Greg Anderson and his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet advance to semifinals in Bristol
Mechanical mishaps are rare in the KB Titan Racing (KBT) camp, but that is precisely what fell upon Greg Anderson and the HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals this weekend. With a racecar that looked like it had a very real shot at winning the race, Anderson powered his way to the semifinals. Unfortunately, that's where his day ended.
After qualifying his HendrickCars.com Chevy in the No. 4 position with a best time of 6.638, 205.79, Anderson clocked one of the quickest times in the opening round in his defeat of red-lighting rookie Jerry Tucker. The 6.652 on the scoreboard matched the time recorded by KBT teammate Kyle Koretsky, with only one car quicker to the 1,320-foot timer (Aaron Stanfield's 6.646).
Qualifying results:
Q1: 6.691-second at 205.38 mph (No. 8)
Q2: 6.645, 206.64 (No. 6)
Q3: 6.638, 205.79 (No. 4, +2 bonus points)
Q4: 6.653, 204.57 (No. 4)
The win light for Anderson set up a second-round meeting with the points leader, KBT-powered Dallas Glenn. In a match of young gun vs. veteran, Glenn nabbed an advantage at the starting line, but on a racing surface rich with character and not yet fully primed for optimal Pro Stock performance after an extended rain delay, Glenn got out of shape and had to pull the parachutes. Anderson was in trouble downtrack as well and slowed, but at the time, it was unclear just how troubled the run truly was.
Initial inspection did not reveal the depth of the issue within the engine compartment, and the car was prepared for the semifinals. As the team continued their efforts and the time neared to head to the staging lanes, though, the gravity of the situation came into view – unfortunately, it was too late to pull the engine, replace it, and still make the call-time.
At that point, the team had no choice but to fall into the emergency back-up plan – bring the car to the starting line, make a small burnout with the intention of causing no further harm to the engine, stage the car, and hope that fortune would fall their way.
As soon as Anderson stepped into the burnout, though, he knew the plan would not work. In an attempt to spare further damage, he shut the car off and did not make the run.
Race day results:
R1: Greg Anderson defeated Jerry Tucker, (.051 reaction time) 6.652-second at 204.39 mph to (-.013) 6.690, 204.48
R2: Anderson def. Dallas Glenn, (.043) 6.856, 175.71 to (.023) 6.926, 156.08
R3: Erica Enders def. Anderson, (.055) 6.722, 204.51 to No Time
"It's disappointing," said Anderson. "It is definitely not how we wanted this day to go for the HendrickCars.com Chevrolet. We were happy with the direction things were going with this car, and today was a little bit of a setback for us. You always aim for perfection, because that's what it takes in this class. Sometimes, that just isn't possible."
Despite the abrupt and disheartening end to the weekend, Anderson looks ahead to the next race on tour, the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, with eager anticipation. Longtime partner Summit Racing hosts a grand event at Summit Motorsports Park, and it's one that always means a lot to the 101-time NHRA Pro Stock winner and five-time world champion.
"Every racetrack on the tour holds memories for us, but this team has a lot of wins there – I have three – and each one of those wins has been really special," said Anderson, who moved up to No. 6 in the Pro Stock points. "You look at a day like we just had at Bristol Dragway, and it hurts. But we'll go to work and get everything ready for the next one. We get to go to Summit Motorsports Park in a couple of weeks and search for redemption."
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