After Al-Anabi Racing's tremendous outing in Topeka, Kansas just three weeks ago during the National Guard ADRL Hardee's Independence Drags III, where Shannon "The Iceman" Jenkins earned back to back Pro Nitrous victories (a feat only achieved by one other racer in the history of the ADRL); it'd be hard to expect similar results anytime soon. In the dog-eat-dog world of Pro Nitrous racing, where anyone qualified for the 16-car field has a chance at winning, the ability to succeed, let alone dominate, is almost infeasible. With the first round of qualifying for the ADRL NATIONALGUARD.com U.S. Drags II in the books, it's surely starting to look like Al-Anabi Racing's Pro Nitrous powerhouse is doing just that.

In its ADRL Pro Nitrous debut, Mike Castellana's brand new Jerry Bickel '70.5 Chevy Camaro ran a near-record 3.875 at 192.17mph to take the top spot in qualifying, followed by his Al-Anabi Racing teammates Shannon Jenkins and K.A. Balooshi - who both recorded runs in the 3.80-second zone. (Jenkins 3.883/192.38, Balooshi 3.895/191.70)

"Today was my first time in the car, so it feels good to have it run so well for me right off the bat, but I have to give credit to [crew chiefs] Shannon [Jenkins], Rickie [Smith] and the rest of our guys for that," Castellana said.

"I really don't see anyone improving on that, including us," said the Westbury, New York driver. "But once it cools off tomorrow night, who knows? You might even see some new records here."

While this evening's performances show the insane potential of these carbureted, gasoline burning, nitrous assisted engines, the ability to conquer the outlaw eighth-mile in the heat of the day tomorrow that will separate the men from the boys. With the first round of eliminations slated for 4:00 PM and the forecast calling for afternoon temperatures in the 90-plus degree range and direct sunlight, it's going to be all about horsepower control and consistency until nightfall when Castellana, Jenkins and Balooshi may start swinging for the fences.

Tonight's Top 16 cars created the second-quickest qualified field in the history of ADRL Pro Nitrous, and also included Al-Anabi Racing's Burton Auxier, who made a solid 4.046-second, 185.96mph shakedown pass after a troubled outing in Topeka a few weeks back. Confidence restored, Auxier will go into Saturday's qualifying rounds hoping to best his last effort, but all the while knowing it may be difficult in the intense heat - primarily looking to bump up a few spots in the qualifying order and avoiding a matchup with a teammate in the first round.

Al-Anabi Racing's Pro Nitrous team will begin qualifying on Saturday morning at 10:00 AM, followed by a second session at 1:00 PM and final eliminations starting at 4:00 PM.

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

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Courtesy of Wes Buck