Anderson and Line Hope to Make it a Three-fer at the NHRA Gatornationals

2016 is off to a great start for the Summit Racing Equipment Pro Stock drivers Greg Anderson and Jason Line. Both have claimed victories in the first two races of the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Racing Series. Next up for the KB Racing team is the 2016 Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida.

Jason Line won the most recent race in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, defeating Chris McGaha in the final round in Phoenix. He is also the points leader in Pro Stock coming in to the Gatornationals.

Line is no stranger to the winner’s circle at Gainesville Raceway. He has won four times at this track and was a runner-up twice, including last year against teammate Anderson. Does he feel pressure to win?

“No more pressure than normal. You are always under pressure to win,” said Line. “With making it to the finals in Pomona and winning in Phoenix, our team has lots of momentum going into the Gatornationals, but we don’t want to get overconfident.”

Even with the success the KB racing team has seen this season, they are not taking any time off. Line and Anderson tested their Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaros all this week at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte.

"We're not completely satisfied with everything on the car yet. There are still lots of improvements we can make and more power to pull out of it,” said Line. "We have to keep up with all the Pro Stock teams out there trying to go faster."

Anderson to Defend Gatornationals Championship
Greg Anderson is the defending champion of the NHRA Gatornationals and is currently second in the Pro Stock rankings, just 18 points behind teammate Jason Line.

Anderson has been quite successful at Gainesville Raceway, winning a Wally three times and runner-upping twice. But Anderson also has fond memories of the track growing up that make the Gatornationals special to him.

“I think the first time that I won there, it felt like something special, something bigger,” said Anderson. “Every time I've been to the race, whether it was with my father as a young teenager or as a racer, just the magnitude of Gainesville Raceway, the size of the grandstands, the amount of spectators, all the cars and alligators in a ditch, it's just cool.”

“What really makes the Gatornationals one of the biggest races is the history behind it,” Anderson continued “The history that tracks like Gainesville, Pomona, and Indy have—that's what makes these races special.”

Wilkerson Looking for Second Season Win
Tim Wilkerson comes into the NHRA Gatornationals as a winner after claiming victory in Phoenix by defeating sixteen-time champion John Force in the finals. While most people would feel the pressure coming into the race as a champion, Wilkerson said there are no concerns for him.

“I have a 24 hour rule. No matter if we win or lose, 24 hours later it doesn’t matter and we are starting with a clean slate,” said Wilkerson.

While there was talk of Wilkerson running a brand new Murph McKinney chassis this weekend, he has decided to stay with the car he lovingly calls “Bessie.”

“We’re going to run my girl Bessie one more time. But we do have the new chassis in the trailer and we hope to get some test runs in on Monday,” explained Wilkerson. “This new car has a whole new fuel system and it doesn’t act the same as the other car. My co-crew chief Richard Hartman and I want to get a handle on this newset-up before putting it into competition.”

Gatonationals Coverage
Coverage of the 2016 Gatornationals will air on FOX Sports 1. An hour of qualifying coverage will air Friday night at 9 p.m. EST and Saturday at 6:30 p.m. EST. Live coverage of eliminations begins at 1 p.m. EST Sunday.

Fans can also go to Drag Race Central to get updates throughout the weekend.

2016 Amalie Oil Gatornationals Schedule (All Times EST)
Friday
12:45 pm: Pro Stock Qualifying
1:30 pm: Nitro Funny Car Qualifying
4:15 pm: Pro Stock Qualifying
5:00 pm: Nitro Funny Car Qualifying

Saturday
12:00 pm: Pro Stock Qualifying
12:45 pm: Nitro Funny Car qualifying
3:15 pm: Pro Stock Final Qualifying
4:00 pm: Nitro Funny Car Final Qualifying
 
Sunday
10:15 am: Race Day Driver Intros
11:00 am: Round 1 of Eliminations