Anderson and Line Reach Final Round at Denso 4 Wide Nationals

KB Racing-powered Greg Anderson, Jason Line, and Bo Butner made the final round at the DENSO Auto Parts NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Greg Anderson had the fastest car in the final, but Butner’s quicker reaction time (.030) and 6.677 second/207.02 MPH pass beat all three of his challengers: Anderson (.052 RT) 6.655/207.94, Line (.054 RT) 6.674/206.99, and Matt Hartford (.052 RT) 6.667/206.51.

“This class is so tight. It’s tough,” said Butner, who now has a total of six Las Vegas wins across the Pro Stock and Sportsman categories.

Anderson’s speed in the final was the fastest of the Pro Stock cars all weekend, and he had the top speed of over 207 MPH in each of the preceding rounds. In Round One of eliminations he clocked a 6.692/207.78. In Round Two, his 6.689/207.88 pass advanced him to the finals.

“My car was fast,” said Anderson. “This was certainly the best day I’ve had all year. Maybe it’s baby steps, but it’s absolutely steps forward. We’re going to be a handful the rest of the year.”

Anderson is now eighth in Pro Stock points.

Jason Line had an equally good weekend, defeating Jeg Coughlin and Alan Prusiensky in Round One. In Round Two, Line and Anderson beat Erica Enders and Alex Laughlin to advance to the final round.

“We got better as the weekend went on,” said Line, who moved up to fourth place in the Pro Stock standings. “We made progress and we got a little bit better each run. I think that gives us something positive to look forward to, for sure.”

The next Pro Stock event for NHRA’s Mello Yello Drag Racing Series is the Virginia NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park, May 17-19.

Tim Wilkerson, driver of the Levi, Ray and Shoup Ford Shelby Mustang Nitro Funny Car, scored his first Number One qualifier award of the season and his second trip to the finals.

In Round One of eliminations, Wilkerson’s 3.891/325.69 pass bested Jeff Diehl (4.223/264.23), Shawn Langdon (4.538/173.4), and Robert Hight (4.524/186.30) and was low elapsed time of race day.

In Round Two, Wilkerson made the second-best pass of the round with a 3.996/312.21 run to move ahead with J.R. Todd to the final.

In the final round, Wilk encountered tire smoke, while J.R. Todd took the win and Tommy Johnson Jr. was runner-up. Jack Beckman and Wilkerson finished third and fourth to officially record semifinals finishes.

“I do feel good, even though I’m a little disappointed,” said Wilkerson, who moved to seventh place in the Funny Car points standings. “We’re happy with the way the car is running, and we have a lot of great things coming up—including a new Ford Mustang body and a special 40th anniversary LRS design.”

Final Round Results
Top Fuel—Mike Salinas (3.801/330.9) defeated Brittany Force (3.810/321.42), Doug Kalitta (4.333/193.74), and Clay Millican (4.350/264.23)

Funny Car— J.R. Todd (3.970/319.07) defeated Tommy Johnson Jr. (3.975/313.29), Jack Beckman (4.370/213.16), and Tim Wilkerson (4.401/205.35)

Pro Stock—Bo Butner (6.677/206.67) defeated Matt Hartford (6.667/206.51), Jason Line (6.674/206.99), and Greg Anderson (6.655/207.94)

Pro Stock Motorcycle—Hector Arana Jr. (6.907/195.79) defeated Matt Smith (6.903/197.02), Eddie Krawiec (Foul), and Andrew Hines (Broke)

Low ET: Bo Butner 6.639 seconds
Top Speed: Greg Anderson 207.94 MPH

What’s Next
The next event on the 2019 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour is the NHRA Mopar Express Lane Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway Park, in Baytown, Texas, April 12-14.

For more information and complete race results visit DragRaceCentral.com.