Richmond: Geg Anderson preview

Anderson looks to change momentum at Richmond

PETERSBURG, Va. (October 2, 2007) -- Greg Anderson has already clinched a spot in the Countdown to 1 for an opportunity to win his fourth NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Championship. But before starting the final segment of this year's Countdown to the Championship he has some unfinished business as the second segment winds to a close at this weekend's second annual NHRA Torco Racing Fuels Nationals.

Anderson, who grew up in Duluth, Minn., spent 12 years with Pro Stock champion Warren Johnson, serving as a crew member, tuner and crew chief during four of Johnson's six NHRA Pro Stock championships, but Anderson had one ultimate goal -- that was to drive.

In 1998, Anderson took his first steps to realizing his lifelong dream of driving when an opportunity from his father-in- law Troy Humphrey, gave him his first chance to drive competitively.

Anderson then moved to the team of Mark Pawuk as a consultant at the start of the 2000 season, before returning to the driver's seat behind the wheel of Pawuk's second car for the last half of the season.

During the period from 1998 to 2000, Anderson joined the Speed Pro 200-mph Pro Stock Club (200.11 mph at Richmond in 1999) and went to three final rounds, serving notice that with proper funding he could be a winning driver on the NHRA Pro Stock circuit.

The break that Anderson needed came in 2001 when Anderson joined with George Marnell and Ken Black as crew chief on the Marnell & Black Pro Stock car driven by Marnell. He was also the test driver and part-time driver on a second Marnell & Black entry. The rest, as they say, is history.

Anderson's first win came during 2001 when driving his older model Marnell & Black/ Troy Humphrey Motorsports Pontiac Firebird he turned back Jim Yates in the final round of the Mac Tools Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway in Tennessee.

Since that time there have been 49 more wins. He is currently sixth on the all-time professional category career win list just two wins behind Joe Amato, who holds down the fifth position on the list.

Add to the win total three back-to-back-to-back Pro Stock championships (2003-2005) for Anderson since joining KB Racing. His teammate Jason Line won the championship last year, making four consecutive titles for KB Racing.

Seven of Anderson's 50 wins have come in 2007 behind the wheel of his Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac and if he can get by the three other drivers that will advance to the Countdown to 1, two-race championship round, he can add another championship title to his resume.

The march to the championship continues this weekend at Virginia Motorsports Park in Petersburg, Va., a short drive from Richmond.

Win number seven came at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. Since that time Anderson, who is current second in the Pro Stock point standing has been runner-up in four final rounds losing three of the four to Dave Connolly, who holds onto the top spot (52 points ahead of Anderson) and has won the last four races. His other loss came at the hands of Connolly's teammate, Jeg Coughlin.

"We need to get the momentum turned around to our side here at Richmond," said Anderson. "To do that we need to put this Summit Racing Pontiac in the winner's circle again and break the roll that (Dave) Connolly has been on.

"We were up (at Virginia Motorsports Park) testing a few weeks ago and they have ground the race track and made the track smoother. It should be a better race course than we had last year but I don't think you'll see the times and speeds we had last year because of the weather. It may be too warm. Times will be good and could approach the record times of last year just because of the work they did to the track.

"There's a lot on the line. We've got to get Jason (Line, teammate) in the last part of the Countdown. He's got a new hot rod, which we've been testing the last three days here in Mooresville (N.C.). He's excited and I think he'll do well. He needs to win the race; that will help. That would definitely guarantee him a spot in the Countdown.

"It would be an exceptional weekend if we could get both Summit Racing Pontiacs in the final round. Talk about momentum. But nobody is going to roll over and play dead, so we've got to go out and earn everything we get."

-credit: kbr