BTG: Castellana Glad To Be Back In Pro Nitrous

[NewsBot]

Mike Castellana wasn’t worried about his qualifying position or future races or points standings.The Pro Nitrous standout was simply glad to be back in his Al-Anabi Racing car and be back at the track.After what Castellana had been through since racing at the ADRL Hardee’s Independence Drags IV in early July, it was easy to see why.Almost immediately after qualifying in the No. 1 spot in Topeka, Castellana was diagnosed with colon cancer.It’s been an arduous and emotionally-draining period since then, but Castellana was overjoyed just to return to the ADRL last weekend for Simpson Dragstock VII at Rockingham Dragway.“This keeps my mind busy and that’s almost the most important thing, not thinking about it,” Castellana said. “I’m just trying to do what I normally do.“Right now, I just want to come out and enjoy myself.”That’s certainly understandable after all the adversity the Muttontown, NY native has gone through over the last two months.His doctors spotted the cancer quick enough so it had not moved throughout his body and turned more severe.The cancerous portion was removed immediately, which was a huge step in the right direction for Castellana’s recovery.“Luckily, they found it at that point before it had spread,” Castellana said. The cancer did move into Castellana’s lymph nodes, meaning he has to undergo chemotherapy treatment, which starts next week.That will certainly take its toll both physically and mentally, which is why Castellana has reserved making any commitment towards competing at the Summit Racing Equipment Ohio Drags IV on Sept. 24-25.Racing is an obvious and justifiable second priority at the moment and Castellana will wait to see how the chemotherapy affects his energy levels before he decides his next racing move.“I don’t know if I’ll be there,” Castellana said. “If I feel good, I’ll be there. I just have to take it day-by-day.”The day-by-day process has been difficult, but Castellana has stayed positive throughout the ordeal.His approach and outlook through the difficult time has been admirable, but Castellana said it’s necessary in order to keep the rest of his family - which includes a wife and four children - upbeat through this trying time.Castellana’s strong physical conditioning also played a part in his quick recovery process, something he hopes will continue to be a factor throughout the chemotherapy treatments.It also warranted Castellana’s doctors to allow him to return to racing at Rockingham.It was Castellana’s first weekend racing in more than two months, and the smiling Castellana enjoyed every moment of his return.“The doctor said as long as I feel good, I can race,” Castellana said. “While I feel good, I’m going to come on out here. I’ll base racing the rest of the season on how I feel.“I (felt) pretty good this weekend. It (was) good to be back.”Before the rain postponed Dragstock, Castellana was the No. 7 qualifier, going 3.89 at 192.93 miles per hour in his ‘69 Camaro under the lights during the third qualifying session on Friday night.From a racing perspective, it was needed as Castellana, who won the Hardee’s Georgia Drags in April this year, currently sits in 10th in the points standings.He’s just 107 points out of the eighth position, which is the last qualifying spot for the season-ending LenMar Motorsports World Finals VI in October. Should he race at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, OH and qualify for the top eight, Castellana would quickly become one of the favorites in the Speedtech “Battle For The Belts.”But reaching that goal has justifiably taken a backseat to getting healthy and fully beating the cancer.Castellana has focused everything on topping that, but returning to the track was part of that process.The outpouring of encouragement he received at Rockingham Dragway, which made the weekend an incredible experience, also blew him away.It just was one more reason why he was simply glad to be back behind the wheel.“It’s been unbelievable the support I’ve gotten from my racing family,” Castellana said. “From competitors to teammates to fans to anybody that knew, they’ve all been very supportive. It’s just been good to be around everyone.”

More...