Anderson to decide his own fate on Monday at U.S. Nationals
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., August 31, 2014 – Summit Racing Pro Stock driver Greg Anderson has been fighting all year. The veteran competitor who already owns four NHRA Pro Stock world championship trophies missed the first five races of the season as he recovered from heart surgery and upon his return consistently raced with a determined edge, regularly leaving the starting line ahead of his competitors and flying down the racetrack in pursuit of enough win lights and bonus points to work his way into the top 10 for a chance to battle for the trophy in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
Anderson achieved the initial goal of moving into the elite group of 10, and on Monday at the 60th annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, his future will be decided by his own hand as he takes on rookie Jonathan Gray, who is just a round and a half away and looking to bump Anderson out.
In the first round of qualifying at the esteemed U.S. Nationals, Anderson rocketed to a 6.643 at 208.10 mph to jump into the No. 3 spot and earn a bonus qualifying point. From there, he improved to a 6.611 at 209.14 and then followed up with a 6.629, 208.62 to close the door on Saturday’s qualifying. In the final two sessions on Sunday, Anderson raced to a 6.616, 208.91 and finally a 6.641, 208.52.
Although the runs were quicker, the rest of the field improved as well, and Anderson settled into the No. 7 position and a first round match with the one driver who needs to beat him the most – newcomer Gray.
“It’s what you ask for, really,” said Anderson. “You know, I feel that from the bottom of my heart, and I hope Jonathan feels that way too because that’s the way it should be. That’s what drag racing is, one against the other. We shouldn’t have to have other people do the dirty work for us. You come out and qualify and run your race, and it’s really that simple. I’m looking forward to it. We both have the resources to get it done. It’s like it was already drawn in stone before we got here; it’s kind of crazy, but it shows you that this is the plan the Big Man has for us.
“I’m a little concerned that we didn’t run as well as we would have liked to today, but you know what, tomorrow we just need to get it right. The pressure is on everybody, not just me. It’s on everybody to get our Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro right, and I need to do a great job of driving. The car should be good, the driver should be good, and let the best man win.”