Alund Earns First NHRA Win at Four-Wide Nationals

Jimmy Alund proved why he was chosen to fill in for Summit Racing Pro Stock driver Greg Anderson by scoring his first American national event win at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The eight-time European Pro Stock champion knocked out a string of competitors on the way to his first American final round. Alund is the first European and the fourth foreign driver to win a national event in the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.

“To be able to outrun nine cars in one day—and against drivers and teams that I’ve looked up to—is pretty awesome,” said Alund. “Greg told me in Pomona to ‘drive like I stole it,’ and I’m actually thinking about stealing it right now!”

Alund qualified eighth with a 6.550 second, 211.96 MPH pass. He and Number One qualifier Chris McGaha topped V. Gaines and Larry Morgan in Round One of eliminations. In Round Two, Alund and Shane Gray put McGaha and Jeg Coughlin, Jr. on the trailer. Alund used a .038 second starting line advantage to reach the finish line first, running a 6.563/211.43 to Gray’s 6.555/211.96.

In the finals, Alund was matched with Gray, Vincent Nobile, and Erica Enders-Stevens. Alund took the victory with a 6.562/211.59 run that was a thousandth of a second quicker than runner-up Gray’s 6.563/211.69.

“This means a lot,” said Alund. “I have a lot of wins in Europe, but this is something special. It will be hard to climb out of the seat. We have a really great group of people at KB Racing, and I’ve had a great time. The Summit Racing guys are awesome, and everyone is laughing and having a good time. I think that’s a very key ingredient.”

Alund will pilot the Summit Racing Camaro at the NHRA Spring Nationals in Houston, Texas before handing the driver’s seat back to Greg Anderson. Alund’s win moved him up to eighth in the Pro Stock points standings.

Line Picks Up a Round Win in Charlotte
Jason Line qualified the blue Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro sixth with a 6.542/212.73 pass. He ran a 6.560/211.76 in Round One of eliminations—the quickest pass of the round—and advanced to the second round along with KB Racing-powered Vincent Nobile. A bout of tire shake put an end to Line’s quest for the trophy in Round Two.

Not one to dwell on a loss, Line joined the rest of the KB Racing team to prepare Summit Racing teammate Jimmy Alund for his eventual Four-Wide Nationals victory.

“I think it was a pretty darn good day,” said Line. “For all of us on this team and especially for our friend Jimmy—what a cool story. He only had a few chances to do this, and to get it done in such short amount of time is a great story. These things don’t happen very often. I don’t think anybody could be happier than me about the outcome of today’s race.”

Line is currently second in the Pro Stock points standings.

Abruzzi Wins Fourth National Event Title
Team Summit Top Sportsman racer Marco Abruzzi won his fourth NHRA national event by defeating Marc Caruso in the final round 6.890/192.30 to 7.043/188.46. Abruzzi qualified 13th (6.839/202.00) and defeated Bob Cornine, Tommy Turner Ronnie Davis, and Jeff Brooks enroute to the final round.

Team Summit Results: Top Fuel
Doug Kalitta qualified seventh (3.816/322.42). He and teammate J.R. Todd defeated Bob Vandergriff and Pat Dakin in Round One of eliminations as well as Tony Schumacher and Khalid alBalooshi in Round Two, but lost in the final. Kalitta is currently first in the points standings.

J.R. Todd ran his first full race as the driver of the Optima Batteries Top Fuel dragster. He qualified second (3.781/325.06); Todd defeated Bob Vandergriff and Pat Dakin in Round One and Tony Schumacher and Khalid alBalooshi in Round Two, but lost in final. Todd is currently 10th in the points standings.

Team Summit Results: Funny Car
Tim Wilkerson qualified fifth (4.084/312.06). He defeated Bob Tasca and Cruz Pedregon in Round One and Del Worsham and Blake Alexander in Round Two, but lost in the final. Wilkerson is tied with Courtney Force for eighth place in the point standings.

Del Worsham qualified eighth (4.097/284.56). He defeated Ron Capps and Chad Head in Round One, but lost in Round Two. Worsham is currently fifth in the points standings.

Alexis DeJoria qualified ninth (4.113/308.43). She defeated Ron Capps and Chad Head in Round One and Del Worsham and Blake Alexander in Round Two, but lost in the final. DeJoria is currently third in the points standings.

Final Round Results
Top Fuel: Antron Brown defeated Shawn Langdon, 3.800/317.42 to 3.800/322.11.
Funny Car: Robert Hight defeated John Force 4.074/311.34 to 4.132/307.51.
Pro Stock: Jimmy Alund defeated Shane Gray, 6.562/211.59 to 6.563/211.69.
Pro Stock Motorcycle: Andrew Hines defeated Eddie Krawiec, 6.859/196.10 to 6.874/196.13.

Next Race
The next event is the O' Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals, April 25-27 in Houston, Texas. Visit www.DragRaceCentral.com for in-depth results from the Four-Wide Nationals.