Greg Anderson Qualifies #1 for Sixth Time, Retains Pro Stock Points Lead

Greg Anderson earned the Number One Qualifier award at the NHRA Virginia Nationals—the sixth of the season and the 99th of his career. Anderson also set Low ET of the Event and held on as leader in the Pro Stock points standings with his quarterfinals finish.

In Round One of eliminations, Anderson’s 6.614 second/209.20 MPH pass defeated Tommy Lee, who broke on the starting line. In Round Two, Anderson’s 6.625/208.84 pass fell short against Drew Skillman’s 6.617/209.07.

“We had a great weekend, we just didn’t get the job done on Sunday,” said Anderson, who recorded Low ET and Top Speed of the meet in qualifying with a 6.571/210.67 pass.

“We seem to manage the assessment of the track pretty well in qualifying, but somehow, we aren’t doing the right thing on race day. It was tough today, but the good news is we get to try again in four days.”

Jason Line entered Sunday eighth in the Pro Stock points standings. In Round One of eliminations, Line experienced tire shake. He attempted to apply power to the race track, finishing with 12.854/67.94 and handing giving Drew Skillman the win.

“We just shook the tires,” said Line. “We’ll be ready for Bristol, though. We have everything we need to win. We just have to do a better job.”

Tim Wilkerson, driver of the Levi, Ray and Shoup Ford Shelby Mustang Nitro Funny Car had a semifinal finish, giving the dedicated LSR team a much needed boost.

In Round One of eliminations, Wilkerson had one of the best runs of the round against Ron Capps. Wilkerson’s 4.130/303.43 pass defeated Capps’ 4.152/280.43.

“I knew Capps would be one of the hardest to race against because he does such a good job,” said Wilkerson.

In Round Two, Wilkerson took the win with a 4.014/298.14 pass that was the second fastest of race day. Opponent Jonnie Lindberg’s car broke before staging.

Wilkerson’s faced John Force in the semifinals, but lost with a 4.623/201.70 to Force’s 4.077/316.97 pass.

“I really thought we had something for Force, but something went wrong. We haven’t had a chance to see what happened,” said Wilkerson. “Outside of that, it was a pretty darn good day and I’m optimistic for next weekend in Bristol.”

Final Round Results
Top Fuel—Steve Torrence (3.812/322.96) defeated Doug Kalitta (3.844/309.56)

Funny Car—Courtney Force (4.039/321.96) defeated John Force (4.076/307.65)

Pro Stock—Tanner Gray (6.595/208.81) defeated Erica Enders (6.628/208.46)

Pro Stock Motorcycle—LE Tonglet (6.841/196.76) defeated Andrew Hines (6.848/196.22)

What’s next:
The next event on the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series is the Fitzgerald USA NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway in Bristol, Tennessee, June 15-17.

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