TEAM REPORTS (POMONA) - Anderson upset in opening round; Finishes second in championship battle
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At the green, Humphreys gained a .054 of a second jump on the three-time POWERade Pro Stock Champion. At the finish line Humphreys crossed .042 seconds ahead of Anderson.
Anderson stopped the finish line clocks in 6.658 seconds at 208.42 mph. While Humphreys recorded numbers of 6.669 seconds at 207.18 mph.
The loss opened the door for Jeg Coughlin to take the 2007 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Championship. The two-time Pro Stock Champion immediately took advantage of the opportunity when he defeated Larry Morgan in the opening round and Richie Stevens, Jr. to claim his third championship. Coughlin also won the championship in 2000 and 2002.
Anderson, from Mooresville, N.C., will finish second in this year’s battle for the NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Championship.
“We need to go home and we need to go back to work,” said Anderson as he looked to the future. “We need to make our program stronger. It’s a great program now, but obviously we need to find a way to make it stronger.
“We could’ve earned us a fourth POWERade championship but to be honest we’ve been a little down for the last couple of months. We haven’t been running the way we need to be running. We’re a little disappointed with the way our season turned out without a doubt. So we need to go home and figure out why that is and come back stronger than ever next year and then try to win that fourth POWERade championship.
“That’s all I can say right now. The season is over. We’ve done all we can do for now. We came in second place; now we’re going back, work harder, and try get back to first place next year.”
NEXT RACE: The 2007 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series schedule has come to an end. The 2008 season opens Feb. 7-10, 2008 with the NHRA CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals at the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona (Calif.).
TELEVISION: Sunday’s eliminations for the 43rd annual NHRA Auto Club Finals can be seen on ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD.
Eliminations: ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will air three-and-a-half hours of final-round elimination coverage this evening beginning at 7 p.m. The expanded coverage will follow all the action from the season finale where POWERade World Champions will be crowned as part of the inaugural NHRA POWERade Countdown to the Championship. The elimination show repeats on Friday morning, Nov. 9, from 4-6 a.m.
EXPANDED COVERAGE: 7 – 10:30 p.m. (ET), Sun., Nov. 4
REPEAT: 4-6 a.m. (ET), Fri., Nov. 9
Television times are ET and subject to change without notice. Check your local listing.