Auto Club NHRA Finals Location: The Auto Club Raceway

Anderson's Eventful Day Nets a Fourth Qualifying Spot in Pomona

Event: Auto Club NHRA Finals
Location: The Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, Pomona, CA
Day/Date: Saturday, November 14, 2009

Looking at the time sheets from Saturday’s action at the Auto Club NHRA Finals, it would seem that Greg Anderson and the Summit Racing team completed another solid qualifying effort. In each of the final two sessions, Anderson carded a 6.6-second elapsed time, with his 6.604-second, 210.18 mph pass in the morning session securing the fourth starting spot for Sunday’s final eliminations. However, the circumstances before the three-time champion even made the run made this accomplishment even more remarkable.

As Anderson rolled to the line for his third attempt, his parachutes inexplicably deployed, which in most cases, would have prevented him from making the run. However, in a display of true sportsmanship, fellow competitor Mike Edwards, who clinched his first Pro Stock championship on Saturday, waited until the KB Racing crew repacked the chutes, which they did in record time, allowing Anderson to make the crucial run.

“Without a doubt, Mike Edwards is a great sportsman, and there is zero question in my mind that I would have done the same thing if the roles were reversed,�?? stated Anderson. “I knew in my mind that Mike wasn’t going to rush up there and stage – he’s not that kind of person, and I thanked him afterwards. That’s what drag racing is all about. We are still a family out here, and we need to get along because we spend a lot of time together.

“I also have to commend my Summit Racing crew on the tremendous job they did repacking my parachutes. I don’t think anyone has ever done it faster, and my hat’s off to them – they saved the run, which got me that fourth qualifying spot. Otherwise, I might have been down as far as 14th or 15th. That’s why they work here at KB Racing. I think they’re the best out here, and situations like that are why I love having them on board. They’re a great bunch of guys.�??

Despite his lofty starting position, the 23rd time in this year’s 24 races that Anderson has started in the Top Five, he was not as pleased with his race car. However, armed with the data from both his runs and those of his teammate Jason Line, who qualified third, he was quietly confident of coming up with a game plan to repeat his winning performance from this event one year ago.

“We came in here on the first run with a ton of promise, but hurt the motor,�?? explained Anderson. “Even so, our Summit Racing Pontiac acted, felt and ran great. Unfortunately, on the next three runs we just seemed to go backward. That’s the bad news.

“The good news is that Jason’s car started out poorly, but got better with even run. Therefore, we have two cars headed in opposite directions. However you would think we would be able to determine what was causing each situation. If we’re smart enough, and I believe this KB Racing crew certainly is, we’ll have two fast cars tomorrow. So, I’m naturally disappointed with my car’s performance,

That’s why you have a two car team. We’ll go back and look at our notes, seeing what we did on both Jason’s and my cars, as well as our notes from previous years, which I’m confident we’ll be able to correct things and be fine.�??

Established in 1968, Summit Racing Equipment is the leading high performance parts and accessories company. Summit Racing offers the largest selection, lowest prices, and best customer service in the high performance industry via catalogs, Internet, and Retail Super Stores. The company is headquartered in Tallmadge, Ohio with retail locations in Tallmadge, Ohio; Sparks, Nevada; and McDonough, Georgia. For more information, please visit www.summitracing.com.