[coverattach=1]Mooresville, N.C., September 15, 2009 – Greg Anderson has always been a drag racer. From helping his father Rod at the races as a young boy in Minnesota to working as the crew chief on Warren Johnson’s championship teams in the 90’s, his racing mindset never strayed from the quarter-mile. However, when it came time to establish a Pro Stock team with owner Ken Black in 2002, he chose a location in North Carolina, the middle of NASCAR country, for their base of operations.
Seven years later, Anderson and the KB Racing organization are firmly entrenched in the Mooresville area. With three championships (four including teammate Jason Line’s 2006 title) and 58 national event wins (77 including Line’s 19 tallies), the Summit Racing team leader is quick to credit the multiple resources available in the Charlotte area for their continued success. As the Full Throttle Drag Racing Series heads to zMAX Dragway in Concord for this weekend’s Carolinas NHRA Nationals, Anderson’s point is further enhanced by the numerous drag racing teams that have followed his lead and moved to the Queen City.
“I know that many people in the motorsports community see Indianapolis as the race capital for the country, but I consider Charlotte the place to be, which is why our Summit Racing team is based here,0 said Anderson. “Even though every Sprint Cup team in the country is here, apparently many see them just as good ol’ boy round trackers. As far as I am concerned, racing is racing, and they have proven in the last five years that there is no other motorsport in their league. We’re gaining on them in the NHRA, gathering recognition of our own, but they’re still the king.
“Because of that, there are some serious engine and car builders in this area with a tremendous talent pool to draw from. With all the money spent in developing their technology, there has been quite a bit of information that has trickled down to our application. We’ve gotten a lot of great ideas from them, just as they have from us. The smart people pay attention to what everyone else is doing, whether it’s drag racing, stock cars or Indy cars, because you can definitely learn something from anyone who’s involved in racing.
“In addition, most of the supporting industry is here, many of whom we use in our business. In so far as what you can do, what you can get and the people you can bring in, it’s all within a 20-mile radius of the Charlotte area. If you want to race, this is where you need to be.”
This weekend, Anderson and his Summit Racing crew will look to employ all the resources at their disposal as they start the NHRA’s championship playoff, the Countdown to One. Having secured the fourth seed during the 18-race regular season, they will look to quickly gain ground on those ahead of them. With six races in which to make up the 50 points (less than three rounds of competition) separating him from the lead, the three-time champion knows he must take advantage of every points-earning oppo rtunity, including the new bonus program during qualifying, which will make its debut at the Tar Heel quarter-mile. To do so, they must solve the challenging racing surface at one of the sport’s best facilities, zMAX Dragway.
“In the first two years of the Countdown format, we missed something, which we are determined to rectifying in 2009,” said Anderson. “We haven’t finalized our game plan yet, but we are going to approach things differently than we have in the past. The last two years we went in as the lead car and felt we could experiment in the races leading up to the playoffs, shooting right back in to race mode when we got there, which backfired on us.
“This year, we are not changing the way we go into the race. We are trying to win every race we enter. In addition, the Summit Racing Pontiacs are going in from the second and fourth positions. A lot of things are different, and I am okay with that, because the old formula didn’t work. The championship was won from a guy who was in the position we’re in right now, so we’re confident of getting the job done.
“There are a lot of factors we’ll have to take into account, including the new points system for qualifying. Although most of the racers, including myself, would have preferred to have some time to prepare for it, it’s here, so we’re going to do whatever we can to use it to our advantage.
“We’ll also have to find the right set-up for zMAX Dragway. The facility itself is amazing, catering to the needs of the racers and fans, but as only our second national event there, we don’t ha ve a lot of tuning data for the racing surface, making it even more of a challenge. Whoever is able to adapt to it the best will come out on top, and this Summit Racing crew is determined to keep the Charlotte winner’s trophy right here in North Carolina.”
Anderson zMAX Dragway at Concord Stats –
RacesWinsFinals#1 Qual.Rounds WRounds LPct.
10< /SPAN>0011.500
Fast Facts on Greg Anderson & the Summit Racing Pontiac crew
at the Carolinas NHRA Nationals:
Anderson at zMAX: Greg is looking to make his second career start at zMAX Dragway. In last year’s inaugural event, he qualified 8th and advanced to the second round.
Anderson hopes to make it two and 21: zMAX Dragway at Concord is one of only three tra cks on the NHRA’s Full Throttle circuit where he has yet to record a win (the others are Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, IL and Virginia Motorsports Park in Richmond, VA.) If he should win, zMAX will be the 21st different track on which he will have won in Pro Stock.
Most recent win: Greg’s most recent NHRA national event win coming into this weekend came last month in Brainerd, MN, where he qualified #3 and defeated Larry Morgan, Jeg Coughlin, Allen Johnson and his teammate Jason Line for his 58th career victory.
Event Schedule:
&n bsp; Friday, September 18: Two qualifying sessions at 2:30 & 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 19: Two qualifying sessions at 11:00 a.m. & 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, September 20: First round of final eliminations starts at 11:00 a.m.
