Greg Anderson stymied in round one at the NHRA Winternationals

Greg Anderson stymied in round one at the NHRA Winternationals 

Greg Anderson does not know what to do with a first-round loss. The most winning driver in the history of Pro Stock has 101 national event victories in the ultra-competitive Pro Stock category, and his round win-loss record is an astounding 915-394. On Sunday at the 63rd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals, though, he was the victim of a mechanical malfunction that sent him home way, way too early.

"We just didn't have a whole lot of luck here today with my HendrickCars.com Chevrolet," said Anderson. "That's disappointing, because after qualifying, we knew we had a car that could win the race. It wasn't to be for me today, but I'm happy that it was a KB Titan Racing car in the winner's circle. We were very pleased to have our teammates Dallas Glenn and Matt Hartford in the final round. Dallas got it done for us today, and I'm sure my time is coming."

After qualifying in the No. 6 position and nabbing three bonus points as one of the quickest cars in two of the three sessions, Anderson lined up next to Fernando Cuadra Jr. in the first-round at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.

Qualifying Results:
Q1: 6.534-second at 211.03 mph (No. 6)
Q2: 6.538, 212.06  (No. 6, +1 bonus points)
Q3: 6.542, 210.75  (No. 6, +2)

Unbeknownst to the fans in the stands, Anderson had discovered a bit of a situation in the final round of qualifying as his HendrickCars.com Chevy pulled itself into the beams despite his attempt to hold it steady. The team worked hard to troubleshoot what had caused the roll, and they thought they had eliminated the issue.

Unfortunately, the pesky problem remained. As crew chief Rob Downing finished final adjustments on the wheelie bar before launch in round one, Anderson's car began to creep forward of its own accord. The red light flashed, and his start time was recorded as a fouling -.050 to Cuadra's clean .030.

Race Day Results:
R1: Fernando Cuadra Jr. defeated Greg Anderson, (.030-second reaction time) 6.573, 209.65 to (-.050) 6.577-second at 210.73 mph

"It just stinks," said Anderson. "You hate that your team worked so hard only to have that red light show its ugly face. We'll take a closer look, do everything we need to do, and have it resolved before Las Vegas."

Leaving Pomona, Anderson is now tied for seventh in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Pro Stock standings and is 70 points behind leader Dallas Glenn.

The next Pro Stock event on the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series tour will be the 23rd annual NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, April 14-16.