[coverattach=1](3-12-2009) GAINESVILLE, Florida – Perhaps the ultimate proving ground in the world of motorsports is the quarter-mile; one-thousand-three-hundred-twenty feet of concrete and asphalt where the men are separated from the boys. Al Anabi Racing’s Pro Modified powerhouse looks to remove all doubt as to the location of the world’s strongest nitrous racing team this weekend in Gainesville, Florida during the 40th annual ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals.
In a combined field of supercharged, alcohol burning and nitrous-injected doorslammers, Al Anabi’s Mike Castellana, “Tricky” Rickie Smith and Burton Auxier will take on all-comers in the first of 10 Get Screened America NHRA Pro Mod Challenge events in 2009 with intentions of setting the pace, performance wise, early in the season.
“You know going into one of these NHRA Pro Mod Challenge events that it’s going to be a battle,” said Mike Castellana, driver of the Al Anabi Racing/Western Beef ’68 Pontiac Firebird. “We know we’re going to have to have this Speedtech Nitrous/Reher-Morrison-powered hot rod tuned up and into the five-second zone to qualify at the top of the field and go rounds. Pro Modified racing, especially in terms of nitrous Pro Mod racing, has rapidly evolved over the course of the last few years, and we were really happy to get that 5-second monkey off our back last year in Richmond. We’ve never lacked the horsepower to do it, or to do it on a consistent basis, it’s just taken some testing to get a solid handle on the car when you’re pushing them this hard.”
Castellana continued, “Gainesville Raceway is a fantastic facility and the conditions here during this time of year are always conducive to big numbers. With three Al Anabi Racing Pro Mods on the property, we’re expecting to see two of them in the final round on Sunday and to bring home a win for Sheikh Khalid. We’re really excited.”
Veteran driver and tuner “Tricky” Rickie Smith will also be flying the colors of the Qatar flag in North Central Florida at the controls of his new Al Anabi Racing ’68 Pontiac Firebird. Both Smith and Castellana’s Pro Mods underwent extensive testing during the days prior to the Gatornationals and showed serious promise for this weekend’s events.
An eager-to-race Smith spoke highly of the test session prior to heading to Florida, especially excited about the planned eighth-mile shutoff lap he recorded in his car – an impressive 3.90-second, 191.57mph blast.
“We’re encouraged by our results in testing,” said Smith. “Looking back almost the entire top half of the field were in the low 6.0-range and there were several passes in the mid 5.90s by the blower cars; everyone has seen how much these Pro Mod cars progressed throughout the course of 2008 performance wise, so we fully anticipate needing to run in the fives to win the Gatornationals. There are going to be a lot of fast cars this weekend, but with all that we’ve been able to learn over the course of the last few weeks, I think we’re ready.”
Accompanying Al Anabi Racing’s veteran drivers Castellana, Smith and Auxier will be Shannon “Iceman” Jenkins and Speedtech Nitrous co-owner and engineer Brandon Switzer, who will assume the roles of crew chief for the three-car nitrous Pro Mod ensemble for the first NHRA Pro Mod Challenge.
Pro Modified qualifying begins for the ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals on Friday at 1:30 PM. Please log onto Drag Race Central | Presented by Summitracing.com 1-800-230-3030 for round by round race results.
In a combined field of supercharged, alcohol burning and nitrous-injected doorslammers, Al Anabi’s Mike Castellana, “Tricky” Rickie Smith and Burton Auxier will take on all-comers in the first of 10 Get Screened America NHRA Pro Mod Challenge events in 2009 with intentions of setting the pace, performance wise, early in the season.
“You know going into one of these NHRA Pro Mod Challenge events that it’s going to be a battle,” said Mike Castellana, driver of the Al Anabi Racing/Western Beef ’68 Pontiac Firebird. “We know we’re going to have to have this Speedtech Nitrous/Reher-Morrison-powered hot rod tuned up and into the five-second zone to qualify at the top of the field and go rounds. Pro Modified racing, especially in terms of nitrous Pro Mod racing, has rapidly evolved over the course of the last few years, and we were really happy to get that 5-second monkey off our back last year in Richmond. We’ve never lacked the horsepower to do it, or to do it on a consistent basis, it’s just taken some testing to get a solid handle on the car when you’re pushing them this hard.”
Castellana continued, “Gainesville Raceway is a fantastic facility and the conditions here during this time of year are always conducive to big numbers. With three Al Anabi Racing Pro Mods on the property, we’re expecting to see two of them in the final round on Sunday and to bring home a win for Sheikh Khalid. We’re really excited.”
Veteran driver and tuner “Tricky” Rickie Smith will also be flying the colors of the Qatar flag in North Central Florida at the controls of his new Al Anabi Racing ’68 Pontiac Firebird. Both Smith and Castellana’s Pro Mods underwent extensive testing during the days prior to the Gatornationals and showed serious promise for this weekend’s events.
An eager-to-race Smith spoke highly of the test session prior to heading to Florida, especially excited about the planned eighth-mile shutoff lap he recorded in his car – an impressive 3.90-second, 191.57mph blast.
“We’re encouraged by our results in testing,” said Smith. “Looking back almost the entire top half of the field were in the low 6.0-range and there were several passes in the mid 5.90s by the blower cars; everyone has seen how much these Pro Mod cars progressed throughout the course of 2008 performance wise, so we fully anticipate needing to run in the fives to win the Gatornationals. There are going to be a lot of fast cars this weekend, but with all that we’ve been able to learn over the course of the last few weeks, I think we’re ready.”
Accompanying Al Anabi Racing’s veteran drivers Castellana, Smith and Auxier will be Shannon “Iceman” Jenkins and Speedtech Nitrous co-owner and engineer Brandon Switzer, who will assume the roles of crew chief for the three-car nitrous Pro Mod ensemble for the first NHRA Pro Mod Challenge.
Pro Modified qualifying begins for the ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals on Friday at 1:30 PM. Please log onto Drag Race Central | Presented by Summitracing.com 1-800-230-3030 for round by round race results.
