Greg Anderson takes HendrickCars.com Chey to finals in Las Vegas
The second-to-last race of the 2023 season of NHRA's Camping World Drag Racing Series was a hotbed of forward momentum for Greg Anderson and his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet. The KB Titan Racing driver reached the final round for the 176th time in his career on Sunday at the NHRA Nevada Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and the long day in the desert kept hope alive in his quest for a sixth Pro Stock world title.
"It was do-or-die here," said Anderson, who left Las Vegas 114 points back from the top spot after meeting points leader Erica Enders in the final round. He'll have a mountain to climb in Pomona at the season-closing NHRA Finals, but with points-and-a-half on the line, the championship is still well in sight.
Eight-time Las Vegas winner Anderson worked his way to his fourth final of the season and third in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs with a fast HendrickCars.com Chevy complemented by expert driving throughout eliminations. In a first-round meeting with Aaron Stanfield, Anderson extracted a little revenge from a quarterfinals loss to him in Dallas with a .005 reaction time and 6.577, 207.27 that shut down a .025 and 6.612, 207.69.
Round two set the most winning driver in Pro Stock up against KBT cohort Koretsky, who clearly had the hot rod to beat; after claiming the pole, Koretsky clocked low elapsed time of the opening round – and of the event (6.552). Anderson understood the assignment and again left first in the match with his friendly rival, this time with a .004 to his Koretsky's .041, and raced ahead for a holeshot win. Anderson's 6.583, 207.98 got the better of a 6.567, 207.91.
In the semis, the 103-time winner met another KBT teammate in championship hopeful Hartford, a three-time winner on the season. Hartford launched first, but when he got into trouble midway down the track, he slowed to a 7.294 that was no match for Anderson's 6.566, 207.88. Anderson scored a ticket to the final at one of his most favored racetracks on the tour.
In the last act of the day, Anderson was respectable at the starting line but fell into immediate violent tire shake that sent his car silent. Enders moved ahead for a win that would have been much more detrimental to Anderson's season had he not made his way to the final.
Race day finish:
R1: Greg Anderson defeated Aaron Stanfield, (.005) 6.577, 207.27 to (.025) 6.612, 207.69
R2: Anderson def. Kyle Koretsky, (.004) 6.583, 207.98 to (.041) 6.567, 207.91
R3: Anderson def. Matt Hartford, (.050) 6.566, 207.88 to (.027) 7.294, 153.42
R4: Erica Enders def. Anderson, (.012) 6.557, 208.23 to (.024) 23.892, 36.48
"Every round is like a final round in this class anymore, and today was a challenge all day," said Anderson, who not only battled his competitors but also fierce wind that impacted the stability of the cars. "It was a tricky track out there, but we found a way to stay alive and get our HendrickCars.com Chevrolet to the final. I've had a decent Countdown, and Pomona is going to be a dogfight, right down to the end – but that's the way you want it. That's why we love this so much."
In just 11 days, the NHRA Finals are slated to begin, and the points-and-a-half format means that there are a total of 191 points up for grabs. The last race in the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series will take place at Pomona Raceway, Nov. 9-12.
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