Greg Anderson Earns 130th Career No. 1 on Saturday at NHRA Texas FallNationals
The HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro is proving highly effective for six-time Dallas winner Greg Anderson in the Lone Star State. After scoring the bonus money on Friday in the Texas Motorplex Battle for the Saddle, Anderson continued to corral success as he lassoed the 130th No. 1 qualifier award of his career. The most winning driver in the history of Pro Stock is ready for raceday at the NHRA Texas FallNationals with a pocket full of points and his eye on the big prize.
“I love the fact that it’s crunch time, it’s pressure time, it’s now or never,” said Anderson, a 105-time Pro Stock winner and a five-time world champion. “It’s ‘get it done or go home,’ and I love that. That’s what I need to get up on the wheel. It’s going to be fun tomorrow.”
Anderson entered the event No. 4 in the Pro Stock standings with 116 points separating him from the top spot, which is currently held by KB Titan Racing teammate Dallas Glenn. The FallNationals is one of just three races remaining to gather points toward the 2024 Mission Foods Drag Racing Series world championship, and Anderson is in heated contention with Glenn, Aaron Stanfield (who was 31 points behind Glenn) and Erica Enders, who sat 90 marks back from first when she arrived at Texas Motorplex.
The top four in the points have also been the four semifinalists at each of the first three races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs, but Sunday at the Motorplex will not afford that same opportunity. Anderson, Glenn, and Stanfield are all on the same side of the ladder, while Enders is parked on the other side. Anderson sees opportunity ahead.
“We’ll see how it plays out tomorrow, but Dallas and Aaron Stanfield could meet in the second round, and if I can find a way to get past second round, I get the winner of that match,” said Anderson. “Without something like that happening at one of these races, I probably wouldn’t have a chance to make up ground. It’s really the only chance I’ve got, but we’ll see how the cards fall tomorrow. It’s an opportunity, and I like that.”
After taking full advantage of Friday’s Pro Stock-friendly conditions and emerging with the quickest car in both sessions, Anderson had six bonus points coming into the final day of qualifying. His best time of 6.524-second at 208.99 mph (following his first run of 6.556, 210.47) allowed the team to test in the increasing heat on Saturday and prepare for what could be one of the hottest race days of the year.
“Last night’s run afforded us a little bit of luxury today, to be able to go out there and do some things different with the car,” said Anderson, who will have a solo in the first run as would-be-opponent Eric Latino crashed in qualifying and will not be able to make the call.
“We found a major problem with the engine tonight, so that’s why I wasn’t able to run as fast as I should have today. The car itself was happy. We put that together and get the engine problems fixed tomorrow, we’re going to be fast. I’m excited to race, and it could be a turning point of the season.”
Eliminations for the NHRA Texas FallNationals at Texas Motorplex are set to begin at noon CT on Sunday, October 13.
This story was originally published on October 13, 2024.
The post Greg Anderson Earns 130th Career No. 1 on Saturday at NHRA Texas FallNationals first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
