<img src="http://www.nitromater.com/gallery/files/5/Wilkerson.jpg" alt="Wilkerson" align="left"borders="0"/>
POMONA, Calif., Feb. 9, 2008 - Three-time NHRA POWERade champion Greg Anderson started out the 2008 season on the right track by qualifying his new Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac GXP in the No. 1 qualifying spot for Sunday's running of the 48th annual Car Quest Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. During Saturday's first session of time trials, Anderson's Pontiac GXP set both ends of the track record with a run of 6.629 seconds at 209.39 mph.
"To be honest, you hope to be able to make a track-record run like that, but you never know what to expect," Anderson said. "We know we didn't make a real clean run on Thursday when we ran the 6.63, so we thought as the weekend goes, and when the track gets better, we should be able to run faster. We got it done this morning. We made a real nice run. It's great. It's a nice feather in the cap and it makes the team feel good for all the hard work they put in over the winter. Obviously, this new Pontiac GXP got down the racetrack today and it's given us a pretty good idea of what we have to look forward to from this car. I couldn't be happier with the ride I have."
It was Anderson's 63rd career raceday pole and it marked the fourth time that the 46-year-old North Carolina resident had qualified No. 1 for this event. The three previous times that Anderson won the pole at the Winternationals (2004, 2006-07), he also went on to win the race. This event also marked the 116th consecutive race that Anderson has qualified for, the longest streak in the Pro Stock category.
"We're No. 1 qualifier at the Winternationals and it's a great way to start the season," Anderson said. "You never know what you're going to have when you get here, how you're going to stack up, and obviously, there are a lot of good cars out here that are going to go fast. It's going to take a heck of an effort to get that POWERade championship trophy at the end of the year. We'll try to start off tomorrow with a win and see if we can keep that confidence meter high.
"We have a little bit of work to do yet to get ready for tomorrow. We're happy that we ran fast but we have to figure out how to make the car consistent from lane to lane."
Defending POWERade champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. will start raceday with his Chevy Cobalt qualified in the No. 2 spot after posting a 6.644 e.t. at 208.23 mph. Coughlin improved upon his starting position during Saturday's first session of time trials moving up from the No. 3 slot.
"We qualified the Jegs Chevy Cobalt No. 2 at the opening race of 24 so it's a great way to begin the new year," Coughlin said. "We had a great run last weekend in Las Vegas, winning the Pontiac Showdown, and our consistency looks like it carried over here to the Winternationals. We had a little snafu in Q2 - we were a little too aggressive, but we were able to recover well with the sun beating down on the track. We ran second quickest and fourth quickest in the two sessions today, so it looks like we have a car that can get down the racetrack in 50-degree weather, or in 80-degree weather with the 100-degree plus track temps we saw today. That's exciting for us and we're looking to have a strong day tomorrow."
Kurt Johnson has the ACDelco Chevy Cobalt qualified in the No. 3 position after running 6.644 seconds at 208.23 mph, and his consistent runs in qualifying this weekend earned his crew the Full Throttle Award for this event. Johnson is a 2001 winner of the Winternationals.
"Our new ACDelco Cobalt has been pretty fast right out of the box, but It all comes down to learning what it needs," Johnson said. "We only have 19 runs on it after qualifying, and with each run down the track we find out more about its tuning window. For example, the atmospheric conditions and racetrack we ran on this afternoon were the worst we had ever faced. We were a little conservative, leaving it pretty much alone, as we had run 6.64 in similar conditions yesterday and felt we were in the running for the Full Throttle award (given to the most consistent and highest qualified car after qualifying). However, the track was probably a little better than we thought it would be, and as a result our tune-up was a little soft.
"Even so, we learned that we need to get after it for tomorrow, putting some clutch in it, and making things happen. I need to do my job on the tree, and we need to go from A to B. Certainly, we're pleased to make four runs in qualifying within two hundredths of each other, but now we're ready to win."
GM Performance Parts Pontiac driver Warren Johnson tied Allen Johnson for the quickest run of the final qualifying session at 6.652 seconds. However, the "Professor's" faster qualifying top speed of 208.59 mph earned the six-time NHRA champion the No. 4 starting spot for Sunday's eliminator. Johnson is a five-time winner of the Winternationals (1987, 1993-94,1997, 2003).
"Unbeknownst to us until just before we went out to qualify for the last session, we broke a lifter during this morning's run," Johnson said. "We discovered it when we tried to warm up the car this afternoon and it squealed like you were stepping on a bat. Looking at the lobe, it was pretty black, so it obviously happened during the run, affecting our performance. That explains why we were able to run better speed in worse conditions this afternoon. Still, we're enthused by our GM Performance Parts Pontiac's performance so far this weekend. We were able to traverse both lanes without a problem, it's been consistent and it's actually working a little better than it was at the Finals last November. We'd made some changes to it other than the rear suspension, which seems to be working in our favor, so tomorrow it's just a matter of expanding on it.
