>From the very first race of the season, the entire Al-Anabi stable shared a common goal of placing all four of the team's Pro Nitrous cars in the Speedtech Nitrous ADRL Battle for the Belts, and coming out of the final points-earning race of the year in Rockingham, North Carolina last month, the team had succeeded in accomplishing their goal. With four spots of the available eight, His Highness Sheikh Khalid Bin Hamad Al Thani had perhaps a better chance than anyone at leaving Dallas with a world championship. The unexpected passing of Shannon "The Iceman" Jenkins' father, Gaylon, though, kept the legendary driver and team crew chief from attending the season ending event.

Despite the absence of Jenkins, who respectively stayed at home to comfort his family, offering his support and guidance through the phone, the team remained confident. Brandon Switzer, co-owner of Speedtech Innovative Nitrous Solutions, came in to serve as crew chief for the team's cars for the weekend and do his part to ensure a victory for Al-Anabi Racing. With Jenkins out of the mix, Pat Stoken, who was No. 9 in the ADRL Pro Nitrous points standings, was inserted into the Battle for the Belts field.

In the opening round of action, Burton Auxier dismissed Johnny Pilcher with an on-and-off the throttle 3.929 at only 179.88mph while Mike Castellana and K.A. Balooshi edged Pat Stoken and Stan Allen in similar fashion. For the semifinal round, Castellana and Balooshi would be forced to face one another while Auxier was left to deal with the season-long points leader Jim Halsey.

In a disheartening turn of events, Castellana's feared '70.5 Chevy Camaro wouldn't start in the staging lanes, later found to be the result of a bad battery, giving K.A. Balooshi a competition single into the final round. The "Beast from the Middle East" took advantage of the solo pass, though, and recorded his quickest pass of the weekend with a 3.879 at 192.41mph. Auxier's matchup with Halsey would prove to be slightly more exciting as the pair of first-generation F-Bodies were within two-hundredths-of-a-second off the starting line, but quickly separated as Halsey suffered a massive nitrous explosion while Burton trucked on to the win - creating the third all Al-Anabi Racing team final in 2009.

"While we've had Shannon on our minds all weekend," said Castellana from the pits of the historic facility outside of Dallas, "we're excited to be able to put two Al-Anabi Racing cars in the Speedtech Nitrous Battle for the Belts final and know that we're going to be able to put a world championship belt in the hands of Sheikh Khalid. It's really a testament to the team effort put forth over the course of the entire year, but especially this weekend."

In the final round, for the $50,000 National Guard ADRL Pro Nitrous championship and the coveted championship belt, Burton Auxier and K.A. Balooshi, squared off for all the marbles in a highly anticipated pairing of two of the category's most impressive cars. Known for his prowess on the starting line, especially in terms of reaction time, Auxier pushed the tree, leaving four-thousandths-of-a-second too early and lit the red bulb, sending Balooshi to the winner's circle and the history books in 3.906 seconds. The pride of Dubai and a three-time Arabian Gulf Region champion, Balooshi became the first foreign-born racer to win an American-based drag racing championship.

"This is great for Al-Anabi Racing," said an obviously elated Balooshi. "The result of the best car, the best motor and the best team."

Equally excited was His Highness Sheikh Khalid Bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar, Al-Anabi Racing team-owner. "This is the level of performance that is expected from the team we have assembled to race in the ADRL," said Al Thani, checking in via cell phone from Europe. "The effort put forth by this team over the course of the last two years, combined with the efforts of Speedtech Nitrous and Reher-Morrison Racing Engines, has ensured that this Al-Anabi Racing team be of championship caliber.

"Without Shannon Jenkins, whose knowledge and racing experience has propelled this team to this level, it was obvious that we were facing an uphill battle for the championship. Brandon Switzer, though, co-owner and chief engineer at Speedtech Innovative Nitrous Solutions, stepped in for the weekend and helped get the job done. Not only does that say a lot for the team, it says a lot about Speedtech Nitrous and the knowledge behind their products."

With the championship hunt behind them and the dawn of the 2010 racing season upon them, the Al-Anabi Racing team looked to establish an early lead on Saturday by winning the first race of the new year on Saturday night. With all three cars qualified for the show, there were 13 other competitors between the Al-Anabi team and doubling up by winning two races in one weekend.

Dispatching Johnny Pilcher in the opening round, K.A. Balooshi was once again forced to face his teammates in both the quarter and semifinal rounds of action, where he used a string of 3.8-second runs to earn his second final round in a single day of racing. Going up against perhaps the most decorated racer in fast door slammer history, Charles Carpenter and his legendary '55 Chevy Shoebox, K.A. Balooshi would surely need to make it from A to B under power as a lethal degree of consistency had propelled Carpenter to the final.

Despite a disadvantage at the starting line, Balooshi used the quickest and fastest pass in the history of nitrous door slammer racing, a 3.815 at 196.42mph, to take the win and his first-ever National Guard ADRL Minute Man trophy.

Next up for the Al-Anabi Racing team will be the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals where Burton Auxier, current NHRA Pro Modified points leader, and Mike Castellana will face off on the quarter-mile before heading overseas for the start of the 2009 Arabian Drag Racing League season at the incredible Qatar Race Club facility located in the nation's capitol of Doha.

For more information on Al-Anabi Racing log onto http://www.qrczone.com

Courtesy of Wes Buck