[coverattach=1](7-28-2009) DINWIDDIE, Virginia - There's never a bad time to hit your stride, but the recently completed ADRL NATIONALGUARD.com U.S. Drags II was where it happened for "The Beast from the Middle East" K.A. Balooshi - even though it would mean plowing through one of the toughest fields in the history of Pro Nitrous racing.
Doha, Qatar's Pro Nitrous phenom earned the No. 3 qualifying position with an impressive 3.895 at 192.17mph on Friday night, his fifth career 3.8-second run (6 total), setting up a first round matchup with No. 14 qualifier Travis Harvey. Despite losing a slight starting line advantage to Harvey, Balooshi's Speedtech Nitrous/Reher-Morrison-powered Camaro caught and passed him by half track en route to a winning 3.952/189.98.
After dispatching a strong-running Stan Allen in the second round of action, Balooshi would then face his teammate and mentor Shannon "The Iceman" Jenkins in the semifinals. Along with Balooshi, Jenkins and the entire Al-Anabi Racing Pro Nitrous team had been on a tear in Richmond; occupying the top three spots in qualifying with a string of 3.8-second runs. With a two-thousandths lead off the starting line, Balooshi was able to hold off the nitrous-racing legend with a 3.894/191.46 to a quicker, but losing 3.880/192.44.
"I was really pumped up to race Shannon [Jenkins]," said Balooshi, a 3-time Arabian Gulf Region Pro Modified champion. "Shannon has helped me a lot; getting me comfortable and relaxed in the car, being more confident in my driving. To go up against him and have a tight race in front of a big crowd was a thrill for everyone - especially me. We've got friends following these races back at home over the internet and it was neat to have them calling and being excited for me."
On the other side of the ladder, Jim Halsey was able to edge out Al-Anabi's third semifinalist Burton Auxier, setting up a final round showdown between him and Balooshi.
Despite consistently improving his performance on the starting line, Balooshi was a fraction late out of the gate, giving Halsey enough of an edge to take the win despite almost identical performances - 3.908/191.29 to 3.900/193.38 - a little less than a car length at the stripe.
"We've had some really close and exciting races against Jim [Halsey] this season," said Balooshi, checking in via cell phone from his home in Doha, Qatar. "It's good to go out and race against someone competitive like that. Rickie [Smith, crew chief] has put me in a great car, we're making killer runs; going fast every time I let the clutch out. We wanted that final round, but we know that the big race is the Speedtech Battle for the Belts. We want to leave Texas wearing that belt. All these races are important, but we know that we need to make it count when we have to, and we're definitely going to do that."
Still excited from his career-best ADRL outing, Balooshi went on to say, "Consistent 3.80s? It's amazing, and it's all about Speedtech Nitrous, Reher-Morrison Racing Engines and this Tim McAmis Race Car."
Doha, Qatar's Pro Nitrous phenom earned the No. 3 qualifying position with an impressive 3.895 at 192.17mph on Friday night, his fifth career 3.8-second run (6 total), setting up a first round matchup with No. 14 qualifier Travis Harvey. Despite losing a slight starting line advantage to Harvey, Balooshi's Speedtech Nitrous/Reher-Morrison-powered Camaro caught and passed him by half track en route to a winning 3.952/189.98.
After dispatching a strong-running Stan Allen in the second round of action, Balooshi would then face his teammate and mentor Shannon "The Iceman" Jenkins in the semifinals. Along with Balooshi, Jenkins and the entire Al-Anabi Racing Pro Nitrous team had been on a tear in Richmond; occupying the top three spots in qualifying with a string of 3.8-second runs. With a two-thousandths lead off the starting line, Balooshi was able to hold off the nitrous-racing legend with a 3.894/191.46 to a quicker, but losing 3.880/192.44.
"I was really pumped up to race Shannon [Jenkins]," said Balooshi, a 3-time Arabian Gulf Region Pro Modified champion. "Shannon has helped me a lot; getting me comfortable and relaxed in the car, being more confident in my driving. To go up against him and have a tight race in front of a big crowd was a thrill for everyone - especially me. We've got friends following these races back at home over the internet and it was neat to have them calling and being excited for me."
On the other side of the ladder, Jim Halsey was able to edge out Al-Anabi's third semifinalist Burton Auxier, setting up a final round showdown between him and Balooshi.
Despite consistently improving his performance on the starting line, Balooshi was a fraction late out of the gate, giving Halsey enough of an edge to take the win despite almost identical performances - 3.908/191.29 to 3.900/193.38 - a little less than a car length at the stripe.
"We've had some really close and exciting races against Jim [Halsey] this season," said Balooshi, checking in via cell phone from his home in Doha, Qatar. "It's good to go out and race against someone competitive like that. Rickie [Smith, crew chief] has put me in a great car, we're making killer runs; going fast every time I let the clutch out. We wanted that final round, but we know that the big race is the Speedtech Battle for the Belts. We want to leave Texas wearing that belt. All these races are important, but we know that we need to make it count when we have to, and we're definitely going to do that."
Still excited from his career-best ADRL outing, Balooshi went on to say, "Consistent 3.80s? It's amazing, and it's all about Speedtech Nitrous, Reher-Morrison Racing Engines and this Tim McAmis Race Car."
