Anderson Steady in 3rd Place Following Houston SpringNationals
HOUSTON, Texas, April 26, 2015 – Greg Anderson had hoped to make headway at this weekend’s 28th annual NHRA SpringNationals, and although he did not climb in the Pro Stock points at Houston’s Royal Purple Raceway, the driver of the red Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro held steady in preparation for the ascension that he is certain will be coming. During eliminations at the sixth race on the 2015 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule, Anderson exhibited top notch driving skills and raced to the semifinals to retain his spot as the No. 3 man in the series standings.
Qualified in the No. 3 position, Anderson came toe-to-toe in the first round with KB Racing teammate Jimmy Alund, who was racing in his final NHRA event before launching into a fresh season of FIA championship competition. An efficient .029 was recorded by Anderson en route to a winning 6.557-second pass at 210.21 mph that put Alund’s 6.666, 209.49 to rest.
Anderson earned lane choice by .002-second over seasoned veteran Larry Morgan for round two, and both drivers were alert and ready when the tree came down. Anderson launched first with an awesome .003 and Morgan soon followed with a .016. Their exciting race turned up aces in Anderson’s favor as his quicker reaction time allowed him to pocket a holeshot win, 6.572, 210.47 over Morgan’s 6.563, 211.36.
With lane choice once again, Anderson squared off with Chris McGaha and was again very good at the starting line with a .010. Unfortunately, it was not enough in combination with a 6.588, 210.50. McGaha got the nod on a 6.561, 211.10.
“We had great Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaros in qualifying,” said Anderson. “But we lost a lot of performance from yesterday to today – somehow, the performance thief snuck in our trailer last night and stole a couple hundredths. We seemed to lose the tune-up, and we didn’t adapt well, and that hurt us. We just didn’t have a good enough package today, and that’s a bummer because I woke up this morning and thought it was going to be a great day. We had a chance, but it just didn’t pan out.
“We’re excited to get to Atlanta for the next race, though. That is a Summit Racing sponsored event, and it’s one where we always seem to do well. We’ve had a lot of success there, and we look forward to getting there and coming back strong. It was a little bit of a tough pill to swallow today, but we’ll get over it. I’m still having fun racing, and I have a smile on my face every time we go up there. I have a great car with a great chance to win, and that’s a great feeling. The Summit Racing team is going to do nothing but move forward this year. I’m 100% positive about that. I’m disappointed today, but I can be patient. I’m going to get my wins.”