KB Racing LLC: Anderson earns another No. 1
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE KB RACING LLC NHRA POWERADE DRAG RACING SERIES SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT PONTIAC GTO PRO STOCK GREG ANDERSON - DRIVER MEDIA CONTACT: Mickey Schultz PHONE: 425-557-8899 E-MAIL: mschultz@bellsouth.net 19th ANNUAL NHRA O'REILLY MID-SOUTH NATIONALS MEMPHIS MOTORSPORTS PARK - MEMPHIS, TENN. AUGUST 18-20, 2006 Qualifying: Session 1 Friday: 6.742* seconds at 203.83 mph (#1) Session 2 Friday: Cancelled (#1) Session 3 Saturday: 6.777 seconds at 202.55 mph (#1) Session 4 Saturday: 6.775 seconds at 203.86 mph (#1) * Track Record Anderson earns another No. 1 MILLINGTON, Tenn. (August 19, 2006) - For the 49th time of his career Greg Anderson, driver of the KB Racing LLC-owned, Summit Racing Equipment-backed Pro Stock Pontiac GTO, will hold the No. 1 qualifier position when drivers are introduced during opening ceremonies for the 19th annual NHRA O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals tomorrow. Until today, Memphis Motorsports Park (MMP) was one of two tracks, the other being Richmond, on the 2006 schedule that Anderson had not earned a No. 1 position. This No. 1, the ninth top spot in 2006, changed that stat. On Friday, a late-afternoon thunderstorm swept through MMP and pushed back the first round of qualifying until the 9 o'clock hour and cancelled the second. Of the three sessions that were run, including two on Saturday, Anderson's best elapsed time was a 6.742 seconds pass under the lights on Friday, which lowered the track elapsed time record. "To be able to run that under these conditions says a lot," said Anderson after his blast on Friday evening. "It (the track) is still very green out there. The rubber was all washed away. So we expect it will get better as the weekend goes along, but it won't be this cool again so we could very well be a tenth off tomorrow. It should be 100 degrees with track temps in the 140s. "It's good to get the upper hand for now but qualifying hasn't been our big snafu this year, that's been race day. But we feel like we're ready to break though and get on a roll where we win some races. Our confidence is higher now than it's been all season." Today Anderson, who was on top all three rounds, added the following, "It's going to come down to the driver and the tuners," Anderson said. "If you go over the edge either way with your set up, you're going to slow down. It's a tricky racetrack. We proved that today with our Summit Racing Pontiac. We missed the set up each trip down the track today. You've got to hit the target, run fast and the driver has good to be good. That's my goal tomorrow and hopefully go four rounds." Anderson, who is seeking to join the late Lee Shepherd and Bob Glidden as the only NHRA drivers to win four consecutive Pro Stock titles, has two wins at Memphis, the first in 2003 over Jeg Coughlin and last year he defeated Kurt Johnson. In the first round of eliminations, Anderson will pull to the line opposite Greg Stanfield, who qualified No 16 with an elapsed time of 7.793 seconds. Anderson begins his quest for the O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals Pro Stock title on tomorrow, Sunday, Aug. 20, with eliminations for all classes beginning at 3 p.m. NOTE THE LATE START FOR ELIMINATIONS. Time is local Memphis time (CT) and subject to change at anytime. Qualifying highlights for the 19th annual NHRA O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals can be seen on ESPN2 on Saturday (August 19) from 8 to 10 p.m. ESPN2 will also air same-day television coverage of eliminations from 10 p.m. until 1 a.m. (Sunday, August 20 - ending early Monday morning). The elimination show repeats early Sunday morning (August 27) from 3-5 a.m. Also, tune in to NHRA2Day on ESPN2, the weekly show that gives you the latest information about the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. NHRA2Day can be seen on Sunday morning, August 20, from 11:30 a.m. - 12 noon. Television times are Eastern Time (ET) and subject to change at anytime. Check local listings. KB Racing LLC is owned by Las Vegas businessmen Ken Black and his son Kenny Black. KB Racing LLC fields two Summit Racing Equipment Pro Stock Pontiac GTOs, one driven by Greg Anderson and the other by Jason Line in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Anderson has won three consecutive POWERade Pro Stock Championships (2003-2005). Line finished third in the 2005 POWERade point standings and was honored with the 2004 Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future award, presented to the most outstanding rookie in a professional category. This year KB Racing LLC also began fielding a Top Fuel Dragster, managed by Kalitta Motorsports, with rookie Top Fuel driver Hillary Will handling the driving duties. ####