Jason Line has his Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac parked in the No. 6 position. Justin Humphreys will start raceday with his Pontiac in the No. 7 spot and Greg Stanfield qualified a new Pontiac GXP No. 8.
"I am happy we qualified and we are racing on Sunday," said Humphreys, who qualified for the 16-car field with a 6.660 e.t. at 207.94 mph. "The car ran well but we made some bad runs. We still finished in the top half of the field. It's always good to do that."
"We're excited," Stanfield said. "This new Pontiac GXP made four good, consistent runs - it's like a bracket car. Hopefully it will run that fast and that consistent on raceday. We ran the similar e.t. in both lanes which tells us we have a good setup regardless of what lane we have to race in on Sunday. We have good power for the car, enough to go some rounds and do some damage. We just have to get the driver to do his job tomorrow and maybe have a little luck."
In Funny Car, Tim Wilkerson captured his 11th career raceday pole by driving the Levi Ray &Shoup Chevy Impala SS to a 4.790 second run at 325.22 mph. It was the second time that Wilkerson had earned the No. 1 spot at the Winternationals and he was runner-up at this event in 1998.
"We left a lot on the table during the morning run," Wilkerson said. "We really had our back against the wall because we were just trying to get down the track because we weren't going to learn anything from the things we did on Friday. We almost made it down there on Friday, and we just got after it on Saturday morning, made it go down the track, and it all worked out pretty well. We had a little room to tune it up with three different timing scenarios made up on my graphic editor depending on whether we were in the show, or not in the show. Since we were in the show, we stuck the one in there to go for the throat, and it worked. Tomorrow we'll try to duplicate today."
Watch Tim Wilkerson's post-qualifying interview - YouTube - Chevy Impala SS Funny Car Driver Tim Wilkerson/NHRA Pomona
Defending POWERade champion Tony Pedregon has the Q Racing Chevy Impala SS qualified in the No. 12 position after posting a 4.845 e.t. at 325.45 mph. Pedregon won this race in 2005.
"We were looking for a better qualifying position here at Pomona," Pedregon said. "I wouldn't say we were disappointed because you can never be disappointed when you qualify. We feel confident that having the number one on the Q Racing Chevy Impala means we've been in these situations before, we're very resilient, we still have the best parts, the best pieces, great people and terrific aerodynamics to be able to deal with the challenges tomorrow. We're in the show and we're just a couple of tweaks away from getting this car down the track. We just need to be able to make some good calls for that first round tomorrow."
Greg Anderson's Pontiac GXP Qualifies No. 1 at Season-Opening NHRA Winternationals -
Tim Wilkerson Drives Chevy Impala SS to Funny Car Pole
Tim Wilkerson Drives Chevy Impala SS to Funny Car Pole
POMONA, Calif., Feb. 9, 2008 - Three-time NHRA POWERade champion Greg Anderson started out the 2008 season on the right track by qualifying his new Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac GXP in the No. 1 qualifying spot for Sunday's running of the 48th annual Car Quest Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. During Saturday's first session of time trials, Anderson's Pontiac GXP set both ends of the track record with a run of 6.629 seconds at 209.39 mph.
"To be honest, you hope to be able to make a track-record run like that, but you never know what to expect," Anderson said. "We know we didn't make a real clean run on Thursday when we ran the 6.63, so we thought as the weekend goes, and when the track gets better, we should be able to run faster. We got it done this morning. We made a real nice run. It's great. It's a nice feather in the cap and it makes the team feel good for all the hard work they put in over the winter. Obviously, this new Pontiac GXP got down the racetrack today and it's given us a pretty good idea of what we have to look forward to from this car. I couldn't be happier with the ride I have."
It was Anderson's 63rd career raceday pole and it marked the fourth time that the 46-year-old North Carolina resident had qualified No. 1 for this event. The three previous times that Anderson won the pole at the Winternationals (2004, 2006-07), he also went on to win the race. This event also marked the 116th consecutive race that Anderson has qualified for, the longest streak in the Pro Stock category.
"We're No. 1 qualifier at the Winternationals and it's a great way to start the season," Anderson said. "You never know what you're going to have when you get here, how you're going to stack up, and obviously, there are a lot of good cars out here that are going to go fast. It's going to take a heck of an effort to get that POWERade championship trophy at the end of the year. We'll try to start off tomorrow with a win and see if we can keep that confidence meter high.
"We have a little bit of work to do yet to get ready for tomorrow. We're happy that we ran fast but we have to figure out how to make the car consistent from lane to lane."
Defending POWERade champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. will start raceday with his Chevy Cobalt qualified in the No. 2 spot after posting a 6.644 e.t. at 208.23 mph. Coughlin improved upon his starting position during Saturday's first session of time trials moving up from the No. 3 slot.
