Desire to win burns strong for Anderson as season comes to a close
Mooresville, N.C., November 11, 2014 – The 2014 season of NHRA’s Mello Yello Drag Racing Series was a most unusual year for Summit Racing Pro Stock driver Greg Anderson. The four-time world champion had to sit out the first five races of the year as he recovered from open-heart surgery, and although the delayed start was vital to his health, it was an admittedly difficult three-month period for a man driven by an intense hunger for victory on the racetrack. As the 50th annual Auto Club NHRA Finals come into view, Anderson is ablaze with renewed optimism for a final chance at a trophy in 2014.
“We’ve been full steam ahead since we got back to the shop after Las Vegas,” said Anderson. “We want to be the best we can be when we get to Pomona. I love that particular racetrack. There is something cool about that place, and I can remember many a final round there where the sun has gone down, you’re racing under the lights, and the atmosphere is electric. It’s awesome. You always get good vibes when you go to Pomona, and it’s just a blast to race there. It’s the perfect place to end the year.”
Although the year was abbreviated for Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro pilot Anderson, his ambition was untamed. The driver who has claimed 74 NHRA wins in 116 final rounds ran for the money on three occasions in 2014 and added to a remarkable total of round-wins that surpasses the personal record of every other driver in the category. Anderson has 607 round wins and just 258 round losses in a stout 355 Pro Stock races contested.
Along with KB Racing teammate Jason Line, the Summit Racing NHRA Pro Stock team has six world championships. Four times, Anderson has been the last man standing in the most brutally competitive professional category in the series, and the Mooresville, N.C.-based team has a formula that has them in a position to again run for the big trophy. Line is just 17 points back from the top spot.
“I think we’re just as capable now as we have ever been,” said Anderson. “We still have the same group, the nucleus has never separated, and Summit Racing is a great team from bottom to top. We have a lot of fun and competition amongst us without egos butting up against each other. There are never any hard feelings, and all of the guys on our team want to win. You have to want to win in this class. You aren’t going to go very far if you just want to have fun out there, and we’ve never lost the desire to win. That’s why we’ve been able to have the success we have had.
“No matter what happens this weekend, the arrows are all pointing up for the future. I’m very satisfied with the way that we’ve attacked the animal this year, and hopefully we can close out the year with a bang.”