Event: 2nd annual VisitMyrtleBeach.com 4-Wide NHRA Nationals
Location: zMAX Dragway, Concord, North Carolina
Day/Date: Saturday, April 16, 2011
As Summit Racing Pontiac driver Greg Anderson rolled to the line for his fourth and final qualifying attempt at the VisitMyrtleBeach.com 4-Wide NHRA Nationals in Concord, NC, he seemed poised to earn the No. 1 qualifying position for Sunday’s eliminations at zMAX Dragway. After all, his 6.566-second time from Friday had withstood all but three competitors’ efforts to unseat him. In a day that saw a three-and-a-half hour delay due to severe storms that soaked the zMAX Dragway surface in the morning, Anderson finished his strong qualifying performance with a solid 6.612-second, 209.92 mph pass running in the final quartet.
Even so, the four-time champion found himself relegated to the second starting position, as his KB Racing teammate Jason Line edged him by four thousandths of a second. Despite the natural disappointment, Anderson quickly acknowledged that it had been a tremendous performance by the entire team.
“That guy seems to be picking on me this year,” joked Anderson afterwards. “He did a good job getting the most out of that third lane, which, for whatever reason, produced the low elapsed time in all four qualifying sessions. There’s definitely something magical in that lane, although I couldn’t tell you what. I guess my getting the pole here will have to wait.
“But, it’s still been a good weekend with the Summit cars qualifying one and two. Tomorrow is going to be fun, and we’re hoping to make it a great day. I haven’t made any huge mistakes with the four-wide format, but it’s still a lot to take in compared to racing two at a time. The tree is a huge improvement, and everybody seems to be doing a better job this year.
“Tomorrow is going to come down to whoever is able to be the most comfortable in this four-wide format. We have a lot of cars capable of winning tomorrow, with most of the races decided on the starting line, so I’m going to get my mind straight tonight so I can come out here tomorrow and be sharp, cutting a good light every time. More than any other race this year, this one will be about mind control, and I want to make sure I’m ready.”
Location: zMAX Dragway, Concord, North Carolina
Day/Date: Saturday, April 16, 2011
As Summit Racing Pontiac driver Greg Anderson rolled to the line for his fourth and final qualifying attempt at the VisitMyrtleBeach.com 4-Wide NHRA Nationals in Concord, NC, he seemed poised to earn the No. 1 qualifying position for Sunday’s eliminations at zMAX Dragway. After all, his 6.566-second time from Friday had withstood all but three competitors’ efforts to unseat him. In a day that saw a three-and-a-half hour delay due to severe storms that soaked the zMAX Dragway surface in the morning, Anderson finished his strong qualifying performance with a solid 6.612-second, 209.92 mph pass running in the final quartet.
Even so, the four-time champion found himself relegated to the second starting position, as his KB Racing teammate Jason Line edged him by four thousandths of a second. Despite the natural disappointment, Anderson quickly acknowledged that it had been a tremendous performance by the entire team.
“That guy seems to be picking on me this year,” joked Anderson afterwards. “He did a good job getting the most out of that third lane, which, for whatever reason, produced the low elapsed time in all four qualifying sessions. There’s definitely something magical in that lane, although I couldn’t tell you what. I guess my getting the pole here will have to wait.
“But, it’s still been a good weekend with the Summit cars qualifying one and two. Tomorrow is going to be fun, and we’re hoping to make it a great day. I haven’t made any huge mistakes with the four-wide format, but it’s still a lot to take in compared to racing two at a time. The tree is a huge improvement, and everybody seems to be doing a better job this year.
“Tomorrow is going to come down to whoever is able to be the most comfortable in this four-wide format. We have a lot of cars capable of winning tomorrow, with most of the races decided on the starting line, so I’m going to get my mind straight tonight so I can come out here tomorrow and be sharp, cutting a good light every time. More than any other race this year, this one will be about mind control, and I want to make sure I’m ready.”
