Strong Start for Provisional Pole Sitter Anderson in Charlotte
CHARLOTTE, N.C., September 18, 2015 – The first day of qualifying at the NHRA Carolina Nationals took place under bright blue skies and on a hot racetrack, and for Summit Racing NHRA Pro Stock driver Greg Anderson, that combination proved effective. Anderson, driving the red Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro, wheeled his way to the very top spot to provisionally grab hold of the pole at the first race of the 2015 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship. If the No. 1 holds, it will be the 78th low qualifier award of Anderson’s career.
“I’ve had some great times at this racetrack, some really great races, and it’s setting up to be another one,” said Anderson, a three-time winner at zMAX Dragway, including the 2010 NHRA Carolina Nationals win and two wins at the spring race held at the Charlotte-area facility. “It’s quite a dog fight out there; some of these other teams are very, very fast. It all comes down to making that perfect run, and that was very close to a perfect run. We’re very happy with the two runs today, and I’m looking forward to tomorrow. We’ll tweak on it a little bit, make it a little bit better and a little bit better before we get to Sunday. It’s going to be a brawl. It’ll be a duke ‘em out war, and I’m excited.
“Track conditions were good today; the track is actually great. It got up to 87 or 88 degrees out there, but the racetrack held up great. There are no excuses. You can ‘run what you brung,’ as they say. We brought enough for day one and hopefully day two we can get better and on Sunday find a way to bring home that Wally.”
In the first round of qualifying, Anderson was good and ready, and he came to the starting line with a brisk 6.541-second pass at 211.83 mph in his pocket. He laid out his cards and came up with a pair of bonus points as the second-quickest Pro Stocker on the property and with the fastest run of the round.
Under cooling conditions, Anderson laid down a blisteringly quick 6.524, 212.26 in the second round to leap up to the top spot and pick up three bonus qualifying points. He entered the event in the No. 2 position in the Pro Stock points, exactly 30 marks out of first place.
“It’s great to be Greg Anderson right now,” said Anderson, a four-time NHRA Pro Stock champion. “When things are good like this, you just have to be thankful. There were two or three years where I wasn’t a threat to win races or championships, and it was tough but you have to keep struggling and keep digging, and you have to know that some day you’ll find your way back up to the top. It feels great to be back. My team gives me a great racecar, and I have a chance every week. Now it’s up to me. You have to bring your A+ game.”