The opening of the Arabian drag racing season saw two American drivers, Mike Castallana and Von Smith take the wins in their respective classes. Castallana won the Pro Nitrous category and Smith took the Pro Extreme crown home in his blown Camaro. The race was held in Quatar and saw some big numbers thrown up by competitors.

The race was run on a format very similar to the ADRL here at home and was actually overseen by ADRL officials to make sure that things went smoothly and they did. Below is the official ADRL press release from the race.

DOHA, QATAR (Nov. 20, 2009) — American Drag Racing League (ADRL) stars Von Smith and Mike Castellana made their 14-hour, one-way trips to Doha, Qatar, pay off by winning the Pro Extreme and Pro Nitrous event titles, respectively, in the 2009-10 season opener for the Arabian Drag Racing League.

In the Pro Extreme final for supercharged entries, Oak Ridge, Tennessee’s Smith overcame a 19-thousandths of a second starting-line advantage by Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al-Thani to win with a 3.758 pass at 205.69 mph over the eighth mile at the Qatar Race Club. Sheikh Khalid ran 3.860 at 198.06 mph to record a runner-up finish in his first appearance as a Pro Extreme driver.
In Pro Nitrous, Castellana, from Westbury, New York, left with a .029 light and posted a 3.931-seconds win at 191.70 mph, while Khalid Al-Balooshi, who won the American Drag Racing League

Pro Nitrous world championship at Ennis, Texas, last month, shook the tires off the start and coasted to a 7.121 at 89.74-mph finish.

“This has been a great event,” said Kenny Nowling, president and CEO for the O’Fallon, Missouri-based American Drag Racing League and the Arabian Drag Racing League. “I’m so impressed by the facilities and event staff over here and can’t wait for the next race in two weeks when we’ll be back at the beautiful Qatar Race Club facility.”