Summit Racing–Anderson puts Bristol red light behind him to focus on game plan for days ahead

Anderson puts Bristol red light behind him to focus on game plan for days ahead
 
BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 15, 2014) – On raceday at Bristol Dragway’s 14th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, Greg Anderson did something he typically does not do; he saw the red-light as he left the starting line in the second round. The mishap, however, is one that Anderson will have no trouble putting behind him as he shifts focus to working out the details to a brighter future for the Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro.
 
Anderson qualified in the No. 11 position in Bristol after four runs of working to learn the characteristics of the racetrack that was a bit of a handful at times as the hot and greasy racing surface set forth a challenge for tuners and drivers.
 
In the first round of eliminations, Anderson powered his Summit Racing Camaro off the starting line way ahead of opponent Rodger Brogdon, clocking a .034-second reaction time to a .095. The advantage allowed him to race ahead for a holeshot win, 6.712 to 6.702, and the victory came with a ticket to the quarterfinals and a meeting with Erica Enders-Stevens. When Anderson left the starting line in their meeting, the red-light tripped in his lane, officially recording a .005-second foul. Enders-Stevens got the automatic win and posted a 6.697 to 6.732.
 
The foul-out was by no means a regular occurrence for Anderson, whose most recent red light was in 2013 at the Sonoma race in California.
 
“I’m still surprised by it,” admitted Anderson. “I don’t know what happened there. I swear I saw the light, I don’t know if I just got staged a little bit deeper than usual or what happened, but the clock says it was a red light, so that’s what it was.”
 
Anderson remains No. 13 in NHRA’s Mello Yello Series Pro Stock points. He is only five rounds outside of the top 10, and later this week the tour will venture to Epping, N.H., for the NHRA New England Nationals, allowing Anderson the opportunity to get right back to work on gaining points.
 
Although there were struggles for the team in Bristol, Anderson turned his focus toward the positive elements experienced throughout the weekend.
 
“We were disappointed with what happened on the racetrack because we really wanted more for the team and our Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro, but there were also a lot of really great moments for us out here,” said Anderson. “We’re here to race and we’re here to win, but this weekend we had our team owner, Ken Black, here and being that it’s Father’s Day and he is like a second father to all of us, that was very cool. Pretty much everyone on the team had their families here, so it made for a very special weekend.
 
“I wish we could have had a better day on the track, but we are going to make a game plan for the next couple of days before Epping. We need to find the performance with our car that we know should be there, so that’s what we’ll do.”