Television Coverage (all coverage on ESPN2):
Qualifying: Saturday, September 19 – 11:30 p.m. - 1:30 a.m.
Eliminations: Sunday, September 20 – 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.
RaceDay: Sunday, September 20 – 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.
Seven years later, Anderson and the KB Racing organization are firmly entrenched in the Mooresville area. With three championships (four including teammate Jason Line’s 2006 title) and 58 national event wins (77 including Line’s 19 tallies), the Summit Racing team leader is quick to credit the multiple resources available in the Charlotte area for their continued success. As the Full Throttle Drag Racing Series heads to zMAX Dragway in Concord for this weekend’s Carolinas NHRA Nationals, Anderson’s point is further enhanced by the numerous drag racing teams that have followed his lead and moved to the Queen City.
“I know that many people in the motorsports community see Indianapolis as the race capital for the country, but I consider Charlotte the place to be, which is why our Summit Racing team is based here,0 said Anderson. “Even though every Sprint Cup team in the country is here, apparently many see them just as good ol’ boy round trackers. As far as I am concerned, racing is racing, and they have proven in the last five years that there is no other motorsport in their league. We’re gaining on them in the NHRA, gathering recognition of our own, but they’re still the king.
“Because of that, there are some serious engine and car builders in this area with a tremendous talent pool to draw from. With all the money spent in developing their technology, there has been quite a bit of information that has trickled down to our application. We’ve gotten a lot of great ideas from them, just as they have from us. The smart people pay attention to what everyone else is doing, whether it’s drag racing, stock cars or Indy cars, because you can definitely learn something from anyone who’s involved in racing.
“In addition, most of the supporting industry is here, many of whom we use in our business. In so far as what you can do, what you can get and the people you can bring in, it’s all within a 20-mile radius of the Charlotte area. If you want to race, this is where you need to be.”
This weekend, Anderson and his Summit Racing crew will look to employ all the resources at their disposal as they start the NHRA’s championship playoff, the Countdown to One. Having secured the fourth seed during the 18-race regular season, they will look to quickly gain ground on those ahead of them. With six races in which to make up the 50 points (less than three rounds of competition) separating him from the lead, the three-time champion knows he must take advantage of every points-earning oppo rtunity, including the new bonus program during qualifying, which will make its debut at the Tar Heel quarter-mile. To do so, they must solve the challenging racing surface at one of the sport’s best facilities, zMAX Dragway.
“In the first two years of the Countdown format, we missed something, which we are determined to rectifying in 2009,” said Anderson. “We haven’t finalized our game plan yet, but we are going to approach things differently than we have in the past. The last two years we went in as the lead car and felt we could experiment in the races leading up to the playoffs, shooting right back in to race mode when we got there, which backfired on us.
“This year, we are not changing the way we go into the race. We are trying to win every race we enter. In addition, the Summit Racing Pontiacs are going in from the second and fourth positions. A lot of things are different, and I am okay with that, because the old formula didn’t work. The championship was won from a guy who was in the position we’re in right now, so we’re confident of getting the job done.
“There are a lot of factors we’ll have to take into account, including the new points system for qualifying. Although most of the racers, including myself, would have preferred to have some time to prepare for it, it’s here, so we’re going to do whatever we can to use it to our advantage.
“We’ll also have to find the right set-up for zMAX Dragway. The facility itself is amazing, catering to the needs of the racers and fans, but as only our second national event there, we don’t ha ve a lot of tuning data for the racing surface, making it even more of a challenge. Whoever is able to adapt to it the best will come out on top, and this Summit Racing crew is determined to keep the Charlotte winner’s trophy right here in North Carolina.”
Anderson zMAX Dragway at Concord Stats –
RacesWinsFinals#1 Qual.Rounds WRounds LPct.
10< /SPAN>0011.500
Fast Facts on Greg Anderson & the Summit Racing Pontiac crew
at the Carolinas NHRA Nationals:
Anderson at zMAX: Greg is looking to make his second career start at zMAX Dragway. In last year’s inaugural event, he qualified 8th and advanced to the second round.
Anderson hopes to make it two and 21: zMAX Dragway at Concord is one of only three tra cks on the NHRA’s Full Throttle circuit where he has yet to record a win (the others are Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, IL and Virginia Motorsports Park in Richmond, VA.) If he should win, zMAX will be the 21st different track on which he will have won in Pro Stock.
Most recent win: Greg’s most recent NHRA national event win coming into this weekend came last month in Brainerd, MN, where he qualified #3 and defeated Larry Morgan, Jeg Coughlin, Allen Johnson and his teammate Jason Line for his 58th career victory.
Event Schedule:
&n bsp; Friday, September 18: Two qualifying sessions at 2:30 & 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 19: Two qualifying sessions at 11:00 a.m. & 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, September 20: First round of final eliminations starts at 11:00 a.m.
Television Coverage (all coverage on ESPN2):
Qualifying: Saturday, September 19 – 11:30 p.m. - 1:30 a.m.
Eliminations: Sunday, September 20 – 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.
RaceDay: Sunday, September 20 – 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.
