<img src="http://www.nitromater.com/gallery/files/5/g_anderson07.jpg" alt="g_anderson07" align="left"borders="0"/>
NORWALK, Ohio (July 1, 2007) – Greg Anderson got timed out in the opening round of eliminations at the inaugural Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals.
The understanding of KB Racing prior to the incident is that the rule is: once both drivers pre-stage (turn on the top yellow bulbs) and once one driver has turned on his/her stage light (the second set of yellow bulbs) the other driver has seven seconds to turn on the stage light in his/her lane. Secondly, if an opponent turns both the pre-stage and stage lights on simultaneously and the other driver has not pre-staged then the seven second timer is turned off as soon as the other driver turns on his pre-stage.
In Anderson ’s opening round match up against Erica Enders, Enders turned both the pre-stage and the stage lights together. Anderson meanwhile, after going through his starting routine, had turned on the pre-stage bulb but didn’t get in the stage light beam in the required seven seconds in the opinion of starter Rick Stewart, an instant disqualification.
NHRA’s explanation, according to Anderson , basically said that each light (pre-stage and stage) constitute two lights, once three (two pre-stage and one stage) of them are on regardless of sequence then the seven-second timer is activated.
“I don’t understand what they’re telling me rule is and I don’t believe that any driver out here believes that is the way they’re telling me the rule is,” said Anderson , after the first round. “They ( NHRA ) just gave it to me in black and white, but I never got that rule before but there is no driver out here that thinks that’s the way the rule is. Far as I understand and every other driver out here understands, when one guy lights his pre-stage light and the other guy lights his pre-stage, when the third one (the first stage light) comes on then you have a seven-second timer. When one guy light both lights (pre-stage and stage) first and the other guy just lights his pre-stage, being the third bulb, that’s not suppose to start the timer. The timer is supposed to be turned off. I think that every other racer out here thinks it’s that way. Otherwise there would be no courtesy on the tree.”
Greg Anderson and his Summit Racing Equipment Pro Stock Pontiac GTO recorded no time, while Enders cover the Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park quarter-mile in 6.732 seconds and advanced to the second round.
“ KB Racing is disappointed in our showing this weekend,” added Anderson . “Our sponsor Summit Racing Equipment and the Bader Family have done an excellent job in preparing this facility and we’re wish that it was us in the winner’s circle celebrating with them the first of many future events at this race track.”
Even with today’s turn of events, after 11 events, unofficially Anderson , the three-time NHRA POWERade champion (2003-2005), continues to lead the NHRA POWERade Pro Stock standings, which also puts him in the lead for the first segment – Countdown to Eight – of the Countdown to the Championship. (For a brief description of the Countdown to the Championship, see below.)
SPECIAL NOTE: Pontiac- GM C announced today that it will return in 2008 as Official Car and Official Truck of the NHRA . It will mark the 13th consecutive season that Pontiac has served as the Official Car of the series and the 19th year for GM C as Official Truck.
"The NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series continues to be an outstanding forum to showcase the quality and performance of the automobile designed for action," said Jim Bunnell, divisional general manager, Buick-Pontiac- GM C. " Pontiac is proud to return as the Official Car of the NHRA , and we look forward to continuing our growing relationship with the nation's premier drag racing series and its fans for years to come.
" GM C's 19 year affiliation with NHRA is its longest-running promotional platform ever. For a celebrated brand known for Professional Grade trucks, and its association with the legendary Safety Safari, GM C is a perfect fit as the Official Truck of the National Hot Rod Association."
NEXT RACE: It’s on to the third race of six in a row as the POWERade Drag Racing Series now moves to Bristol , Tenn. , for the race that was postponed in May. The NHRA O’Reilly Thunder Valley Nationals unfolds July 6-8 at Bristol Dragway.
TELEVISION: ESPN2 / ESPN2 HD will air same-day coverage of eliminations for the inaugural Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals tonight, Sunday (July 1) from 8-11 p.m. The elimination show repeats early Wednesday morning, July 4, from 4-6 a.m. Television times are ET and subject to change without notice. Check your local listing.
COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP: In its simplest form, the Countdown breaks the $50 million, 23-event NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series season up into three distinct segments: the 17-race Countdown to 8, the four-race Countdown to 4 and the two-race Countdown to 1.
After the 17 regular season races, all teams will continue vying for points, with full fields, but only the top eight drivers continue to vie for the championship in the four-race second segment. The top four drivers after the four-race playoff then move to the third and final segment that will be run over the final two races – the NHRA ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals in Las Vegas and the NHRA Auto Club Finals in Pomona . While all teams will continue vying for points, with full fields, only one of the four can be crowned the 2007 champion.
