Anderson Qualifies Number One, Sets Track ET Record in St. Louis

Greg Anderson almost hit the trifecta at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals in St. Louis. He qualified Number One for the second race in a row with a 6.492 second, 213.20 MPH pass—a run that also reset the Gateway Motorsports Park’s Pro Stock ET record.

Anderson defeated Mark Hogan in Round One of eliminations, 6.528/212.03 to 6.681/206.92. Anderson’s day ended in Round Two against Allen Johnson. He ran a quicker and faster 6.533/211.49, but Johnson’s near-perfect .002 second reaction gave him the win with a 6.558/211.26 pass.

“My Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro is a very good car,” said Anderson. “The only thing missing is the reaction time. We’re going to stay and test here at Gateway Motorsports Park tomorrow and we’ll see if we can do any better. We have the car, we just have to figure out why those reaction times aren’t there.”

“The long-range forecast for next week is for cool weather, and the car should be fast,” Anderson continued. “We are going to get back in the game. We have every intention in the world of doing that in Reading.”

Anderson is currently second in the Countdown to the Championship points standings.

Line Out in First Round
Jason Line qualified 10th with a 6.528/211.99 pass. He ran a 6.526/211.63 in Round One of eliminations against Larry Morgan—the quickest pass of the round. However, Morgan’s .064 second starting line advantage gave him the win with a 6.554/211.59.

“I’m really grateful to the Summit Racing crew for working so hard, and I had the car to get it done today,” said Line. “It’s another tough loss, and we’re ready to stop having those. We’re ready to win. That’s what we'll be looking for next weekend in Reading.”

Line is currently eighth in the Countdown to the Championship points standings.

Team Summit Results: Top Fuel
Doug Kalitta qualified fifth (3.759/321.27). He defeated Wayne Newby in Round One of eliminations, but lost to Brittany Force in Round Two. Kalitta is currently sixth in the points standings.
J.R. Todd qualified eighth (3.776/326.87) but lost to Dave Connolly in Round One. He is currently fifth in the points standings.

Team Summit Results: Funny Car
Tim Wilkerson qualified 10th (3.998/318.02). He defeated Courtney Force in Round One, but lost to Del Worsham in Round Two. Wilkerson is currently ninth in the points standings.
Del Worsham qualified second (3.899/327.82). He defeated Tony Pedregon, Tim Wilkerson, and Cruz Pedregon to reach the final round, where he defeated Matt Hagan. Worsham is currently Number One in the points standings.
Alexis DeJoria qualified 12th (4.073/305.91). She defeated Tommy Johnson Jr. in Round One, but lost to Ron Capps in Round Two. DeJoria is currently seventh in the points standings.

Team Summit Results: Pro Mod
Kenny Lang did not qualify (5.950/245.27).

Team Summit Results: Top Dragster
Marco Abruzzi qualified sixth (6.250/220.94) He defeated Kyle Dvorak, Rick Wilson, Tim Pap, and Matt Distell to reach the final round, where he defeated a red-lighting Andy Johnson. Abruzzi is currently Number One in the points standings.

Final Round Results
Top Fuel: Antron Brown defeated Dave Connolly, 3.721/325.92 to 3.753/328.94.
Funny Car: Del Worsham defeated Matt Hagan, 3.964/320.13 to 3.983/324.20.
Pro Stock: Drew Skillman defeated Erica Enders, 6.529/211.63 to 17.947/46.65.
Pro Stock Motorcycle: Hector Arana, Jr. defeated Hector Arana, 6.860/196.50 to 6.932/195.03.
Pro Mod: Mike Knowles defeated Rickie Smith, 5.901/242.71 to 5.953/244.52.

Next Race
The next event is the NHRA Keystone Nationals, October 2-4 in Reading, Pennsylvania. Visit Drag Race Central for more news and in-depth results from the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals.