Jenkins Focused Heading Into 2011 ADRL Opener

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Shannon Jenkins once again found himself in an ADRL final. This one came in the Arabian Drag Racing League and it came four months after falling in the American Drag Racing League (ADRL) World Finals to Burton Auxier.Despite a brilliant finish to the year in Qatar, the legendary “Iceman” was again left without a belt and a world championship.This time, Jenkins fell to Khalid Al-Balooshi in the “Battle For The Belts” at Qatar Racing Club, as Al-Balooshi went a dominating 3.786 at more than 199 miles per hour to again leave Jenkins shaking his head.“I knew I had to get after it on tree and put a sure enough tune up in the car to run with those guys, but we were overly aggressive on both ends and just gave it away,” Jenkins said. “Al-Balooshi ran good all season and did an outstanding job. They deserved it.“I wish we could have gotten the job done, but that’s just drag racing.”That disappointment will linger, but there were plenty of positives for Jenkins to reflect on.He won the Chicago-style shootout race the day before the BFTB, defeating a red-lighting Al-Balooshi with a very respectable 3.80 at 198 mph. That netted Jenkins $5,000, which wrapped up a 2010-2011 season in Qatar that saw Jenkins win twice and set career-bests in E.T. and speed.“I just can’t thank Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Thani enough for giving us the opportunity to be a part of Al-Anabi Racing, and allowing us to come over here and race in Qatar,” Jenkins said. “Also, my guys have worked their tails off this whole season and they have done an outstanding job.” That includes Mahanna Al-Naimi, who came back after a crash during the season opener and put together a solid season. “Mahanna has improved every single week. He has driven well all season,” said Jenkins. “We sure were hoping he would have already gotten his first victory in Pro Nitrous, but it’s just a matter of time. He will get it, and when he does, many more will come to follow.”For now, though, Jenkins has turned his attention to the 2011 ADRL season, which begins on March 25-26 at Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown, Texas, with CarSafe Dragpalooza VII presented by LenMar Motorsports.Jenkins will again be a top contender in the deep Pro Nitrous class in a new Camaro, but he’s focused on winning a championship.Jenkins is also pleased to welcome back a familiar face to the team.“We’re looking forward to a good season this year. We can’t wait to get our new RJ Race Cars ‘69 Camaro out on the track, but, more importantly, Mike (Castellana) will be back behind the wheel this season, and we are just so excited about that,” Jenkins said.“It’s going to be a tough task, because there is so much tough competition in the ADRL, but we’re looking to ultimately make a 1-2 finish for the championship with our two Camaros.”

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