KB RACING LLC is owned by Las Vegas businessmen Ken Black and his son Kenny Black. In the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, KB Racing LLC fields two Summit Racing Equipment Pro Stock Pontiac GTOs, one driven by Greg Anderson, a native of Duluth , Minn. who now lives in the Charlotte, N. C. area, and the other by Jason Line, a native of Wright, Minn. who now lives in the Charlotte, N. C. area, and a Top Fuel dragster, managed by Kalitta Motorsports, and driven by Hillary Will, a native of Fortuna, Calif. who now resides in Ypsilanti, Mich. Anderson won three consecutive POWERade Pro Stock Championships (2003-2005) and finished second in the point standings in 2006. Line, who finished second in points in his rookie season in 2004 and third in 2005, is the reigning 2006 POWERade Pro Stock Champion. Line was honored with the 2004 Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award, presented to the outstanding rookie in a professional category. Will finished No. 10 in her rookie season in Top Fuel in 2006 and was nominated for the Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award. The Pro Stock shop of Anderson and Line is in Mooresville, N. C. and the Kalitta Motorsports racing operation is in Ypsilanti , Mich.
SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT: Since 1968 Summit Racing Equipment (Summit Racing - High Performance Car and Truck Parts | 800-230-3030), headquartered in Tallmadge , Ohio , has been the leader in high performance, offering a huge selection of parts for virtually everyone from racers to street rodders, muscle car enthusiasts, off-roaders, and sport compact fans. Summit does business based on a simple formula: give our customers the parts they want, at a fair price, ship those parts fast, and back them with the best customer service on the planet. Summit Racing Equipment services its customers from three warehouses in Tallmadge , Ohio , Sparks , Nev. , and McDonough , Ga. Summit Racing Equipment is the primary marketing partner of KB Racing LLC , which fields the Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac GTOs driven by three-time NHRA POWERade Pro Stock champion Greg Anderson and reigning NHRA POWERade Pro Stock champion Jason Line. Summit Racing Equipment is also an associate sponsor on the KB Racing LLC-owned, Kalitta Motorsports-managed Top Fuel Dragster of Hillary Will.
Anderson out early under seven second rule
NORWALK, Ohio (July 1, 2007) – Greg Anderson got timed out in the opening round of eliminations at the inaugural Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals.
The understanding of KB Racing prior to the incident is that the rule is: once both drivers pre-stage (turn on the top yellow bulbs) and once one driver has turned on his/her stage light (the second set of yellow bulbs) the other driver has seven seconds to turn on the stage light in his/her lane. Secondly, if an opponent turns both the pre-stage and stage lights on simultaneously and the other driver has not pre-staged then the seven second timer is turned off as soon as the other driver turns on his pre-stage.
In Anderson ’s opening round match up against Erica Enders, Enders turned both the pre-stage and the stage lights together. Anderson meanwhile, after going through his starting routine, had turned on the pre-stage bulb but didn’t get in the stage light beam in the required seven seconds in the opinion of starter Rick Stewart, an instant disqualification.
NHRA’s explanation, according to Anderson , basically said that each light (pre-stage and stage) constitute two lights, once three (two pre-stage and one stage) of them are on regardless of sequence then the seven-second timer is activated.
“I don’t understand what they’re telling me rule is and I don’t believe that any driver out here believes that is the way they’re telling me the rule is,” said Anderson , after the first round. “They ( NHRA ) just gave it to me in black and white, but I never got that rule before but there is no driver out here that thinks that’s the way the rule is. Far as I understand and every other driver out here understands, when one guy lights his pre-stage light and the other guy lights his pre-stage, when the third one (the first stage light) comes on then you have a seven-second timer. When one guy light both lights (pre-stage and stage) first and the other guy just lights his pre-stage, being the third bulb, that’s not suppose to start the timer. The timer is supposed to be turned off. I think that every other racer out here thinks it’s that way. Otherwise there would be no courtesy on the tree.”
Greg Anderson and his Summit Racing Equipment Pro Stock Pontiac GTO recorded no time, while Enders cover the Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park quarter-mile in 6.732 seconds and advanced to the second round.
“ KB Racing is disappointed in our showing this weekend,” added Anderson . “Our sponsor Summit Racing Equipment and the Bader Family have done an excellent job in preparing this facility and we’re wish that it was us in the winner’s circle celebrating with them the first of many future events at this race track.”
