2007 NHRA NATIONAL EVENT SCHEDULE
Listen to Trackside Interviews with Champions, Drivers and Crew Chiefs
Robert Hight
Hillary Will
Bob Vandergriff
Dave Connolly
Ed Iskenderian
Cory McClenathan
Robert Hight
Jim Yates
Tony Bartone
Hillary Will
Whit Bazemore
Byron Hines
| Anderson Sets NHRA National Record During First-Day Qualifying at Rescheduled Richmond Race |
| Teammate Line Also Sets Pro Stock Speed Record |
 DINWIDDIE, Va., October 13, 2006 - Two days of rain postponed last weekend's inaugural Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park for a week, but so far this weekend drag race fans have found the on-track action worth the wait. Summit Racing Pontiac driver Greg Anderson made the quickest pass in NHRA Pro Stock history when he drove his Pontiac GTO to a national-record elapsed time of 6.598 seconds at 208.49 mph to claim the provisional No. 1 qualifier after the first day of qualifying. Not to be outdone, his teammate Jason Line drove his Summit Racing Pontiac GTO to the No. 2 qualifying position with an elapsed time of 6.602 seconds, and the current points leader made the fastest pass in NHRA Pro Stock history with a speed of 209.26 mph. Ironically, both drivers broke each other's old national record as Line had the old elapsed-time record at 6.609 seconds (Sept. '06, Reading, Pa.) and Anderson had the old speed record (Sept. '06, Reading, Pa.). "We were definitely expecting a little more (on that second run)," said Anderson. "We just missed, and we missed with both cars, to be honest with you. Maybe we got a little too nonchalant after that first run when things worked so well. We just have to pay attention to the racetrack. It changed from the first run to the second run, and it cooled down a whole bunch out there and the track got a lot tighter. We both missed it, but it's nothing we can't fix. We look forward to tomorrow afternoon when it's sunny and we get a little more heat in the racetrack. If the weather turns out as predicted, I think it's going to be quicker yet." With two rounds of qualifying still scheduled for tomorrow, this is the quickest Pro Stock field in NHRA history, surpassing the quickest field set at Reading just three weeks ago. Anderson has the point on the 16-car field at 6.598 seconds and Jim Yates in the WileyX Pontiac GTO is on the bump spot at 6.658 seconds. "It's a lot of fun racing like this. Everybody's got a big smile on their face. Every racer out here has all run a personal best. As a driver there's nothing more fun than when you run personal bests. It's a neat ride and you can definitely feel the difference. We're having fun." "We were definitely swinging for the fences in the second session and we just missed," said Line. "We were going for a 6.58 or 6.57 and just didn't get it, but I definitely think it's out there so we'll try again tomorrow." Qualifying for Sunday's eliminations continues tomorrow with third- and fourth-round sessions at 12:00 noon and 2:30 p.m. Eastern, respectively. |
