Anderson Debuts New Camaro with Positive Results in Bristol
BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 16, 2013) – Pro Stock driver Greg Anderson was eager to debut his brand new Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro at the 13th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway, and an improved qualifying performance and semifinals finish boosted the Mooresville, N.C.-based driver’s spirits on what was already bound to be a very special weekend.
Anderson came to Bristol Dragway, the place of his first win in 2001, intent on celebrating. On the agenda was a return to the winner’s circle at the scenic facility where he also won in 2004, but it was also a weekend to honor his father, Rod Anderson, on his 80th birthday (Saturday, June 15th) and then again on Sunday – Father’s Day.
Surrounded by family, Anderson wheeled the white Summit Racing Camaro to a strong 6.698 in the first session of qualifying and improved to a qualifying-best 6.671 at 206.57 mph in the second session. On day two of qualifying, Team Summit experimented with the set-up and established both ends of the spectrum with one conservative and one aggressive pass. Anderson qualified in the No. 7 position and landed a first-round meeting with Greg Stanfield, a driver notoriously quick off the starting line.
Naturally, 74-time national event winner Anderson knew exactly what it would take to leave his opponent empty handed at the end of the racetrack and clocked a stellar .005-second reaction to preface his 6.705 at 206.67 mph. Stanfield, however, all but handed Anderson the victory when he fouled out by leaving the starting line .023-second too soon.
In the second round, Anderson was again very much on his game and launched ahead of last season’s Pro Stock champion Allen Johnson. The .022 to .037 starting line advantage was the decider, and Anderson won the round on a 6.723 to 6.715 holeshot.
“That round with A.J. was, quite honestly, probably the biggest round win I’ve had this year,” said Anderson, who is currently 8th in the Mello Yello Series Pro Stock standings. “I felt good today. This was definitely a positive.”
Although his day came to a close in the semifinals when he was again first to leave but unable to maintain the advantage over Erica Enders-Stevens (she won the round by .022-second with a 6.706 to 6.739), Anderson was rejuvenated by the progress found over the course of the weekend.
“Some days you wake up on the right side of the bed, and I felt good this morning and like I could do a decent job driving,” said Anderson. “We won a couple of big rounds, and I would have liked to have gone all the way, but we’re getting closer to where we need to be. For a new car, this was a good weekend.
“I’d also like to extend my congratulations to [event winner] Rodger Brogdon. He did a fantastic job, and I’m very happy for him. There is nothing like that first win, and he got that today. I had my very first one here, so I know what that feels like. I’m sure he’s going to love Bristol just as much as I do.
“This weekend gave the Summit Racing team a little bit more hope,” Anderson continued. “We’ll go home to the KB Racing shop and work for the next three days as hard as we can to figure out what we need to do to improve the performance of our Camaros. The next race is a new one on the schedule, so it’s new for everybody. Nobody will have a home-track advantage or more laps than anyone else. It will be a challenge for everybody, and if there is one thing that this Summit Racing team likes, it’s a challenge.”
