Crew Chief Role Suits Jenkins Just Fine In 2011

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Shannon Jenkins wants to get one thing out of the way, before you even ask the question.“I can still drive with anybody around,” Jenkins said.With that out of the way, we can now move on to why the racing legend won’t be behind the wheel of a Pro Nitrous car in 2011. Sure, he has another way he will have an impact in the class, but a big question that was on a lot of people’s minds during CarSafe Dragpalooza VII presented by LenMar Motorsports was why Jenkins wasn’t driving this season in the American Drag Racing League (ADRL).As it turns out, it’s a pretty simple explanation.Jenkins will be the crew chief for Al-Anabi Racing drivers Mike Castellana and Mahana Al-Naimi and that’s a big and vital enough job to keep him plenty busy.“When you drive, you miss a lot that happens. It’s hard to (be the crew chief) for one car when you’re driving and it’s really hard to do two,” Jenkins said. “I elected not to drive and it will make life a lot simpler.“I’ve been a crew chief for a long time and just with the time involved, the smart thing is for me to just tune those two cars.”The smart thing for Jenkins will make things that much better for his good friends Castellana and Al-Naimi, and that much more difficult for a class that seems to get better and grow by the day.Jenkins is still at the top of the driving game, advancing to the finals of the “Battle For The Belts” in both the ADRL and the Arabian Drag Racing League in the past six months.He won twice stateside in 2010 and two more time in Doha, Qatar, but all of that talent and expertise will now be going towards getting the best out of Castellana and Al-Naimi.“They know how competitive I am. Having been on both sides of it, there’s things I see that I can help them with,” Jenkins said. “It’s going to be a good deal.”That’s already proving to be true and he already had a major impact in PN at Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown, Texas.Castellana returned healthy and recovered from a 2010 bout with cancer, advancing to the quarterfinals, while Al-Naimi impressed in his ADRL debut.He advanced to the semifinals after going 3.83 at 196.24 miles per hour in a quarterfinal win against Rickie Jones before losing to Pat Stoken on a holeshot in the semifinals.Oddly enough, Al-Naimi’s gorgeous new PN car, originally intended for Jenkins, and Jones’ new car were both made by RJ Race Cars.Jenkins tuned Al-Naimi’s car in Qatar this past winter, taking the talented driver under his wing and developing a strong partnership.“He’s come a long, long way,” Jenkins said. “He’s going to be even better now that I’ll be able to have more one-on-one time with him.“He pays precise attention to what you tell him. He’s going to do a great job and he’s going to be very competitive.”Al-Naimi appears to be there already, putting down a string of remarkable runs.But Jenkins knows they’ve only reached the tip of the iceberg with the new car.“It’s a beautiful car and once it gets 20 or so runs in it, it’s going to be really good,” Jenkins said.Jenkins’ relationship with Castellana stretches more than a decade, which means the duo already has a strong rhythm that should only improve throughout the 2011 season.“Mike’s ability as a driver is on top with anybody. He seems to be doing great,” Jenkins said.As for his own driving career, Jenkins is hardly calling it a retirement.The focus this season, however, is tuning Castellana and Al-Naimi’s cars to perfection.Jenkins also has one final thought for those who think the temptation to drive will come sooner than later this season. “I’m not going to have that itch. It’s not going to happen,” Jenkins said. “I’ll worry about later, later.”(Photos by ADRL/Richards/Saif)

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