most successful racing season of his career, most of his good fortune has been found in other organizations, providing the wiry veteran with a great deal of determination coming into this event on his home-turf.

With only four National Guard ADRL events left to gain points for a highly coveted top-eight finish, which results in a seeding for the world championship deciding 2009 ADRL SPEEDTECH Nitrous Battle for the Belts, three of the Al-Anabi Racing cars are in the running. Only Burton Auxier sits outside the Top 8, a mere 260 points (three rounds of competition), is out of title contention - a problem that can be quickly remedied by a team-effort this weekend in Dinwiddie.

The Al-Anabi Racing Pro Nitrous squad will be allowed open testing along with the other cars in the ADRL's five professional categories starting at noon on Friday, with Jenkins, Castellana, Balooshi and Auxier getting busy in qualifying at 7:00 PM EST. Eliminations will follow two additional rounds of qualifying on Saturday morning; expected to begin at 4:00 PM EST.

To follow along with the Al-Anabi Racing team in Virginia, log onto http://www.dragracecentral.com for complete round-by-round race results.

Visit Al Anabi AWESOME Motorsports Sponsors: www.speedtechnitrous.com , www.redlineoil.com , www.msdignition.com , www.braswell.com , www.vistafood.com , www.westernbeef.com , www.aeromotiveinc.com , www.rehermorrison.com , www. spaghettimenders.com

Courtesy of Wes Buck