Even with today’s turn of events, after 11 events, unofficially Anderson , the three-time NHRA POWERade champion (2003-2005), continues to lead the NHRA POWERade Pro Stock standings, which also puts him in the lead for the first segment – Countdown to Eight – of the Countdown to the Championship. (For a brief description of the Countdown to the Championship, see below.)
SPECIAL NOTE: Pontiac- GM C announced today that it will return in 2008 as Official Car and Official Truck of the NHRA . It will mark the 13th consecutive season that Pontiac has served as the Official Car of the series and the 19th year for GM C as Official Truck.
"The NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series continues to be an outstanding forum to showcase the quality and performance of the automobile designed for action," said Jim Bunnell, divisional general manager, Buick-Pontiac- GM C. " Pontiac is proud to return as the Official Car of the NHRA , and we look forward to continuing our growing relationship with the nation's premier drag racing series and its fans for years to come.
" GM C's 19 year affiliation with NHRA is its longest-running promotional platform ever. For a celebrated brand known for Professional Grade trucks, and its association with the legendary Safety Safari, GM C is a perfect fit as the Official Truck of the National Hot Rod Association."
NEXT RACE: It’s on to the third race of six in a row as the POWERade Drag Racing Series now moves to Bristol , Tenn. , for the race that was postponed in May. The NHRA O’Reilly Thunder Valley Nationals unfolds July 6-8 at Bristol Dragway.
TELEVISION: ESPN2 / ESPN2 HD will air same-day coverage of eliminations for the inaugural Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals tonight, Sunday (July 1) from 8-11 p.m. The elimination show repeats early Wednesday morning, July 4, from 4-6 a.m. Television times are ET and subject to change without notice. Check your local listing.
COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP: In its simplest form, the Countdown breaks the $50 million, 23-event NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series season up into three distinct segments: the 17-race Countdown to 8, the four-race Countdown to 4 and the two-race Countdown to 1.
After the 17 regular season races, all teams will continue vying for points, with full fields, but only the top eight drivers continue to vie for the championship in the four-race second segment. The top four drivers after the four-race playoff then move to the third and final segment that will be run over the final two races – the NHRA ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals in Las Vegas and the NHRA Auto Club Finals in Pomona . While all teams will continue vying for points, with full fields, only one of the four can be crowned the 2007 champion.
KB RACING LLC is owned by Las Vegas businessmen Ken Black and his son Kenny Black. In the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, KB Racing LLC fields two Summit Racing Equipment Pro Stock Pontiac GTOs, one driven by Greg Anderson, a native of Duluth , Minn. who now lives in the Charlotte, N. C. area, and the other by Jason Line, a native of Wright, Minn. who now lives in the Charlotte, N. C. area, and a Top Fuel dragster, managed by Kalitta Motorsports, and driven by Hillary Will, a native of Fortuna, Calif. who now resides in Ypsilanti, Mich. Anderson won three consecutive POWERade Pro Stock Championships (2003-2005) and finished second in the point standings in 2006. Line, who finished second in points in his rookie season in 2004 and third in 2005, is the reigning 2006 POWERade Pro Stock Champion. Line was honored with the 2004 Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award, presented to the outstanding rookie in a professional category. Will finished No. 10 in her rookie season in Top Fuel in 2006 and was nominated for the Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award. The Pro Stock shop of Anderson and Line is in Mooresville, N. C. and the Kalitta Motorsports racing operation is in Ypsilanti , Mich.
SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT: Since 1968 Summit Racing Equipment (Summit Racing - High Performance Car and Truck Parts | 800-230-3030), headquartered in Tallmadge , Ohio , has been the leader in high performance, offering a huge selection of parts for virtually everyone from racers to street rodders, muscle car enthusiasts, off-roaders, and sport compact fans. Summit does business based on a simple formula: give our customers the parts they want, at a fair price, ship those parts fast, and back them with the best customer service on the planet. Summit Racing Equipment services its customers from three warehouses in Tallmadge , Ohio , Sparks , Nev. , and McDonough , Ga. Summit Racing Equipment is the primary marketing partner of KB Racing LLC , which fields the Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac GTOs driven by three-time NHRA POWERade Pro Stock champion Greg Anderson and reigning NHRA POWERade Pro Stock champion Jason Line. Summit Racing Equipment is also an associate sponsor on the KB Racing LLC-owned, Kalitta Motorsports-managed Top Fuel Dragster of Hillary Will.
