Anderson is Turned Back by Teammate Line in Semifinals
LAS VEGAS - A three-time POWERade champion's reign was ended today when Greg Anderson, driver of the KB Racing LLC / Summit Racing Equipment Pro Stock Pontiac GTO, was defeated by his teammate Jason Line at NHRA ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals this weekend.
Anderson, from Concord, N.C., qualified No. 4 and defeated Mike Edwards and Tommy Lee in the first two rounds of today's eliminations.
In the semifinals, Anderson was paired against Line's KB Racing LLC / Summit Racing Equipment Pro Stock Pontiac GTO. At the start they both left with near identical reaction times but at the finish line it was Line turning on the win light.
Line crossed in 6.751 seconds followed by Anderson in 6.773 seconds.
With one race still remaining, Anderson will end the season No. 2 in points, while Line locked up the 2006 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Championship. Anderson won the NHRA POWERade title in 2003, 2004, and 2005 and was the 2004 Speed Channel Driver of the Year.
"I'm proud of Jason and I'm proud of this team," reflected Anderson. "In the first couple of years Jason was learning the game. Now he knows the game and has proved he knows how to win. We've got a dynamite one-two punch now that's capable of winning every race we go to, capable of winning championships. The team has grown and is now ready to go ahead and win races and championships for a long time to come.
"Looking back over the past champions in Pro Stock, I can't remember a two car team that has had four championships in a row with two different drivers winning and two different cars winning those championships. That says a lot about the strength of this team overall both today and for the future. We now know that we can win with both cars. The team, from Jason and I on down, should be proud of what we've accomplished. It says a lot for next year but for now we'll savor Jason's championship."
Next Race: The season-ending 42nd annual NHRA Auto Club Finals takes place at the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona (Calif.) November 9-12. Qualifying takes place on Thursday and Friday will one session each day and concludes with two sessions on Saturday. Eliminations get underway on Sunday.
Television: ESPN2 / ESPN2 HD will air same-day television coverage of eliminations from the NHRA ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals from 8 until 11 p.m., tonight (Oct. 29). The elimination show repeats early Monday morning (Oct. 30) from 2:30-4:30 a.m. Television times are Eastern Time (ET) and subject to change at anytime. Check local listings.
KB Racing LLC is owned by Las Vegas businessmen Ken Black and his son Kenny Black. KB Racing LLC fields two Summit Racing Equipment Pro Stock Pontiac GTOs, one driven by Greg Anderson and the other by Jason Line in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Anderson has won three consecutive POWERade Pro Stock Championships (2003-2005). Line finished third in the 2005 POWERade point standings and was honored with the 2004 Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future award, presented to the most outstanding rookie in a professional category. This year KB Racing LLC also began fielding a Top Fuel Dragster, managed by Kalitta Motorsports, with rookie Top Fuel driver Hillary Will handling the driving duties.
