Anderson Races to Fourth Final of the Season at NHRA Kansas Nationals

TOPEKA, Kan., May 24, 2015 – Greg Anderson has a great record at Heartland Park Topeka, and this weekend at the 27th annual NHRA Kansas Nationals, he continued his strong string of performances with a final-round finish in his red Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro – his second in a row. Anderson, of Mooresville, N.C., maintained the No. 3 position in the NHRA Pro Stock points and looks to keep steaming ahead into the busy summer, when racing really heats up.

“We had a good day today, but it wasn’t the perfect day we had hoped for. Almost, but not quite,” said Anderson, who raced Erica Enders in the final round for the fifth time. “We were one peg short last week when Jason won, and this week we were one peg short – but we’re going to get my Summit Racing Chevy Camaro back in the winner’s circle, and we’ll do it again soon. We’re still learning, but it’s going to be a great year for us. This is an exciting time for the KB Racing team. There are a lot of tough cars in this class, so it’s certainly not going to be easy to win, but we’re right there. We have a chance, and that’s all you can ask for.”

Just last week in Atlanta, Anderson raced to the final round and came up a bit short to Summit Racing teammate Jason Line. On the heels of his excellent performance at the Summit Racing Southern Nationals, where he clocked low elapsed time in three of four eliminations rounds, Anderson kept up his quick pace and earned a start from the No. 2 spot in Topeka. It was his best starting position yet in the 2015 season of NHRA’s Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.

The position came with a first-round meeting with Iowa drag racer Dave River. In their match, Anderson and River were nearly identical in terms of reaction times, but the seasoned driver and four-time Topeka winner lengthened his lead all the way down the racetrack for a decisive 6.588-second, 209.04 mph win over his opponent’s 6.830, 195.34.

With lane choice in the quarterfinals, Anderson had the upper hand over fellow Chevrolet Camaro pilot Shane Gray. Although his challenger was first to leave the starting line, Anderson simply had the quicker car with his trusty Summit Racing Chevy and moved quickly down the quarter-mile for a 6.609, 208.68 to 6.642, 207.88 win.

For the semifinals, Anderson did not have lane choice over Chris McGaha, but he did have a powerful racecar. With that comfort, he came to the starting line and launched with a clean .020-second reaction time. By the time he left the starting line, though, the win light was already flashing in his lane as McGaha had left .028-second too soon and illuminated the red light.

The final round was the 120th of Anderson’s career and his fourth of 2015. It was also his sixth at Heartland Park Topeka. This time, Anderson launched with another crisp .020-second reaction time, but at the finish line stripe it was Erica Enders who got the nod, 6.584, 209.33 to 6.591, 209.14.

What was happening on the racetrack wasn’t the only story – rain in Topeka cut qualifying short by one round and caused delays off and on all day long on Sunday. The final took place late into the evening, with teams and fans thrilled to see the event through to completion.

“We were all very happy to see the event completed,” said Anderson. “When you get suited up to race, you want to go. The delays were tough, but it was the same on everybody. My hat’s off to NHRA, they stuck in there and made it happen, and it was really cool to have the fans stay, too.

“We’re eager to get to Englishtown and the next race, but before we go, we’re going to do some testing with our Summit Racing Camaros. We’re still learning every day, and we’re still digging. We’re not going to be happy until we’re outrunning everybody out there and winning every race. We’ve got a week before the next one, so we’re going to take that time to see what else we can learn. It’s going to be an exciting summer, and I’m looking forward to it, I really am.”