Anderson No. 2 in Bristol and Charging for a Third Consecutive Trophy
BRISTOL, Tenn., June 20, 2015 – For the last two weekends, Greg Anderson has been on quite a tear. The driver of the red Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro has been the last man standing on Sunday as he hoisted the trophy in both Englishtown and Epping, and this weekend in Bristol, he is again powering a very fast hot rod totally capable of going the distance. Qualified in the No. 2 position for the second straight weekend, Anderson will race V. Gaines on Sunday at the 15th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.
Anderson was No. 3 at the end of the first day of qualifying following a 6.661-second pass at 206.83 mph and a 6.656 at 206.73. He claimed bonus points for each of the passes as one of the top 3 quickest cars on the property.
On the second day of the event, the weather turned nasty and the third qualifying session was well-delayed. In the back of the pack, Anderson was pushed away from the starting line three times before he was finally allowed to make his third pass in Bristol, and when he did it was worth the wait. He raced to a 6.646-second pass at 206.67 mph that sent him to the top of the heap. Three more bonus points were added to his stack, and he and the KB Racing team returned for the final session with the intention of running to full capability. Unfortunately, things didn’t quite go as they had hoped. Anderson’s final qualifying run was a 6.663 at 205.82.
“We had that No. 1 in our grasp, and we let it slip away,” said Anderson, who accumulated a total of six bonus points throughout four rounds of qualifying. “We’re a little disappointed, but you know, it was an interesting day. With all of the delays, it was a long day. We were ready to go no matter when we would get the call. We just missed it on the last run a little bit after making a very nice run earlier in the day.”
The weather throughout the weekend was a challenge for all of the drivers and crew chiefs as the hot and humid conditions were pasted between stretches of rain and extended delays as storms moved through and the track was dried.
“Lane choice will be very important tomorrow,” said Anderson, who has now been No. 2 or better in the qualifying order in each of the most recent four races. “You just need to try to run as fast as you can so that you can stay in the good lane. The goal is to run fast enough to first of all, win the round – but secondly, to make sure you get lane choice. I don’t think you want to try to win out of the unfavorable lane.”
Sunday in Bristol isn’t just the always-exciting raceday, it’s also Father’s Day, and Anderson is joined in Thunder Valley by his son, Cody, who was not able to attend the last two races.
“I want to win tomorrow. I want to win on Father’s Day,” said Anderson, the incoming points leader. “It would be great to share the winner’s circle with my family. It would be really special.”