Semifinal Finish in K&N Challenge has Anderson Eying Sunday Win
Event: Sixth annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals
Location: Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park, Norwalk, Ohio
Day/Date: Saturday, July 7, 2012
After taking advantage of Friday evening’s slightly cooler conditions to post a 6.698-second elapsed time and earn the third starting position for Sunday’s final eliminations of the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk Ohio, Pro Stock standout Greg Anderson headed into Saturday’s action looking to successfully defend his title in the K&N Horsepower Challenge all-star race.
Despite having to deal with oppressive conditions for the second day in a row, the Summit Racing Camaro crew was on its game, with Anderson combining a five hundredths of a second starting line advantage and a solid 6.733-second, 204.54 mph pass to trailer Erica Enders in the opening round on a hole shot, as she recorded a quicker 6.724-second time in the losing effort.
However, standing between the four-time Challenge winner and his fifth consecutive HPC final round appearance was teammate Jason Line, who had earned the No. 1 starting position for the high-dollar shootout. Although Anderson was able to improve on his opening effort, covering the quarter-mile in 6.728-seconds with a top speed of 206.32 mph, it was not enough to run down Line, who used a 6.718-second, 206.10 mph pass to advance and put an end to Anderson’s run of success.
Even so, Anderson and his KB Racing crew’s weekend was far from over, as their focus returned to this year’s Full Throttle championship battle and winning their sponsor’s race at Summit Motorsports Park.
“Today wasn’t a bad day, but it certainly could have been better,” said Anderson. “Unfortunately, I ended up No. 4 in the K&N Horsepower Challenge standings, so we had to run Jason in the semifinals. If we had been on opposite sides of the ladder, I’m confident we would have faced each other in the final, guaranteeing us our third straight win, but we didn’t so we’re a little disappointed tonight. However, it’s time for us to regroup and bounce back strong.
“The conditions out there today were the toughest we have had in several years, we just need to do a better job adapting to them. We have two Summit Racing Camaros that can win this race tomorrow, so we need to get our heads straight and be ready for whatever the weatherman throws at us tomorrow. We’ve got the tools and the hot rods, so hopefully we’ll make the right moves and go the distance, giving the Summit folks a good show.”