NORWALK, Ohio – Last year Greg Anderson said he “took every nickel they had to give” when his Summit Racing Pontiac GXP team swept the big money weekend of Pro Stock racing at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals.
Anderson used the momentum he gained from winning the event Pro Stock title and the bonus K&N Horsepower Challenge in what he called at the time “beyond a dream weekend,” to fuel his run for a fourth NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series world championship title.
Anderson returns to Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park looking to catch lighting in a bottle once again at the Fifth annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, June 23-26, which also will feature the $50,000 K&N Horsepower Challenge. In addition to Anderson (Pro Stock), other defending winners of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event are Larry Dixon (Top Fuel), Tim Wilkerson (Funny Car) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle). The race will be televised on ESPN2 HD.
Anderson enters this event in third place in the point standings with his one victory this season coming at his home track in Charlotte, N.C. While he’s certainly solidly in the mix to make the Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship playoffs, Anderson says he and all of his teammates at KB Racing always circle this date on their calendar very early, as it is certainly like a “Super Bowl” weekend for Pro Stock racers.
With its spot on the schedule during the final seven races of the regular season, it’s a pivotal race where a team can start a hot streak just in time for the playoffs. Anderson is well versed in how that strategy works.
“We’re definitely ahead of where we were last year at this time, and we have so many things going well as a team that I just know we are going to get better as time goes on, hopefully hitting our stride when we get to those final six races,” Anderson said. “To be honest, I have a lot more confidence than I did last year. We’re showing more consistency, with more opportunities for success than we did a year ago at this time, and I think we’re on to a few things that will make this race team better over the next few months. It’s certainly not a gimme by any means, but I like our odds.”
No matter the outcome of the race, Anderson is assured of having a blast at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park, home of the famous “B Guarantee,” that includes a pound of ice cream for a buck, among other fan-friendly ammenities. Not to mention the fact that the event will be populated with plenty of folks wearing Summit Racing Equipment shirts, just like Anderson.
“For us, racing in Norwalk has a home town feel because of all the Summit people who will be there,” Anderson said. “It’s just a beautiful facility, and the Baders (track owners) put so much into the racetrack that you just enjoy going there. You know everything will be taken care of, allowing you to focus on running your race car.
“You can see why Summit jumped on board and put their name on the event and on the racetrack – they like to associate themselves with people who go the extra mile. The Baders do everything to make sure it’s a first class event for both the racers and the fans, making it a very special race. We love going there, and love the Bader family for what they’ve done.”
While Anderson tries to claim his second win of the season and back-to-back wins at one of his sponsor’s title events on the circuit, one of the main opponents he’ll have to beat in order to get the job done is his teammate, current points leader Jason Line. Line has raced to three victories this season and sits atop the series standings. Line won this event in 2009 but has never won the K&N Horsepower Challenge.
“He’s been a pain in my side all season, and I’d probably feel a lot better about my season if it wasn’t for him (laughs), but from a team, standpoint thank God he has,” Anderson said. “He’s done great, not only for himself, but for KB Racing, and he’s going to continue to do well. I feel good about that, because every week he proves exactly what kind of potential we have. The fact that he is doing so well makes me happy, because I know we are going to get my Summit Pontiac turned around and performing as well as he is. It would be a lot worse if both our cars were running poorly, but with his car performing as well as it is, I know where I can be.”
Line won’t be the only driver he’ll have to contend with. He’ll face Valvoline Chevy driver Ron Krisher in the opening round of the K&N Challenge and plenty of other talented drivers all weekend, including Bristol finalists Mike Edwards and Erica Enders, Greg Stanfield, hotshot rookie Vincent Nobile, national record holder Rodger Brogdon, Topeka winner Shane Gray and 2008 Challenge winner Allen Johnson.
“I know it’s a cliché, and I say it every year, but the competition just gets tougher every year,” Anderson said. “Just as happened in NASCAR and just about every form of motorsport, ten years ago you had two great teams who knew what it took to win. Five years ago you had four great teams, three years ago you had six until this year where you have twelve teams all capable of winning. It just progresses every year, and I don’t expect it to change moving forward. As time goes on, everyone works harder and gets smarter, and, as a result, you have more players in the field.”
In Top Fuel, the Al-Anabi Racing tandem of Del Worsham and defending world champ Larry Dixon – who won his first race of the season last weekend at Bristol – hold down the top two spots. Spencer Massey and Antron Brown have won two races each this season and Morgan Lucas has won once. A few top drivers are patiently waiting for their first wins of the season, including Tony Schumacher, Doug Kalitta and Brandon Bernstein.
In Funny Car, Mike Neff is leading the way by pulling double duty as both driver and crew chief of the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang. Already a two-time champ as a crew chief in past seasons, Neff is trying to earn his first as a driver. His teammate, Robert Hight, is a four-time winner this season and looks poised to claim a second world championship title in his Auto Club Ford Mustang. Others to watch in the 7,000 horsepower category include Jack Beckman, Cruz Pedregon, Matt Hagan, Ron Capps and 15-time world champ John Force.
* SCHEDULE: Full Throttle Drag Racing Series qualifying sessions are scheduled for 3:30 and 6 p.m. on Friday, June 24 and 11:40 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. on Saturday, June 25. Final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, June 26.
* TICKETS: Tickets are available for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals. Please call Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park at (419) 668-5555 or visit www.summitmotorsportspark.tix.com.
* ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two hours of qualifying coverage at 10 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, June 25. ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise three hours of eliminations coverage beginning at 8 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, June 26.
* LUCAS OIL SERIES: The Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals. also will feature competition in seven categories in the NHRA Lucas Oil Series, where the future stars of the NHRA Full Throttle Series are born. Lucas Oil Series qualifying begins at 8:30 a.m. on June 24. Lucas Oil Series eliminations begin at 8 a.m. on June 25 and continue through June 26.
* GET SCREENED AMERICA PRO MOD SERIES: NHRA’s popular Pro Mod touring series will make its seventh start of the 10-race 2011 season at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals. The series features some of the world’s fastest and most unique doorslammer cars, with an eclectic mix of vintage and late-model body styles, in quarter-mile competition. Two of three scheduled rounds of qualifying will be held on Friday, June 24 at 3:30 and 6 p.m. The final round of qualifying is set for 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 25. The first round of eliminations is scheduled for Saturday, June 25 at 1:40 p.m. Eliminations will continue on Sunday, June 26 at approximately 2:30 p.m.
* ON THE WEB: Get live timing, scoring, multimedia and the latest news updates from every NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event on the Internet at www.nhra.com. Visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
