Anderson Claims Third Consecutive No. 1 with St. Louis Pole
MADISON, Ill., September 26, 2015 – Things are definitely looking bright for Greg Anderson at the 4th annual AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals. Anderson powered his red Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro through four rounds of qualifying at Gateway Motorsports Park and consistently came up aces, claiming the maximum points – including 12 bonus marks – with the quickest car on the property to claim his third consecutive No. 1. On Sunday, Anderson will be concentrating on turning on four consecutive win lights as he races for his second Midwest Nationals trophy.
Anderson rocketed to a 6.513-second pass at 213.27 mph in the opening qualifying round on Friday and finished up the night with a track record setting 6.492 at 213.20 that was again best of the round.
While conditions on the first day of the event were warm and sunny, a cloud cover moved into the St. Louis area on Saturday. Although there was some shuffling in the qualifying order, Anderson remained the best through every round, first recording a 6.501, 212.86 in his KB Racing-powered Camaro and then following up with a 6.503, 213.00 to seal the deal on the 79th start from the No. 1 position of a long and decorated career.
“Things are definitely going well. My Summit Racing Chevy Camaro is great,” said Anderson. “It’s a blast to drive. It’s fast, consistent and smooth. It cannot do anything wrong, and I just told the guys thank you and to keep doing what they’re doing because it’s fantastic. It will eventually find its way back to the winner’s circle, I just have to do my job on Sunday.”
Anderson is currently No. 2 in the Pro Stock points and, after qualifying, 73 marks out of the top spot in the standings. The race in St. Louis is the second of six in NHRA’s 2015 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship, and with just a handful of opportunities to prove that he should be the last man standing, Anderson is counting every point. The 12 bonus points accumulated during qualifying are not taken lightly.
“Anytime you can get all of the bonus points available, it’s a great weekend,” said Anderson, who will race Mark Hogan in the first round on Sunday. “So far, everything has been perfect, and we will look for another perfect day tomorrow. I got the job done getting the small points, but now it’s time to get all the points on Sunday.”