Greg Anderson and HendrickCars.com Chevrolet poised to make up ground as Carolina Nationals concludes

Greg Anderson and the HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro came to zMAX Dragway with one mission: to win the race on sponsor Rick Hendrick's home turf. Anderson got the win light in the first round of eliminations at the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals, but his day came to an untimely conclusion in round two. The most decorated driver in Pro Stock history will immediately refocus his efforts on the race scheduled to take place next weekend in St. Louis.

Qualified in the No. 3 position at the Carolina Nationals, Anderson made the second-quickest winning run in the first round in his defeat of Chris McGaha. Anderson's 6.558-second pass at 209.04 mph got the job done over McGaha's 6.594, 207.62.

Anderson entered the second round with lane choice over second-generation Pro Stock racer Aaron Stanfield, and he was equipped with a car that could win. In fact, Anderson traversed the quarter-mile with a 6.562, 209.04, but Stanfield's 6.572, 210.05 got the nod due to an .027-second reaction time to Anderson's .047.

"I missed the light a little bit there, and we didn't make the run we wanted and needed to make," said Anderson. "This is disappointing. We're in Hendrick Country, and we really wanted to have a good day for the boss over there and for HendrickCars.com."

Now No. 4 in the Pro Stock standings, the reigning champion will have to move efficiently through the next five races, beginning next weekend at the NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway.

"We're behind the eight ball now," said Anderson. "So we really can't make any more mistakes the rest of the way out. We just haven't gotten it done the last couple of weeks for one reason or another, so we have to be absolutely perfect going forward. It's possible, but it's a tough position to be in at this point of the Countdown.

 "We're moving on to St. Louis, and to be honest with you, I can't wait to get there. We need to put this behind us and move on as quickly as possible. We've got some ground to make up if we're going to have a shot."

The next race on the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series will be the NHRA Midwest Nationals in St. Louis at World Wide Technology Raceway, Sept. 30 – Oct. 2, 2022.

Qualifying results:
Q1: 6.535-second, 209.82 mph (No. 2, +2 bonus points)
Q2: 6.528, 210.21 (No. 3, +1)
Q3: 6.542, 210.01 (No. 3)

Race day results:
R1: Greg Anderson defeated Chris McGaha, (.036-second) 6.558-second at 209.04 mph to (.060) 6.594, 207.62
R2: Aaron Stanfield def. Anderson, (.027) 6.572, 210.05 to (.047) 6.562, 209.04