The 70th annual Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals proved to be a solid conclusion to the regular season for Greg Anderson and his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro, and now, the five-time world champion is eager to head home to prepare to race for a sixth Pro Stock title in NHRA’s Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.
“It was a good weekend, for many reasons,” said Anderson. “It didn’t turn into a great weekend on Monday, though, and that’s not the note we wanted to end on, especially at the U.S. Nationals. But the HendrickCars.com Chevrolet showed us what she’s capable of, and the timing for that couldn’t be better. I’ve had a great racecar for most of the year, and now is when that becomes most important. The Countdown starts in just a couple of weeks, and we have seen all of the evidence that proves we have a car that is capable of winning. Taking advantage of that is going to be critical for these next six races.”
Anderson earned the 129th No. 1 of his career there at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park and had low elapsed time in each round of qualifying to prove that he and his KB Titan Racing team truly have a car that can compete when the NHRA Countdown to the Championship kicks off at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa., Sept. 12.
In the first round at the esteemed U.S. Nationals, Anderson and KB Titan Racing teammate Camrie Caruso met at the starting line for the second time this season. He defeated Caruso in the Pomona Winternational semifinals earlier this year, and he again emerged victorious with a better reaction time and swifter journey down the quarter mile, 6.542 to 6.570.
In the second round, Anderson was again first to leave the starting line and first to the finish with a powerful racecar next to Cristian Cuadra. His 6.551 defeated a 6.574 and gave him lane choice over Aaron Stanfield in the semifinals. Anderson has reached the semifinals or better at nine of the regular season events.
Anderson drew Aaron Stanfield in the semifinals, a driver he has raced four times before during the 2024 season, and a driver whose father – Greg Stanfield – he raced many times (43 times during eliminations, with a 27-16 advantage). This time, though, it was a Stanfield with the win light. Anderson launched first, but then the spin of his tires began to conflict with the racing surface, and he had to push in the clutch to settle situation.
“You hate that on raceday. You hate that any day, but you really hate that on raceday,” said Anderson. “The best thing we can do is leave here with the confidence that the HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro is a great car. I’ve been driving well, and aside from today, we had a great weekend. Now we have to turn our attention to the days ahead and what we can do to navigate every situation that may arise. I’m excited for the Countdown to the Championship to start. I want that, I’ve been thinking about it all season long. It’s time to go race for a championship that we can bring home to KB Titan Racing.”
The 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship will begin in two weeks at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa., Sept. 12-15.
This story was originally published on September 3, 2024. 
