The 2013 season of NHRA’s Mello Yello Drag Racing Series is winding down, and this weekend (Oct. 4-6) as the tour settles in at Maple Grove Raceway for the Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals – the 22nd race of 24 on the schedule – Summit Racing Pro Stock driver Greg Anderson (above) believes his main focus at this point in the season should be on helping Summit Racing teammate Jason Line advance towards a championship.
Line is currently ranked third in Pro Stock points, while Anderson sits seventh.
“This is a team effort here, and right now Jason has a better chance at winning the championship for Summit Racing,” said Anderson, a four-time titlist in NHRA’s elite Pro Stock class.
“Hopefully, any success that I have this weekend and in the last three races of the year will help him, and we’ll be able to bring home another big trophy for our team owners Ken and Judy Black and the folks at Summit Racing. We’re going to Maple Grove with guns blazing.”
Despite heading into the final race in a quick string of four in a row, Anderson insists he’s far from tired.
“I just enjoy racing as much as I possibly can,” he said . “I would like to have an off-weekend to go and test, but with how much we have been racing lately, we should have more than enough chances to fix anything that we possibly need to with our Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaros. The more time you get on the racetrack, whether it’s a test or a race, the more chances you have to learn. I’m fine with racing four in a row, and as far as attitude and stamina, the KB Racing team is fresh. We’re not complaining at all; we’re excited. May the strongest team win.”
Last weekend in St. Louis, Anderson was seriously on task and powered through eliminations before he was halted just one round short of the final, and for his efforts he was rewarded with a jump up two spots in the points.
Team Summit has an extraordinary track record in Reading. In 2004, Anderson made his way to the final at Maple Grove Raceway for the first time, and it was his teammate who beat him for the title. Between them, the Summit Racing duo own four Reading titles, and the team has seven times been on the pole on raceday (Anderson has four low qualifier awards at the venerable facility while Line has three). Anderson’s career best elapsed time was recorded there in 2012 (6.487), and Line currently holds the national record for speed at 214.35, set there last year.
“We’ve had a lot of success in Reading, and we love racing there,” said the Mooresville, N.C.-based Anderson. “You always get good atmospheric conditions at Maple Grove, and the Pro Stock cars are able to run very well. That seems to fall into the hands of KB Racing a little more than it does for other teams, and hopefully we can get those good conditions again this year.
“There are several very good cars out there right now, and this could come down to the very last race. It’s going to be a battle, and no one has any earthly idea at this point who will win it – but I sure want to help my guy as much as I can.”
(Photos courtesy NHRA/National Dragster; Click to enlarge)
This story was originally published on October 3, 2013.