[coverattach=1]Mooresville, N.C., November 10, 2009 – After nine months, 23 races and countless travel miles in the air and on the ground, the 2009 Full Throttle Drag Racing season will draw to a close this weekend with the Auto Club NHRA Finals in Pomona, CA. By most accounts, it has been another good year for Pro Stock standout Greg Anderson and his Summit Racing team having already scored two wins in five final round appearances. Coming into the season finale second in the championship standings, the KB Racing driver explains that even though this year’s title is out of reach, there is still plenty for his crew to accomplish in California, including defending their win at this event one year ago.
“The pressure may be off as far as the championship is concerned, but we still have a race to win,” said Anderson. “In fact, the Summit Racing team is coming into Pomona with the same mindset as we did last year. The championship is pretty well decided and the only things left are winning the last race and determining exactly where you’re going to finish in the points.
“It’s a situation that worked for us last year, as we performed great and left with the trophy. Hopefully we can have a repeat of that this weekend, so we can say that Mike (current points leader Edwards) may have won the war, but we won the last battle, giving us a shot in the arm for the winter.”
If the three-time Pro Stock champion had his choice of tracks on which to complete the season, it is very likely he would choose the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. After all, his 82% elimination round win percentage and eight wins on the California quarter-mile represent the most of any circuit on the NHRA tour. Adding in the fact that at the season-opening Winternationals he reset the national elapsed time record in qualifying No. 1 (a mark that stood until two races ago), it is easy to see why it is one of Anderson’s personal favorites.
“Pomona has been a good track for me and with the forecast calling for cooler temperatures, I like it even better, because that’s when our Summit Racing Pontiacs perform the best,” detailed Anderson. “You always know what you’re going to get as far as the racing surface is concerned. During the first day of qualifying on Thursday, it’s going to be green, because it hasn’t been run on all year. Then, as the weekend progresses and more rubber is put down, it gets better to where it’s a pretty good racetrack on Saturday morning. To be honest, it’s not a bad place to race, and we’re excited to be going out there.”
Finally, as the season comes to a close, a priority is given to maintaining KB Racing’s current second and third-place positions. Although only truly satisfied when either he or his stable mate Jason Line win the championship, Anderson is quick to acknowledge that it has been another solid year for the Mooresville-based team. However, he is also quick to credit the accomplishment of this year’s apparent titlist, a performance that will serve to motivate the team over the next few months.
“I know we’re stomping our feet and kicking the dirt a little bit about the championship, but having our Summit Pontiacs finish second and third wouldn’t be horrible, so that will be our focus for this weekend,” said Anderson. “I hate to admit it, but this year the best car will win the championship. Mike and his team have had the strongest car all season and whether we had the Countdown or not, he deserves to win. We would have stolen it if we had a chance, but that’s what it would have been – stealing. Still, we’re not about to stand still. We’ll use this season as motivation to work even harder over the winter, doing what we can to put our Summit Pontiacs back on top in 2010. But before that, we have one last race to win.”
Anderson Auto Club Raceway at Pomona Stats –
RacesWinsFinals#1 Qual.Rounds WRounds LPct.
19888419.820
Fast Facts on Greg Anderson & the Summit Racing Pontiac crew
at the Auto Club NHRA Finals:
Greg is batting .470 in Pomona: In 17 career starts at the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, Greg has eight wins in as many round appearances and 11 finishes of the semifinals or better. Greg’s most recent Pomona win came at this event one year ago.
Anderson is among the best at Auto Club Raceway: Greg’s eight Pomona wins rank third among all Pro Stock drivers (behind Bob Glidden’s 12 and Warren Johnson’s 9) and fourth among all professional competitors (Funny Car ace John Force also has 12).
Potential Anderson Milestone: Should Greg qualify for Sunday’s final eliminations in Pomona, the first round will be his 600th career elimination round – he currently has a 437-162 record for a .730 percentage, which is the best in NHRA history.
The seasons do not matter to Anderson in Pomona: Greg’s eight Auto Club Raceway wins are evenly split between the season-opening Winternationals and year-ending Finals.
Anderson Starts Near the Top in Pomona: Greg has been the No. 1 qualifier eight times at Auto Club Raceway (in 17 career starts), with only three starts outside the top half of the field (none since 2003). Overall, he has an average starting spot of 3.11 in Pomona.
Event Schedule:
Thursday & Friday, November 12 - 13: A single qualifying session at 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 14: Two qualifying sessions at 11:00 a.m. & 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 15: Final eliminations starting at 11:00 a.m.
Television Coverage (all coverage on ESPN2):
Qualifying: Saturday, November 14 – 10:30 p.m. - 12:30 a.m.
Eliminations: Sunday, November 15 – 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.
RaceDay: Sunday, November 15 – 11:00 – 11:30 a.m.