"We qualified the Jegs Chevy Cobalt No. 2 at the opening race of 24 so it's a great way to begin the new year," Coughlin said. "We had a great run last weekend in Las Vegas, winning the Pontiac Showdown, and our consistency looks like it carried over here to the Winternationals. We had a little snafu in Q2 - we were a little too aggressive, but we were able to recover well with the sun beating down on the track. We ran second quickest and fourth quickest in the two sessions today, so it looks like we have a car that can get down the racetrack in 50-degree weather, or in 80-degree weather with the 100-degree plus track temps we saw today. That's exciting for us and we're looking to have a strong day tomorrow."
Kurt Johnson has the ACDelco Chevy Cobalt qualified in the No. 3 position after running 6.644 seconds at 208.23 mph, and his consistent runs in qualifying this weekend earned his crew the Full Throttle Award for this event. Johnson is a 2001 winner of the Winternationals.
"Our new ACDelco Cobalt has been pretty fast right out of the box, but It all comes down to learning what it needs," Johnson said. "We only have 19 runs on it after qualifying, and with each run down the track we find out more about its tuning window. For example, the atmospheric conditions and racetrack we ran on this afternoon were the worst we had ever faced. We were a little conservative, leaving it pretty much alone, as we had run 6.64 in similar conditions yesterday and felt we were in the running for the Full Throttle award (given to the most consistent and highest qualified car after qualifying). However, the track was probably a little better than we thought it would be, and as a result our tune-up was a little soft.
"Even so, we learned that we need to get after it for tomorrow, putting some clutch in it, and making things happen. I need to do my job on the tree, and we need to go from A to B. Certainly, we're pleased to make four runs in qualifying within two hundredths of each other, but now we're ready to win."
GM Performance Parts Pontiac driver Warren Johnson tied Allen Johnson for the quickest run of the final qualifying session at 6.652 seconds. However, the "Professor's" faster qualifying top speed of 208.59 mph earned the six-time NHRA champion the No. 4 starting spot for Sunday's eliminator. Johnson is a five-time winner of the Winternationals (1987, 1993-94,1997, 2003).
"Unbeknownst to us until just before we went out to qualify for the last session, we broke a lifter during this morning's run," Johnson said. "We discovered it when we tried to warm up the car this afternoon and it squealed like you were stepping on a bat. Looking at the lobe, it was pretty black, so it obviously happened during the run, affecting our performance. That explains why we were able to run better speed in worse conditions this afternoon. Still, we're enthused by our GM Performance Parts Pontiac's performance so far this weekend. We were able to traverse both lanes without a problem, it's been consistent and it's actually working a little better than it was at the Finals last November. We'd made some changes to it other than the rear suspension, which seems to be working in our favor, so tomorrow it's just a matter of expanding on it.
Jason Line has his Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac parked in the No. 6 position. Justin Humphreys will start raceday with his Pontiac in the No. 7 spot and Greg Stanfield qualified a new Pontiac GXP No. 8.
"I am happy we qualified and we are racing on Sunday," said Humphreys, who qualified for the 16-car field with a 6.660 e.t. at 207.94 mph. "The car ran well but we made some bad runs. We still finished in the top half of the field. It's always good to do that."
"We're excited," Stanfield said. "This new Pontiac GXP made four good, consistent runs - it's like a bracket car. Hopefully it will run that fast and that consistent on raceday. We ran the similar e.t. in both lanes which tells us we have a good setup regardless of what lane we have to race in on Sunday. We have good power for the car, enough to go some rounds and do some damage. We just have to get the driver to do his job tomorrow and maybe have a little luck."
In Funny Car, Tim Wilkerson captured his 11th career raceday pole by driving the Levi Ray &Shoup Chevy Impala SS to a 4.790 second run at 325.22 mph. It was the second time that Wilkerson had earned the No. 1 spot at the Winternationals and he was runner-up at this event in 1998.
"We left a lot on the table during the morning run," Wilkerson said. "We really had our back against the wall because we were just trying to get down the track because we weren't going to learn anything from the things we did on Friday. We almost made it down there on Friday, and we just got after it on Saturday morning, made it go down the track, and it all worked out pretty well. We had a little room to tune it up with three different timing scenarios made up on my graphic editor depending on whether we were in the show, or not in the show. Since we were in the show, we stuck the one in there to go for the throat, and it worked. Tomorrow we'll try to duplicate today."
Watch Tim Wilkerson's post-qualifying interview - YouTube - Chevy Impala SS Funny Car Driver Tim Wilkerson/NHRA Pomona
Defending POWERade champion Tony Pedregon has the Q Racing Chevy Impala SS qualified in the No. 12 position after posting a 4.845 e.t. at 325.45 mph. Pedregon won this race in 2005.
"We were looking for a better qualifying position here at Pomona," Pedregon said. "I wouldn't say we were disappointed because you can never be disappointed when you qualify. We feel confident that having the number one on the Q Racing Chevy Impala means we've been in these situations before, we're very resilient, we still have the best parts, the best pieces, great people and terrific aerodynamics to be able to deal with the challenges tomorrow. We're in the show and we're just a couple of tweaks away from getting this car down the track. We just need to be able to make some good calls for that first round tomorrow."
