Von Smith probably has the best driving gig in all of drag racing. As the pilot of the Al-Anabi racing blown ’57 Chevy Pro Mod, he has the best possible car with the best possible pieces, with the best possible crew chief, and the best possible travel schedule.

Now that the domestic drag racing season has been completed the team crated up the great-looking shoebox and sent it over to Al-Anabi Racing’s home turf in the Middle East. The Bahrain National Drag Racing Championship season kicked off last weekend and Smith managed to defeat fellow American Tommy Mauney and Bahrain racer Ali Aryan to win the first event.

If you think that new strip in Bahrain is a slouch, be aware that Smith ran a 6.08-second lap there in what we imagine were not exactly mineshaft conditions. It would be a neat feather for the team to be the first to turn the 5-second ‘slammer trick on the dunes there in Bahrain. It’s been done in Australia, Canada, and the U.S. thus far.

This is yet another indication of the way drag racing is viewed in that part of the world. It’s taken as serious business as we have witnessed by the massive influx of foreign cash in domestic series.

We remember the days of drag racers sleeping in their trucks with gear lube in their hair. They’re now jetting across the globe to ply their wares. Strange days indeed.