(All times Eastern)
Established in 1968, Summit Racing Equipment is the leading high performance parts and accessories company. Summit Racing offers the largest selection, lowest prices, and best customer service in the high performance industry via catalogs, Internet, and Retail Super Stores. The company is headquartered in Tallmadge, Ohio with retail locations in Tallmadge, Ohio; Sparks, Nevada; and McDonough, Georgia. For more information, please visit Summit Racing - High Performance Car and Truck Parts l 800-230-3030.
“The pressure may be off as far as the championship is concerned, but we still have a race to win,” said Anderson. “In fact, the Summit Racing team is coming into Pomona with the same mindset as we did last year. The championship is pretty well decided and the only things left are winning the last race and determining exactly where you’re going to finish in the points.
“It’s a situation that worked for us last year, as we performed great and left with the trophy. Hopefully we can have a repeat of that this weekend, so we can say that Mike (current points leader Edwards) may have won the war, but we won the last battle, giving us a shot in the arm for the winter.”
If the three-time Pro Stock champion had his choice of tracks on which to complete the season, it is very likely he would choose the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. After all, his 82% elimination round win percentage and eight wins on the California quarter-mile represent the most of any circuit on the NHRA tour. Adding in the fact that at the season-opening Winternationals he reset the national elapsed time record in qualifying No. 1 (a mark that stood until two races ago), it is easy to see why it is one of Anderson’s personal favorites.
“Pomona has been a good track for me and with the forecast calling for cooler temperatures, I like it even better, because that’s when our Summit Racing Pontiacs perform the best,” detailed Anderson. “You always know what you’re going to get as far as the racing surface is concerned. During the first day of qualifying on Thursday, it’s going to be green, because it hasn’t been run on all year. Then, as the weekend progresses and more rubber is put down, it gets better to where it’s a pretty good racetrack on Saturday morning. To be honest, it’s not a bad place to race, and we’re excited to be going out there.”
Finally, as the season comes to a close, a priority is given to maintaining KB Racing’s current second and third-place positions. Although only truly satisfied when either he or his stable mate Jason Line win the championship, Anderson is quick to acknowledge that it has been another solid year for the Mooresville-based team. However, he is also quick to credit the accomplishment of this year’s apparent titlist, a performance that will serve to motivate the team over the next few months.
“I know we’re stomping our feet and kicking the dirt a little bit about the championship, but having our Summit Pontiacs finish second and third wouldn’t be horrible, so that will be our focus for this weekend,” said Anderson. “I hate to admit it, but this year the best car will win the championship. Mike and his team have had the strongest car all season and whether we had the Countdown or not, he deserves to win. We would have stolen it if we had a chance, but that’s what it would have been – stealing. Still, we’re not about to stand still. We’ll use this season as motivation to work even harder over the winter, doing what we can to put our Summit Pontiacs back on top in 2010. But before that, we have one last race to win.”
Anderson Auto Club Raceway at Pomona Stats –
RacesWinsFinals#1 Qual.Rounds WRounds LPct.
19888419.820
Fast Facts on Greg Anderson & the Summit Racing Pontiac crew
at the Auto Club NHRA Finals:
Greg is batting .470 in Pomona: In 17 career starts at the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, Greg has eight wins in as many round appearances and 11 finishes of the semifinals or better. Greg’s most recent Pomona win came at this event one year ago.
Anderson is among the best at Auto Club Raceway: Greg’s eight Pomona wins rank third among all Pro Stock drivers (behind Bob Glidden’s 12 and Warren Johnson’s 9) and fourth among all professional competitors (Funny Car ace John Force also has 12).
Potential Anderson Milestone: Should Greg qualify for Sunday’s final eliminations in Pomona, the first round will be his 600th career elimination round – he currently has a 437-162 record for a .730 percentage, which is the best in NHRA history.
The seasons do not matter to Anderson in Pomona: Greg’s eight Auto Club Raceway wins are evenly split between the season-opening Winternationals and year-ending Finals.
Anderson Starts Near the Top in Pomona: Greg has been the No. 1 qualifier eight times at Auto Club Raceway (in 17 career starts), with only three starts outside the top half of the field (none since 2003). Overall, he has an average starting spot of 3.11 in Pomona.
Event Schedule:
Thursday & Friday, November 12 - 13: A single qualifying session at 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 14: Two qualifying sessions at 11:00 a.m. & 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 15: Final eliminations starting at 11:00 a.m.
Television Coverage (all coverage on ESPN2):
Qualifying: Saturday, November 14 – 10:30 p.m. - 12:30 a.m.
Eliminations: Sunday, November 15 – 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.
RaceDay: Sunday, November 15 – 11:00 – 11:30 a.m.
(All times Eastern)
Established in 1968, Summit Racing Equipment is the leading high performance parts and accessories company. Summit Racing offers the largest selection, lowest prices, and best customer service in the high performance industry via catalogs, Internet, and Retail Super Stores. The company is headquartered in Tallmadge, Ohio with retail locations in Tallmadge, Ohio; Sparks, Nevada; and McDonough, Georgia. For more information, please visit Summit Racing - High Performance Car and Truck Parts l 800-230-3030.
