Anderson Looking to Hold onto Top 10 Spot at U.S. Nationals

With six victories to his credit, Summit Racing pilot Greg Anderson has the best U.S. Nationals win record of all currently Pro Stock. This weekend, Anderson will compete for a seventh Indy Wally at 60th annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals.

The race is Anderson’s final chance to secure a strong starting position in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs. He comes to Indy Number 10 in the Pro Stock points standings.

"I feel very good about our performance right now," said Anderson. "We've had a couple of good test days, and it's basically come down to the final event to lock in our spot. We're No. 10 right now, and if [No. 11] Jonathan Gray wants this spot, he's going to have to fight hard to earn it.”

This year’s U.S. Nationals also marks the 15th anniversary of Anderson’s first final round appearance in Indy. As a rookie Pro Stock racer in 1999, he faced veteran driver and former boss Warren Johnson. Making it so far on race day at such a prestigious event was heady stuff for Anderson, but he got a lesson stilled remembered to this day.

"I got whupped," said Anderson with a laugh. "We were having a magical day, and I really, really believed we could win that race. But then we ran Warren Johnson in the final, and I looked like the rookie I was. There was a difference in the lanes, if I remember correctly, and he sniffed it out and showed me who was boss. That showed me that it takes more than just a lucky day to win a race. You need experience. It was a lesson learned.”

Anderson and his determined KB Racing team have seen their two Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaros gain performance. He has logged his best qualifying efforts of the year in the last four races, and made three final round appearances so far this season Making the final at Indy will be a validation of Anderson’s fight to make the most of his shortened regular season.

It's come down to the end like I thought it would,” Anderson said. “It should be a great challenge. May the best man win."

Greg Anderson By the Numbers, U.S. Nationals Edition
3: Number One qualifying performances by Anderson, most recently in 2006.
6: U.S. Nationals wins. Anderson’s win total is second only to Bob Glidden’s nine for the most in Pro Stock history.
8: Final round appearances.
11: Times Anderson has qualified in Top Five in 14 previous starts.
36: Elimination round wins in 14 previous starts.

Event Schedule (All Times Eastern)
Friday, August 29: One qualifying session at 6 pm
Saturday, August 30: Two qualifying sessions at 2:30 and 6:00 pm
Sunday, August 31: Two qualifying sessions at 11:00 am and 2:30 pm
Monday, September 1: Final eliminations starting at 11:00 am

Television Coverage on ESPN2 (All Times Eastern)
Sunday, August 31: Qualifying, 11:00 am to 3:00 pm and 5:00-7:00 pm     
Monday, September 1: Eliminations, 12:00 noon to 6:00 pm