Greg Anderson Makes it Nine for Nine for Team Summit Racing with New England Nationals Victory

Greg Anderson made it nine of nine for KB Racing with his win over Allen Johnson at the rain-delayed NHRA New England Nationals in Epping, New Hampshire. It was Anderson’s fourth victory of the 2016 season, his second at New England Dragway, and the 82nd of his career.

Anderson qualified fourth with a 6.584 second, 210.70 MPH pass. He defeated V. Gaines in Round One of eliminations, Alex Laughlin in Round Two, and teammate Jason Line in the semifinals to reach his 131st career final round. Anderson raced past Allen Johnson for the win, 6.598/210.44 to Johnson’s 6.673/208.71.

“It’s been a great start to the year,” said Anderson. “This team is on fire. It’s a dream to drive that race car. I had the best car on the grounds this weekend and I got the job done today.”

Anderson was also impressed by the number of New England fans that filled the stands during eliminations on Monday. Rain forced the NHRA to cancel the regularly scheduled Sunday finals.
 
“I came out this morning and thought it would be like a test day without many people around to watch,” said Anderson. “I looked up in the grandstands when we rolled out for Round One and they were nearly packed. I love racing up here and obviously the fans love us coming here.”

Anderson is currently second in the Pro Stock points standings.

Jason Qualifies Number One for Fourth Time, Remains #1 in Points
Jason Line qualified Number One for the fourth time this season with a 6.567/211.13 pass. He defeated John Gaydosh in Round One and had a bye-run in Round Two before facing teammate Greg Anderson in the semifinals. Line ran a strong 6.620/210.14, but Anderson took the win with a quicker 6.618/209.46.

“The car was good; it’s always good,” Line said. “It was just one of those times where we didn’t have the outcome we wanted. We had a heck of a run going, though—our team did a heck of a good job. My Chevy Camaro is great. I’m not trading it with anybody else’s, I can tell you that!”

Line is currently Number One in the Pro Stock points standings.

Tim Wilkerson Borrows Old Mustang, Sets Track Speed Record
After crashing his new car two weeks ago in Topeka, Tim Wilkerson borrowed his old Shelby Mustang, “Bessie”, from Brian Stewart, who bought it after the Las Vegas race. Wilkerson qualified fifth with 3.890/330.63 pass, which set a new track top speed record at New England Dragway.

Wilkerson defeated Chad Head in Round One, but lost to John Force in Round Two when he smoked the tires off the starting line.

"The car ran great in the first round. I really don’t know why it did what it did second round yet; I haven’t had a chance to really analyze the data,” said Wilkerson. “I thought I had enough clutch off of it. We’re still learning. I had two new clutch guys this weekend, and we’re trying to get together and learn how to find a routine and that kind of thing.”

Wilkerson is currently fourth in the Funny Car points standings.

Team Summit Notes: Top Fuel
Coming off a three-race winning streak, Doug Kalitta qualified sixth with a 3.767/326.71 pass. He defeated Terry McMillen in Round One and Todd Paton in Round Two, but was defeated by Steve Torrence in the semifinals. Kalitta remains first in the Top Fuel points standings.

"When you are on such a high you never want to slow down,” said Kalitta. “I am so proud of these Mac Tools guys. We will see if we can start another streak next weekend.”

J.R. Todd qualified eighth with a 3.779/312.35 pass. He was defeated by Shawn Langdon in Round One of eliminations. Todd is currently seventh in the points standings.

“It is tough to lose so early on into the race,” said Todd. "We plan on qualifying better in Englishtown next weekend.”

Team Summit Notes: Funny Car
Del Worsham qualified seventh (3.909/324.90). He defeated teammate Alexis DeJoria in Round One and Matt Hagan in Round Two, but lost to Tommy Johnson Jr. in the semifinals. Worsham is currently sixth in the points standings.

“We definitely wanted to pick up that win today,” said Worsham. “My guys are working hard and have what it takes to win. We will buckle down, go to the Summernationals here in a couple days and try to get the job done there."

Alexis DeJoria qualified 10th (3.928/321.04) but was defeated by Del Worsham in Round One. She is currently tenth in the points standings. 

Final Round Results
Top Fuel: Antron Brown (3.769/314.61) defeated Steve Torrence (3.778/325.30). 
Funny Car: Ron Capps (3.923/325.61) defeated Tommy Johnson Jr. (3.947/322.11).
Pro Stock: Greg Anderson (6.598/210.44) defeated Allen Johnson (6.673/208.71).

Next Race
The next event is the 47th annual NHRA Summernationals, June 9-12 in Englishtown, New Jersey. Visit Drag Race Central for more detailed results from the New England Nationals.