Anderson Moves up in the Points After New England Nationals

Greg Anderson’s semi-final round finish at the second annual Auto-Plus NHRA New England Nationals moved the four-time Pro Stock champion up to 12th place in the points standings, just two rounds away from breaking into the Top 10 and a place in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs in September.

Anderson qualified seventh with a 6.512 second, 213.10 MPH pass. In eliminations, he knocked out his first two opponents with back-to-back holeshot wins. In Round One, Anderson defeated Chris McGaha with a monster .045 starting line advantage, running 6.547/212.56 to McGaha’s 6.532/213.43. In Round Two against Erica Enders-Stevens, Anderson’s .012 second starting line advantage gave him the win, 6.551/212.86 to 6.551/213.40.

Anderson’s matchup with Dave Connolly in the semifinals didn’t go quite as well, with Connolly taking the win with a 6.517/213.33 to Anderson’s 6.549/212.93.

“I got a break in the first two rounds,” said Anderson. “They (McGaha and Enders-Stevens) didn’t have the performance they had earlier in the weekend, and that certainly worked in our favor. Those are the kind of breaks you need sometimes. We actually had a good weekend with our Summit Racing Camaro, and we’re looking forward to getting to Chicago to keep digging for that performance we really want to see. We’ve made gains, we just need to make a few more.”

Line Stays Fourth in the Points Standings
Jason Line qualified the blue Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro ninth with a 6.521/213.94 pass. In Round One of eliminations, opponent Jonathan Gray turned a .021 second starting line advantage into a win, 6.525/213.16 to Line’s 6.530/213.64.

“That was an unpleasantly early day for us,” said Line. “Thankfully, those are rare, and we have a great team. The Summit Racing crew is planning a much better day on Sunday in Chicago, but we made some good runs out here this weekend. We just have to build on those.”

Line remains fourth in the Pro Stock points standings.

Team Summit Results: Top Fuel
Doug Kalitta qualified second (3.773/323.89). He defeated Terry McMillen, Khalid alBalooshi, and Richie Crampton to reach the final round, where he runner-upped to Tony Schumacher. Kalitta remains first in the points standings.
J.R. Todd qualified fifth (3.778/324.83). He defeated Bob Vandergriff Jr. in Round One of eliminations, but lost to Clay Millican in Round Two. Todd is currently 10th in the points standings.

Team Summit Results: Funny Car
Tim Wilkerson qualified seventh (4.063/312.50) but lost to Ron Capps in Round One. He is currently ninth in the points standings.
Del Worsham qualified 11th (4.105/312.50). He defeated Jack Beckman in Round One, but lost to Courtney Force in Round Two. Worsham is currently seventh in the points standings.
Alexis DeJoria qualified fifth (4.053/311.99). She defeated Tony Pedregon, Tommy Johnson Jr., and John Force to reach the final round, where she runner-upped to Ron Capps. DeJoria is currently second in the points standings.

Final Round Results
Top Fuel: Tony Schumacher defeated Doug Kalitta, 3.824/323.27 to 3.813/323.89.
Funny Car: Ron Capps defeated Alexis DeJoria, 4.095/315.19 to 4.121/309.98.
Pro Stock: Dave Connolly defeated Jonathan Gray, 6.536/213.23 to 6.577/213.16.
Pro Stock Motorcycle: Angie Smith defeated Matt Smith, 6.905/191.89 to 7.230/145.99.
Pro Stock Snowmobile: Tina Duncanson defeated Mark Case, Jr., 8.289/156.52 to 9.534/149.46.

Next Race
The next event is the O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals, June 27-29 in Joliet, IL. Visit DragRaceCentral.com for more news and in-depth results from the New England Nationals.