In the first nine races of the 2012 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing season, Greg Anderson and the Summit Racing team were the picture of competitive excellence, winning four times in seven final round appearances, capped by their win in Englishtown, N.J. in the KB Racing team’s first race with the new Chevrolet Camaro.
Over the last four events, however, their pace has cooled somewhat, with only one final round coupled with a pair of uncharacteristically early exits.
Greg Anderson
Therefore, as he and his crew head to the scenic Napa Valley for this weekend’s NHRA Sonoma Nationals, Anderson looks for he and his team to return to their winning form, which he believes will come from addressing any problem areas that have cropped up in recent weeks.
“We were racing really well just a few races ago, but seem to have fallen off our game a little recently,” Anderson said. “We need to get back on track, making better race day calls, with everyone concentrating on doing their jobs to the best of their abilities, racing smarter and getting as much as we can from every run.
“We also need to get some more performance from our Summit Racing Camaros. Even though they have been extremely competitive right out of the box, we are still early in the process. The bottom line is that we have a lot of work to do and a short time in which to get it done, so we’ll head to the friendly confines of Sonoma and see what we can do to rectify some of our issues.”
As Anderson suggested, one aspect seemingly working in the KB Racing team’s favor is the site of this weekend’s event. Located just north of San Francisco in the California wine country, the Sonoma quarter-mile has been one of the four-time champion’s best tracks, with four wins (including last year’s event) in seven final round appearances and an elimination round win record exceeding 80 percent. Although this certainly provides a welcome boost to their confidence, it is also an opportunity that the team knows they must take advantage of.
Jason Line
Teammate Jason Line can also derive some peace of mind from his record in Sonoma. In only eight starts he has already amassed two wins in four final round appearances, becoming one of only six Pro Stock drivers with multiple wins in the California wine country, a total he would like to add to this weekend as teams make their final push for the championship playoffs, which start in just five races.
“There are a lot of reasons why we enjoy our race weekends in Sonoma,” Line said. “First of all, it has been a great track for the Summit Racing team with conditions that suit our tune-up and both Greg and I scoring multiple wins there. Of course, based on our past successes there, we will have some high expectations going in to the weekend. This is an important time of year for us as we get ready to defend our championship.”
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