Anderson begins quest to recapture POWERade championship

Pomona, Calif. - One year ago at the 2006 NHRA CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals, Greg Anderson drove his KB Racing, Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac GTO to the event title in Pro Stock. It was just the way Anderson had envisioned starting the season as he vied for his fourth consecutive POWERade championship. That championship was not to be as his teammate Jason Line got hot down the stretch and by Las Vegas had locked up his first ever Pro Stock championship.

Now fast forward to this year's 47th running of the season-opening CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals which gets underway at the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona tomorrow with the first of three days of qualifying.. First, Anderson hopes to repeat his win of last season at this year's edition, the first of 23 races on the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Secondly, the three-time Pro Stock champ hopes to use the Winternationals as the steppingstone to recapture the title that eluded him last season.

Both Anderson and Line, along with crew chief Rob Downing and the KB Racing crew, have worked long and hard to make this season a standout year for performance. With a new format (see below) for crowning the champions in the four professional categories, both Summit Racing Pontiacs will have to be consistently quick and fast from race one to race 23 if they are to be on top come year end.

During testing just prior to the Winternationals, Anderson talked about where his and Line's team stood: "We're trying to get the kinks out and bring the three new people that joined us during the off season up to speed," said Anderson. "We got to get the driver tuned up, too. It seems like the drivers all forget how to drive during the off season. We got new engines and we need to get everything in sync. Everybody knows what they are doing and suppose to do. But until you do it over and over, there's hiccups along the way.

"For Pomona, it looks like equipment is in good shape. The engines are in good shape. The cars are good and hopefully the drivers will be ready starting Thursday. I think we'll have something for them. There's going to be a lot of great cars and a lot of the teams have gained a lot over the winter, but I think we have keep pace with everybody else. I think we'll have something to show them this weekend.

We're feeling good about the season and don't feel we're going to left behind. These Summit Racing Pontiac will be right there all season long. The sky is the limit for us."

Anderson then summed up his plans for the season. "My goal is to be the last driver standing come season's end," he said, then smiled.