Summit Racing–Alund Preparing for Continued Achievements in Phoenix

Alund Preparing for Continued Achievements in Phoenix

Mooresville, N.C., February 19, 2014 – Sweden’s eight-time FIA European Pro Stock champion Jimmy Alund had a strong outing at the season-opener and is ready to slide back into the second blue Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro at this weekend’s CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals near Phoenix, the second of 24 events on the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour. Alund, keeping the seat warm for four-time NHRA Pro Stock champ Greg Anderson as he recovers from heart surgery, fit right in with the team – and the competition – and earned his first raceday start just two weeks ago in Pomona.
 
“From my end, I think everything went really smooth and good,” said Alund, who is quickly getting the feel of the car and qualified in the No. 10 position. “I’m really happy to be with the team, and it’s a big privilege to be there. We all work well together, and it feels like I blended right in.”
 
“I hope it’s not just me that thinks that,” he joked.
 
All joking aside, Alund is already proving himself as a wise choice to pilot Anderson’s quick Camaro while the boss is away. Alund made monster runs to secure his first Sunday start in his first race behind the wheel of the Summit Racing Camaro and clocked a best time of 6.546 at 211.86 mph. The field was exceptionally tight with just .08-second separating the No. 1 and No. 16 qualifiers, and Alund rose to the challenge.
 
As the tour heads to Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, the charging Pro Stock driver believes that the team should have somewhat of an advantage as they wisely tested on the newly refinished racing surface in Phoenix in the days leading up to the Winternationals. Further infusing confidence is the fact that Summit Racing teammate Jason Line won the event and was able to dedicate the victory to Anderson. Although disappointed and halted by an unsightly red-light in the first round in Pomona, Alund feels as though he is on the right track to illuminate a different light for the KB Racing crew – the win light.
 
“It definitely feels more comfortable that we have been there to Phoenix already and made several runs down the racetrack,” said Alund. “The comfort will be a lot bigger than it was at Pomona for me, so surely that is going to help.
 
“I’m looking forward to racing again. I actually felt very welcome to come race NHRA; everybody was very friendly, and it’s been a really good experience. I just wish I had done a little bit better job on Sunday in Pomona, but I learned something, and I think we can adjust the car and the driver now. I like racing in NHRA, that’s for sure, and I think it’s going to be even better the further we go. I was really happy on Sunday after Jason won the race – we won as a team. I’m really happy we were able to do that, and next time, maybe we can run the final together. We’ll see.”