Qualifying for the 65th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals struck a starkly different note – at least in terms of weather – than last week in Phoenix, but Greg Anderson and his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro were still the cream of the crop. Anderson, a 15-time winner at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip and the victor at last weekend’s NHRA Arizona Nationals, landed the provisional pole on Friday in Pomona and is halfway to securing the 134th No. 1 qualifier award of his career.
The race in Phoenix was an exceptionally sunny affair, with track temperatures soaring and a tricky racetrack to manage. The KB Titan Racing tuners and crew chiefs had little trouble, and Anderson qualified in the No. 2 position and won the event. Coming into this weekend’s race, the predictions were for temps in the low 60-degrees Fahrenheit range, and so far, that’s exactly what’s been dealt by Mother Nature. Rising to the occasion, KB Titan showed that they could move deftly despite the wild fluctuation.
“I really think the guys are getting smarter every year,” said Anderson, who started the team nearly 25 years ago with Ken Black and soon after tapped Rob Downing as crew chief. “Rob, Nate VanWassenhove, Dave Connolly, and the entire crew over there, everybody that works on these cars, they’re getting better at their trade every year. They’re able to master a hot track, a cold track, an in-between track, a bumpy track, a smooth track. That’s what you have to have, and I have the best team behind me. They’re able to handle the conditions, no matter what they may be.”
Anderson’s HendrickCars.com Camaro was third-quickest in the early session with a 6.524-second pass, and in the final qualifier of the day, he raced to the top on a 6.495, 210.01 that was the only pass quicker than 6.50. For a driver who has had so much success at this particular facility – Anderson’s 15 wins far surpass those of any other currently competing driver – he has a lot of confidence in the relationship between his program and In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, and not just for his car, but for all the cars in the KBT stable.
“This place has been pretty good to me,” he said. “I love coming here to race; this is where it all started, and I can feel it coming here. There is a lot of history here, and I’ve made some great history myself here. Pro Stock is pretty cool right now; there are so many cars that can run fast, and I’m so damn proud of this KB Titan Racing team.
“I’ve got eight cars out here this weekend, and quite honestly, any one of those eight cars – if they hit it on the target any run – can go to the pole. I feel like a proud papa, I feel like I’m a decent part of that, and I’m probably more proud of that than the fact that my car went No. 1. It’s hard to do, it’s hard to make them all fast, all good, all happy. We’re very close to having everybody on top of the moon and having a chance to win the race. I’m very proud of that.”
As for whether or not the No. 1 will be in Anderson’s hands by the end of Saturday qualifying, that remains to be seen. The conditions are set to be cool on Saturday and then cooler yet on Sunday. The track record of 6.480-second could be in danger, and after resetting the national record at the season-opener in Gainesville, Anderson would very much like to add that notch to his belt as well.
“I really feel that we can run 6.48, whether we can get below that zero or into the 6.47s, I don’t know,” said Anderson. “It’s going to take 100% nailing it on the starting line, getting that killer 60-foot time. But these cars are capable of doing that. If we don’t have a lot of sun tomorrow, it could damn well happen. It’s going to be exciting, and it’s going to be fun. I don’t know who to bet on, and that’s the great thing about Pro Stock right now.”
Qualifying for the 65th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals will continue on Saturday at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, with two sessions remaining to set the field.
This story was originally published on March 29, 2025. 
