PLENTY ON THE LINE FOR FOUR-TIME PRO STOCK WORLD CHAMPION GREG ANDERSON AT NHRA FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS
CONCORD, N.C. – It was not the start four-time Pro Stock world champion Greg Anderson expected, but it is one he will gladly take.
There were vast changes in Pro Stock heading into the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season and the veteran Anderson admitted to at least some trepidation for his KB Racing Summit Racing Equipment team.
But while Anderson’s Chevrolet Camaro looks much different, with the new look cars featuring fuel-injected engines, shorter wheelie bars, flat hoods and a 10,500 RPM rev-limiter, the early results have been very much the same.
Anderson already has two wins this season – longtime teammate Jason Line has the other two – and he will look to make it three at this weekend’s seventh annual NHRA Four-Wide Nationals presented by Lowes Foods at zMAX Dragway. A two-time winner at the unique race, Anderson can also become the first three-time winner at the one-of-a-kind event.
It’s not the only noteworthy achievement on the line this weekend, either. By qualifying for Sunday’s eliminations, Anderson will move past the legendary Warren Johnson for the longest career qualifying streak in Pro Stock with 304 straight races, which would put him second in NHRA history behind only John Force’s 395 consecutive qualifying streak from 1988-2007.
“We’re way, way, way pleasantly surprised and not just the fact that we got to Pomona and had a slight edge, but that we’ve been able to hang onto it for four races,” Anderson said. “When you shake up the deck like that someone is going to come out with an advantage. We feel very fortunate and lucky for that, and when we’ve had the performance advantage we have parlayed it into race wins. That has been really important.”
Antron Brown (Top Fuel), Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Larry Morgan (Pro Stock) and Andrew Hines (PSM) were last year’s winners of the distinctive event. The race will be televised on FOX Sports 1 (FS1), with qualifying highlights on April 23 at 10 p.m. and finals coverage on April 24 at 4:30 p.m. The event is the fifth of 24 races during the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season and the KB Racing team of Anderson, Line and Bo Butner has had the clear advantage thus far. Line is first in points, Anderson is second and Butner is third, and they have combined to claim the top three spots in qualifying at each race.
As impressive as that has been, Anderson, who has 80 career wins, knows it took a tremendous amount of work in the off-season to get there. He also knows the advantage won’t last forever in a Pro Stock class loaded with talent.
“When we first started we were so far off,” Anderson said of the changes. “We did a lot of different things and tried a lot of different parts. We have a complete room full of parts that didn’t work out. We made some big gains but we had to. It’s a progressive deal and there are a lot of gains still to be made. I still feel like we’re just scratching the surface and the landscape in the class will look a lot different in a month. We know we have to keep going forward and we know there’s a lot left to be learned.”
The challenges at the Four-Wide Nationals are completely unique, but Anderson has been able to master it, winning the event in 2011 and 2012, and advancing to the final group of four in two other years. Anderson has also taken advantage of some of the unique nuances of the race, such as advancing in eliminations even when he when he didn’t cross the finish line first.
In fact, Anderson is one of only two drivers (Robert Hight being the other) to have won the four-wide event with second-place finishes in the first two rounds, only finishing first in the final round.
“I can remember losing twice before I won and it’s just a crazy scenario,” Anderson said. “You get two runner-ups and then a win. You almost feel a little guilty that you’re moving on. The whole deal is so different and as a driver, it completely blows your mind. It’s such a challenge and so different. You have three cars that can whip you and no round is easy.”
But those moments at the KB Racing team’s home track have brought out the best in Anderson, and he will have to rise to the occasion once more this weekend.
Along with dealing with teammates Line and Butner, Anderson will have to ward off the likes of two-time defending world champion Erica Enders, five-time world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr., Drew Skillman, Allen Johnson, Vincent Nobile, Chris McGaha, Shane Gray and Alex Laughlin. But as long as his Camaro continues to perform at the level it has all season, Anderson knows he will be a threat to win at every event.
“I think the confidence has been key, just knowing that every time you go up there you’re going to have a great car,” Anderson said. “I’m the guy that loves to have that confidence of knowing my car is going to be great and I just have to do my job. To be able to race more relaxed and not have to do anything I’m not comfortable with, it seems to work best for me.”
Reigning Top Fuel world champion Brown, who won the most recent race in Las Vegas, will be looking for his third consecutive victory at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals. J.R. Todd, who set the 3.713-second track record at the race last year, season-opening Winternationals winner Steve Torrence, eight-time world champ Tony Schumacher, recent first-time winners Leah Pritchett and Brittany Force, Doug Kalitta and Clay Millican are among the top contenders for the Wally trophy.
In Funny Car, Beckman ended his 54-race winless streak in Funny Car with his victory last year. The victory provided the momentum he needed to earn seven wins in the season and finish runner-up behind Del Worsham. Winternationals winner Ron Capps, two-time Four-Wide Nationals winner and current points leader Hight, Courtney Force, John Force, Tim Wilkerson and Alexis DeJoria, who won in Las Vegas, will try to prevent Beckman from a second straight victory.
The NHRA Four-Wide Nationals is the second stop on the Pro Stock Motorcycle schedule. Hines, who won the event last year by outrunning three-time world champion Eddie Krawiec, went on to claim the 2015 series title. Krawiec comes in as the points leader after winning the Gatornationals and will face off against the likes of Hector Arana Jr., who was the No. 1 qualifier and also set both ends of the track record at last year’s Four-Wide Nationals, Hector Arana Sr. and two-time world champion Matt Smith.
As always, fans will have the opportunity to interact with their favorite drivers as they’re granted an exclusive pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. This unique opportunity in motorsports gives fans direct access to the teams, allowing them to see firsthand the highly-skilled mechanics service their hot rods between rounds, and enjoy some cherished face time with their favorite NHRA drivers.
The 2015 NHRA Four-Wide Nationals will also feature thrilling competition in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series.
Mello Yello Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. on Friday, April 22 and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, April 23, at 2 and 4 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 12 p.m. on Sunday, April 24.