Balooshi gases field at Vegas

Al-Anabi team leaves Vegas with the money and points lead.

Words by Darr Hawthorne
Photos by Darr Hawthorne, Tim Marshall, Ron Lewis, and James Drew

For the second race in a row  Al-Anabi team racer Khalid Balooshi drove his Brandon Switzer-tuned, nitrous-oxide-injected, ’69 Camaro Pro Mod into the winner’s circle for his second consecutive NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod series win. This time the nitrous Pro Mod won on the high-desert located Strip at Las Vegas.  He defeated the only other nitrous racer in the class, Rickie Smith, in the finals.

Danny Rowe red-lighted against KH Balooshi in the first round of P/M Eliminations

It is worth noting that the finals could have easily had no nitrous car in them. In the semi-finals, Gainesville runner-up Danny Rowe was matched up against Balooshi, but Rowe’s  .007 red light against Balooshi wasted a 5.969/242.80 lap that would have beat Balooshi’s 5.970 238.81. In the other semi-final, Roger Burgess’ turbocharged ’53 ‘Vette ran 5.944/246.48, but a nearly unconscious .226 reaction time made  it impossible  for Burgess to catch Rickie Smith’s 6.019/237.67.