Mooresville, N.C., June 28, 2011 – For the second time in his career, 2010 NHRA Pro Stock champion Greg Anderson has been nominated for an ESPY award in the category of Best Driver. The ESPY (short for Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly) is an award presented by the ESPN network in recognition for individual and team achievement in the past calendar year, with the winners decided by online fan balloting, which will be held through July 9 at the ESPY website, 2011 ESPYS - July 2011 ESPNHD.
Anderson, four-time Pro Stock champion driver of the Summit Racing Pontiac, joins fellow Full Throttle Drag Racing champion John Force, IndyCar titlist Dario Franchitti and Sprint Cup winner Jimmie Johnson in vying for this year’s award. The winner will be announced at the ESPY Awards ceremony hosted by comedian Seth Meyers on July 13 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, Calif., which will be shown live on ESPN.
“I am both honored and excited to be nominated for the Best Driver ESPY,” said Anderson. “Although it’s my name up there alongside champions such as John, Dario and Jimmie, this is a testament to the performance of my entire Summit Racing team. All year long, no matter what was thrown at them, they never gave up, giving me a great hot rod to drive, and helping me keep my head in the game.
“The first time I was nominated was in 2005, and I must have been living in a cave, because I didn’t realize how big a deal it was, and didn’t go to the ceremony. I’ve regretted it ever since and vowed that if I got the chance again, I’d be on the first plane out, so we are definitely looking forward to going to Los Angeles.
“I’m also excited to see John’s name on the list of nominees. I believe having the two of us nominated shows that NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing is gaining ground, hanging right in there with the other forms of motorsport, which is very cool. We’ve known all along how exciting our sport is, and hopefully the general public is starting to realize it as well. It’s an honor to represent drag racing on such a big stage, and I’m asking all our fans to get online and vote, so we can bring the award home.”
Anderson, 50, overcame a series of off-track challenges to capture his fourth NHRA championship in 2010. Starting the year under a cloud of uncertainty following team owner and close friend Ken Black’s debilitating stroke and the loss of his home in a massive fire, the Mooresville resident’s season got off to an understandably slow start. However, after winning both the K&N Horsepower Challenge specialty event and his sponsor’s race on the same weekend in late June, he began his charge to the front, culminating with three wins and a runner-up finish in the season’s last five races, including a dramatic final round victory in Las Vegas against his KB Racing teammate Jason Line in Black’s return to the track, to secure the title.
“If you had to write a script for a Hollywood movie, I don’t think you could come up with what this Summit Racing team went through in 2010,” said Anderson. “From everything that happened off the track to having to fight our way back into title contention and then having that incredible run in the playoffs, it was just an amazing year. All things considered, it is the most special championship out of the four that I’ve won, and being nominated for the ESPY only adds to it. If we are fortunate enough to win, it would be the perfect ending to a storybook season.”
Anderson, four-time Pro Stock champion driver of the Summit Racing Pontiac, joins fellow Full Throttle Drag Racing champion John Force, IndyCar titlist Dario Franchitti and Sprint Cup winner Jimmie Johnson in vying for this year’s award. The winner will be announced at the ESPY Awards ceremony hosted by comedian Seth Meyers on July 13 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, Calif., which will be shown live on ESPN.
“I am both honored and excited to be nominated for the Best Driver ESPY,” said Anderson. “Although it’s my name up there alongside champions such as John, Dario and Jimmie, this is a testament to the performance of my entire Summit Racing team. All year long, no matter what was thrown at them, they never gave up, giving me a great hot rod to drive, and helping me keep my head in the game.
“The first time I was nominated was in 2005, and I must have been living in a cave, because I didn’t realize how big a deal it was, and didn’t go to the ceremony. I’ve regretted it ever since and vowed that if I got the chance again, I’d be on the first plane out, so we are definitely looking forward to going to Los Angeles.
“I’m also excited to see John’s name on the list of nominees. I believe having the two of us nominated shows that NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing is gaining ground, hanging right in there with the other forms of motorsport, which is very cool. We’ve known all along how exciting our sport is, and hopefully the general public is starting to realize it as well. It’s an honor to represent drag racing on such a big stage, and I’m asking all our fans to get online and vote, so we can bring the award home.”
Anderson, 50, overcame a series of off-track challenges to capture his fourth NHRA championship in 2010. Starting the year under a cloud of uncertainty following team owner and close friend Ken Black’s debilitating stroke and the loss of his home in a massive fire, the Mooresville resident’s season got off to an understandably slow start. However, after winning both the K&N Horsepower Challenge specialty event and his sponsor’s race on the same weekend in late June, he began his charge to the front, culminating with three wins and a runner-up finish in the season’s last five races, including a dramatic final round victory in Las Vegas against his KB Racing teammate Jason Line in Black’s return to the track, to secure the title.
“If you had to write a script for a Hollywood movie, I don’t think you could come up with what this Summit Racing team went through in 2010,” said Anderson. “From everything that happened off the track to having to fight our way back into title contention and then having that incredible run in the playoffs, it was just an amazing year. All things considered, it is the most special championship out of the four that I’ve won, and being nominated for the ESPY only adds to it. If we are fortunate enough to win, it would be the perfect ending to a storybook season.”
