Greg Anderson Phoenix Saturday report

Anderson Qualifies Third in Phoenix

Greg Anderson

Photo by: Ted Rossino

After posting the fifth-quickest time in Friday’s opening sessions, Summit Racing Pro Stock standout Greg Anderson came into the second day of qualifying for the NHRA Arizona Nationals in Chandler, Ariz. determined to better his race car’s performance and improve his standing for race day. Although temperatures would climb into the upper 90’s for the second consecutive day, conditions during the morning session would prove to be the best of weekend, creating changes throughout the starting line-up.

As expected, Anderson was among those making a charge, with his 6.635-second, 208.26 mph pass the third-quickest of the round, elevating him to the third position on Sunday’s final eliminations ladder. It was a similar story on his final attempt, as he was third-quickest in the heat of the afternoon, earning an additional bonus point and setting the stage for a first-round encounter against veteran V. Gaines. Despite the solid showing, the defending champion felt work still remained in order to challenge for his second win at Firebird International Raceway.

“Even though we improved today, like many of our competitors, we’re still puzzled by our race car’s performance” said Anderson. “Our Summit Racing Pontiac has been great in the first 60 feet, but just hasn’t been getting it done in the back half, and we need to figure out why. Of course, with a lot of teams struggling, the natural tendency is to blame the track or the heat, but it really wasn’t that bad – after all, it wasn’t that much different from what we had in Dallas or Indy.

“It all comes down to doing a better job of executing, and figuring out exactly what this car needs to run. Fortunately, I have the best crew chiefs in the business, so I’m confident we’ll come up with some answers before the first round. It’s going to take some work and a little luck, but hopefully we can turn this around and have a great day tomorrow.”