Fast Start Slots Anderson Second in Topeka
Event: 24th annual Dollar General NHRA Summernationals
Location: Heartland Park Topeka, Topeka, Kansas
Day/Date: Friday, May 18, 2012
Greg Anderson received a pleasant surprise during Friday’s opening qualifying sessions for the Dollar General NHRA Summernationals in Topeka, Kan., as his Summit Racing Pontiac delivered its most consistent first day performance of the 2012 season. After posting the third-quickest time in afternoon session, the four-time Topeka winner picked up almost three hundredths of a second in the evening round, with his 6.624-second, 208.55 mph pass slotting him in the second position with two attempts remaining on Saturday.
Although naturally pleased with this solid showing, Anderson was also surprised as in previous races he and his KB Racing team had struggled to find a consistent handle in qualifying, offering his own reasons for this sudden return to form.
“I am absolutely shocked at how well my Summit Racing Pontiac ran today,” joked Anderson. “I actually think it’s because it knows this is probably its last race before we switch to our new Chevy Camaros and it wants us to reconsider.
“Today was very different from the rest of the season because we had been struggling in qualifying and today it wanted to run in both sessions, which is a different feeling for me on Friday, and one I am very happy with. The car is showing a lot of potential – we didn’t make perfect runs with the car, but the motor ran really well, and I think, given the right conditions, it’s capable of going to the pole.
“We’ll see what the rest of the weekend brings – the weather is supposed to be similar tomorrow, with a little change coming for Sunday. Fortunately, we’ve started off pretty close to the target, so now we have to fine tune it and see if we can hit the bulls-eye.”