Anderson Wins at NHRA FallNationals

Greg Anderson won the fourth race of the Countdown to the Championship, the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex in Ennis, Texas. Anderson was fitted in the winner’s circle for the celebratory cowboy hat, making this the fifth commemorative hat he’s earned.

“We had a good race. I’m not quite sure anybody saw me coming today, but you can’t give up,” said Anderson, who moved up to seventh in the Pro Stock points standings.  

In Round One of eliminations, Anderson had to race teammate Jason Line. It was the 80th time the two have raced one another, but only the sixth time they’ve faced off in a first round.

Anderson’s .020-second reaction time was better than Line’s .066 RT and gave Anderson the advantage. Line’s 6.590 second/208.88 MPH pass was quicker, but Anderson advanced with a 6.597/208.78 holeshot win.

“This was almost a no-win situation no matter which way that round was going to go,” Anderson said. “If I lost again, it’s depressing. If I win, then I’ve knocked out his [Line’s] chances for a championship this year. But you have to race, and every time we lock horns, we both go 100 percent. Whoever wins, wins, and it doesn’t matter what the stakes are.”

“We came out of here with a win, so in the end, that’s all that matters,” said Line, currently fourth in the Pro Stock points standings. “Not a good weekend for me, but for KB Racing and Summit Racing, it was great. So, overall it was a good day.”

In Round Two against Erica Enders, Anderson had the better .003 RT and low elapsed time (of the round) with his 6.596/210.05 pass to Enders’.030 RT, 6.604/210.54.

“You have to be perfect against her, everybody knows that,” said Anderson. “She’s the favorite right now, and to beat her was absolutely huge.”

The semifinal round saw Anderson go up against KB Racing-powered teammate Deric Kramer. Anderson took the win again on the holeshot with his 0.012 RT, 6.628/206.76 run to Kramer’s (.020) 6.627/208.30.

In the final round, Anderson was victorious with his 6.609/209.75 pass over Jeg Coughlin’s 6.610/207.56. It was Anderson’s third win of the season, the 94th of his career, and 160th for KB Racing.

“I think after Charlotte’s first round loss there, everybody was saying it was over for me,” said Anderson. “But you can’t quit. You have to take your lumps and get back up. That’s what happened today.” 

Tim Wilkerson, driver of the Levi, Ray and Shoup Ford Shelby Mustang Nitro Funny Car, and his team made one of the fastest passes in Round One of eliminations, but came up short.

Wilkerson faced Shawn Langdon for the second race in a row, going up against him in the first round last weekend in Charlotte, and winning. This time Langdon took the win on a 3.925/325.85 pass to Wilk’s 3.908/323.97.

“Shawn and those guys do a good job, and I just didn’t have the light I needed,” said Wilkerson. “Anyhow, we’ll head on over to Vegas and hopefully we’ll continue this stride of having a fast car.”

Final Round Results
Top Fuel—Billy Torrence (3.775/319.67) defeated Jordan Vandergriff (4.299/246.03)

Funny Car—Matt Hagan (3.909/327.59) defeated Bob Tasca III (3.928/323.12)

Pro Stock—Greg Anderson (6.609/209.75) defeated Jeg Coughlin (6.610/207.56)

Pro Stock Motorcycle—Jerry Savoie (6.881/195.90) defeated Eddie Krawiec
(6.901/195.62)

Low ET: Jeg Coughlin, 6.509 seconds
Top Speed: Erica Enders, 211.53 MPH

What’s Next
The next to last race in the 2019 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship is the Dodge NHRA Nationals at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada, October 31-November 3.

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