Anderson Reaches Final Round at Englishtown

Greg Anderson’s friendship with Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey was renewed this weekend as he wheeled to the final round at the Toyota NHRA Summernationals. It was Anderson’s seventh career final round appearance at this event.

Anderson qualified eighth with a 6.503 second, 214.31 MPH run. In Round One against Jonathan Gray, Anderson got loose early but regained control to clock a 6.554/213.43 pass and take the win. Anderson was one of just five racers to make it down the Englishtown’s tricky racetrack with a respectable time.

In Round Two, Anderson got a slight starting line edge on opponent Chris McGaha. Both experienced tire shake and had to pedal their cars down the track in an attempt to get traction. Ultimately it was Anderson with the win, 7.906/170.92 to McGaha’s 8.272/189.26.

In the semifinal round, opponent Rodger Brogdon’s car failed to maintain power as he attempted to pull to the starting line. Anderson showed good sportsmanship by waiting until the officials signaled him to pull forward. Just as Anderson completed his burnout, Brogdon’s car fired up and he staged for the race. Anderson got a .033 second starting line advantage and never looked back, taking the win with a 6.535/214 as Brogdon coasted to a 15.406/54.34.

Anderson met up with Jeg Coughlin, Jr. in his second final round appearance of the season and the 115th of his career. Anderson got a jump on Coughlin with a .010-second reaction time to Coughlin’s .016 RT. Anderson was charging towards victory when the Summit Racing Camaro broke loose, forcing Anderson to shut it off.

“It was a weird day, with a lot of pedaling for the Pro Stock cars,” said Anderson. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a day like this. The power level went up, the air was great, and then the starting line got warm and everyone had a hard time managing it. We made the proper adjustments before the semifinal round but went over the top again in the finals. It was a complete tuner’s battle today.”

Anderson is now just two round wins shy of tying Pro Stock icon Bob Glidden’s remarkable 597 career wins. Pro Stock legend Warren Johnson holds the all-time record at 873.

“That’s a real neat deal, but the truth is that we are more focused right now on the performance of our Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaros and getting them where we want them to be,” said Anderson. “By achieving the results we are so focused on, we will be able to achieve those milestones. As a team, we are certainly looking forward to that.”

Anderson is currently 13th in the Pro Stock points standings.

Line Resets Personal Top Speed Record
Jason Line was running plenty fast at Old Bridge Township. He reset the track’s Pro Stock Top Speed record during Friday’s qualifying session with a 213.40 MPH blast. Although the record was eclipsed on Saturday, Line did reset his personal Top Speed record with a 214.83 run in the second session. Line qualified fourth with a 6.488/214.52 mph pass.

In Round One of eliminations, Line surged ahead of John Gaydosh with a 6.500/214.45 pass. Line was one of just seven Pro Stock racers to exceed 214 MPH during eliminations.

Line’s quest for the Summernationals title was halted in Round Two against Rodger Brogdon. Line got a .029 second jump on Brogdon, but lost traction downtrack and slowed to a 6.599/213.60 mph while Brogdon edged ahead to take the win with a 6.558/214.04 pass.

“It’s extremely disappointing to leave without a trophy today,” said Line. “Every loss hurts, but the good news is that Greg made up points and is on his way to the Top 10. That’s a big goal for us right now, and the way to get him there is to make sure he’s going rounds. Of course, I wanted to win today, but that wasn’t in the cards. We’ve got some time before the next race, and I can assure you that the Summit Racing team will be looking for a change by the time we get to Bristol.”

Line is currently fourth in the Pro Stock points standings.

Lang Gets in the Pro Modified Show
Summit Racing’s Kenny Lang qualified 15th with a 6.069/243.19 and met up with Pete Farber in Round One of eliminations. Lang got a .022 second starting line advantage and led Farber until the 1,000 foot mark when his Summit Racing Camaro got loose. Farber edged past Lang for the win, 5.855/250.69 to 5.900/243.19.

Team Summit Results: Top Fuel
Doug Kalitta qualified Number One (3.748/327.66). He defeated Clay Millican Tony Schumacher, and Morgan Lucas to reach the final round, but lost to Richie Crampton in the final. Kalitta is currently first in the points standings.
J.R. Todd qualified 10th (3.787/321.65). He defeated Leah Pritchett in Round One of eliminations but lost to Richie Crampton in Round Two. Todd is currently 10th in the points standings.

Team Summit Results: Funny Car
Tim Wilkerson qualified 10th (4.055/305.49) He defeated Courtney Force in Round One, but lost to Del Worsham in Round Two. Wilkerson is currently 11th in the points standings.
Del Worsham qualified second (3.994/321.04). He defeated Tony Pedregon, Tim Wilkerson, and Robert Hight to reach the finals, but lost to Cruz Pedregon. Worsham is currently fourth in the points standings.
Alexis DeJoria qualified sixth (4.027/314.31). She defeated Jeff Arend in Round One, but lost to Robert Hight in Round Two. DeJoria is currently third in the points standings.

Final Round Results
Top Fuel: Richie Crampton defeated Doug Kalitta, 3.819/320.51 to 3.848/317.34.
Funny Car: Cruz Pedregon defeated Del Worsham, 4.126/301.33 to 4.189/296.70.
Pro Stock: Jeg Coughlin defeated Greg Anderson, 6.510/213.94 to 10.314/88.65.
Pro Stock Motorcycle: Andrew Hines defeated Eddie Krawiec, 6.828/196.56 to 6.837/196.30.
Pro Modified: Von Smith defeated Jason Hamstra, 5.966/241.58 to 9.861/91.12.

Next Race
The next event is the Thunder Valley NHRA Nationals, June 13-15 in Bristol, Tennessee. Visit Drag Race Central for more news and in-depth results from the Toyota NHRA Summernationals.