Anderson Encouraged by Round Win and Supportive Team
CHANDLER, Ariz., February 22, 2015 – The Summit Racing team will be burning the midnight oil between the 31st annual CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park and the next race on the tour, the NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville. Encouraged by progressive steps seen in Phoenix at this weekend’s event – the second of the 2015 season of NHRA’s Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, Greg Anderson and his Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro team are keeping their noses to the grindstone as they prepare for a strong push for the remainder of the year.
Anderson qualified in the No. 9 position with a 6.578 at 210.67. For the first round of eliminations, the 74-time NHRA national event winner drew veteran Pro Stock competitor Larry Morgan. Although Morgan came to the round with lane choice, Anderson was armed for battle and managed to make it down the less than desirable lane to get the win light. He made it happen by utilizing a starting line advantage, and the margin of victory was a tiny .002-second – but the flashing win light was all that mattered.
“It wasn’t a very good run, but we were first pair out and the starting line is always suspect first pair out,” said Anderson, who won with a 6.606, 210.64 to Morgan’s 6.599, 211.20. “We both spun the tires off the starting line, but it was a great side-by-side race. It was a good sign, and I thought today was the day. We just didn’t make the run we needed to make second round.”
Anderson’s second-round opponent was Erica Enders-Stevens. As he did in the first round, Anderson made a good move off the starting line. His .029-second launch was respectable, but Enders-Stevens ultimately was the victor of their battle, 6.570, 210.60 to 6.603, 210.80.
“We struggled to make a good, clean run in that right lane, but not many people did make it down or do very well,” said Anderson. “It was a disadvantage to not have lane choice, but the bottom line is that you have to be fast enough that you get lane choice and don’t have to worry about that. So for Gainesville here in a few weeks, we plan to show up, run fast, and put the other cars at a disadvantage. We learned some things this weekend. We didn’t get to the finish line like we had hoped, but it was still positive in many ways.
“Mike Edwards was here with us this weekend, and that was a great move. Hopefully, we can convince him to stay on, because he is going to be a big help. He has a lot of knowledge, and I look forward to racing with him. He and our crew chief Rob Downing get along, and I think we have a great dynamic duo there. We’ll get these Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaros on track.”
Edwards, who retired as a Pro Stock driver at the end of the 2013 season, was on site spending time with the KB Racing team in Phoenix. His 40 Pro Stock wins and 42 NHRA trophies overall were complemented by a class-best 15 low qualifier awards in his final season. In addition to driving his own Chevrolet Camaro, Edwards was also a tuner.
“It was a good weekend here in Phoenix,” said Edwards. “These guys made me feel really welcomed. It’s a good group of people, and if I had to work with anybody out here, I’d work with this team.”
Ahead of the race in Gainesville, the KB Racing team plans to test at a Florida racetrack not far from the facility where the national event will take place.
“We’re looking forward to that, and we have a lot of work to do before then but the good news is that we have a couple of weeks to do it. We’re heading home to get started.”