[coverattach=1]After qualifying fifth for Sunday’s final eliminations of the Mile-High Nationals in Denver, CO, Greg Anderson knew the opportunities for a combined success for himself and Summit Racing teammate Jason Line were somewhat limited. With Line starting from the fourth spot, if both were able to win their first round matches, they would meet in the second round, guaranteeing one woul d advance while the other would see their day come to an early end.
However, before either driver could worry about racing each other, they would have to defeat a very tough first round opponent. In Anderson’s case, this meant squaring off against veteran racer and good friend Kurt Johnson, who had qualified 12th. Despite the disparity in their starting positions, Anderson knew he would need a near-perfect performance to advance. Rising to the challenge, he used a lightning-quick .013 reaction time to gain the advantage by two hundredths of a second and never looked back, with his 7.025-second, 195.51 mph pass easily outdistancing his rival’s 7.085 sec., 193.88 mph effort.
With Line also advancing by defeating Greg Stanfield in the opening stanza, the stage was set for the all-KB Racing=2 0second round. In one of the closest races of the day, Line, running in the preferred left-hand lane, used a 7.026-second, 195.87 mph pass to narrowly edge Anderson, who carded a competitive 7.039 second, 196.13 mph run. Despite the uncharacteristically early exit, Anderson found reason to be pleased with his effort.
“We set the table wrong in qualifying and knew coming into the day that we could only have one of these Summit Pontiacs make it to the semifinals,” said Anderson. “I guess we did our jobs by getting both cars to the second round, where we faced off with Jason getting the win, and made the most of it, getting him to the final.
“It probably turned out for the best. We struggled a littl e with my car today, and his got a little faster throughout the day. Besides, he’s driving great, giving us the best shot at winning the race. It’s a team sport, and this Summit Racing team is one big team with two cars, and one of those cars made it to the final today, so it’s an okay day for me, even though I lost in the second round.
“I did a little better job driving today, and I’m certainly a little happier with that. I did a good job in the first round, and a so-so job against Jason in the second round, but still better than I’ve been doing lately, so I can’t be dragging my lip too bad. It was definitely a better weekend than I’ve been having, and as I said, we just set the table wrong. That’s how drag racing goes, and now we’re going to try and win a race in Seattle.”
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.
However, before either driver could worry about racing each other, they would have to defeat a very tough first round opponent. In Anderson’s case, this meant squaring off against veteran racer and good friend Kurt Johnson, who had qualified 12th. Despite the disparity in their starting positions, Anderson knew he would need a near-perfect performance to advance. Rising to the challenge, he used a lightning-quick .013 reaction time to gain the advantage by two hundredths of a second and never looked back, with his 7.025-second, 195.51 mph pass easily outdistancing his rival’s 7.085 sec., 193.88 mph effort.
With Line also advancing by defeating Greg Stanfield in the opening stanza, the stage was set for the all-KB Racing=2 0second round. In one of the closest races of the day, Line, running in the preferred left-hand lane, used a 7.026-second, 195.87 mph pass to narrowly edge Anderson, who carded a competitive 7.039 second, 196.13 mph run. Despite the uncharacteristically early exit, Anderson found reason to be pleased with his effort.
“We set the table wrong in qualifying and knew coming into the day that we could only have one of these Summit Pontiacs make it to the semifinals,” said Anderson. “I guess we did our jobs by getting both cars to the second round, where we faced off with Jason getting the win, and made the most of it, getting him to the final.
“It probably turned out for the best. We struggled a littl e with my car today, and his got a little faster throughout the day. Besides, he’s driving great, giving us the best shot at winning the race. It’s a team sport, and this Summit Racing team is one big team with two cars, and one of those cars made it to the final today, so it’s an okay day for me, even though I lost in the second round.
“I did a little better job driving today, and I’m certainly a little happier with that. I did a good job in the first round, and a so-so job against Jason in the second round, but still better than I’ve been doing lately, so I can’t be dragging my lip too bad. It was definitely a better weekend than I’ve been having, and as I said, we just set the table wrong. That’s how drag racing goes, and now we’re going to try and win a race in Seattle.”
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.
