Greg Anderson continues NHRA domination at 4-Wide Nationals qualifying
There is no mercy rule in drag racing; if one existed, NHRA Pro Stock team KB Racing would have already exercised it.
Before a sellout crowd at zMax Dragway, located on the grounds of Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, NC, Greg Anderson extended his team's domination to five straight No. 1 qualifying efforts during final qualifications at the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals presented by Lowes Foods.
Joining Anderson atop the leaderboard was Alexis DeJoria (Funny Car), Steve Torrence (Top Fuel) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) as the top-seeded entries headed into Sunday's final eliminations.
KB Racing's trio of drivers headlined by Anderson, Jason Line and Bo Butner, have totally dominated the Pro Stock division since NHRA mandated all entries incorporate electronic fuel injection engine combinations.
Thus far the trio has won four races, qualified No. 1 four times and paced qualifying for 19 consecutive sessions. With the four-wide format, there is the potential all three could race in the final round.
"I'm not only wondering if this run of good fortune will end; but when it will," admitted Anderson. "I guess I am kind of a glass-half-empty kind of guy. I try to be positive but sometimes I look for the negative. I guess I am looking for everyone to catch us and beat us. When we do find a way to pull out ahead of everyone and win races, it's a wonderful feeling.
"The offseason work is paying off. The team has matched the horsepower to the track. I think our team did better than anyone with this today through changing conditions."
DeJoria not only snatched away Matt Hagan's Funny Car track record in Saturday's opening qualifying session, but also claimed her first top qualifier of the season. The recent Las Vegas winner thundered by for a 3.934 elapsed time at 321.04 when Hagan failed to improve on Friday's 3.941.
In her opening quartet, DeJoria will face two drivers who have won races this year. She will line up against Tim Wilkerson [Phoenix] and Robert Hight [Gainesville]. No. 16 qualifier Jeff Diehl rounds out the quartet.
"We needed this boost, and it feels incredible to go from not being able to make it down the track to winning in Vegas, and now a No. 1 qualifier under our belt," said DeJoria. "I really don't pay attention to who I race unless I get a driver who takes a longer time to stage, then I pay attention."
Top Fuel driver Steve Torrence was timed out in his final qualifying attempt, but the miscue didn't create any ripples for the Pomona winner and provisional No. 1 qualifier.
"I really didn't realize I had messed up until I got to the finish line," Torrence admitted. "I'm just glad my run stayed No. 1. I feel confident we have a really good car for tomorrow's race."
Torrence's 3.736 elapsed time withstood a Saturday afternoon charge by JR Todd to gain the top seed headed into Sunday. Todd was second quickest with a 3.743.
Gainesville winner Brittany Force fell to third when she failed to improve on her 3.751. She will race in a quartet with two other 2016 race winners when she lines up against defending series champion Antron Brown and Phoenix titlist Leah Pritchett. Drag racing veteran Pat Dakin rounds out the group.
Krawiec, a multi-time champion in the Pro Stock Motorcycle division, will be the rider to beat on Sunday. His Friday run of 6.818 seconds withstood Saturday's two sessions to fend off a charge from Matt Smith, who turned in a 6.832 performance.
“I would definitely say this No. 1 qualifier came as a surprise," said Krawiec. "I know I have a great motorcycle and a great team behind me, but there are a lot of great motorcycles out there. For us right now, it’s a matter of hitting it on the right session. That’s the way it should be."
zMax Dragway officials announced Saturday afternoon, the second day of the three-day race sold out reserved seat tickets making it one of the largest single-day attended events in the strip's history. The track has 30,000 reserved seats.
Final eliminations begin at Noon. The event will be broadcast at 4:30 p.m. ET on FS1.
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Bobby Bennett is the Publisher/Editor of CompetitionPlus.com, a leading independent online drag racing magazine, since 1999. For the latest in dragster news worldwide, visit www.competitionplus.com or follow on Twitter @competitionplus
