Motivation has never been a problem for Summit Racing GXP pilot Greg Anderson. Despite posting the highest eliminations round-win percentage in NHRA history, a combination of respect for his Pro Stock competition and fear that the success will end drives the three-time champion to continually find new ways to elevate his program.
However, as the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series heads to Phoenix for this weekend’s NHRA Arizona Nationals, Anderson is inspired by a cause much closer to his heart. Following a most eventful season, he looks to use a win to elevate the spirits of team owner Ken Black, who continues his recuperation from a December stroke, and those of his family, who are in North Carolina working to recover from a devastating house fire.
“I have to make something positive happen for this Summit Racing team,” said Anderson. “We’ve had too many negatives lately, and I need to bring some happiness to some very important people, namely Ken and my family.
“Ken Black means the world to me and to this entire KB crew, while my family has allowed me to come out here and do what I love to do while they put up with the mess created by the fire. That’s why I need to finish the deal this weekend in Phoenix, doing what we need to do, which is winning races. That will help everybody heal.”
Anderson and his crew took advantage of the short week between races to head to the Nevada desert and visit their team owner. It was a stop that proved to be welcome therapy for all involved as well as further fuel the desire of the Concord, N.C., driver to deliver good results for his friend and benefactor.
“The top thing on my mind after Pomona was blasting over to Las Vegas and seeing Ken,” said Anderson. “I hadn’t seen him since his stroke, and the whole team was itching to get there. It was great to spend some time with him. We had hoped to take him a trophy and put a smile on his face but came up three-thousandths shy in the final, so hopefully, he’ll just have to wait another week for it.
“Ken’s working hard to rehab himself back into condition so he can get back to the racetrack, and we need to get this Summit Racing Pontiac back to winning races to help him do it. That’s our goal, so I can’t wait to get going in Phoenix.”
For the KB Racing crewmembers to achieve their goal, they will have to conquer a track that has given them trouble in the past. Throughout his career, Anderson has posted an incredible record of success across the NHRA circuit, scoring wins at 20 tracks and multiple victories at 17. Firebird Int'l Raceway, site of this weekend’s race, is among the few where he has won once (2003), a statistic he is more than ready to change.
“There’s no doubt that Firebird Raceway has been a challenge to the KB Racing crew,” agreed Anderson. “However, we’ve really been studying to see what we’ve done wrong in Phoenix and think we have a pretty good idea of what it is. Among other things, you have to run the car completely differently than we did in Pomona last weekend.
“We’ve also worked on our cars since last weekend, testing in Las Vegas, trying to make them better. Therefore, I think we’re going to be in better shape when we get there this weekend. However, we are not going to rest until we conquer that racetrack and put one of our Summit Racing Pontiacs back in the winner’s circle. After all, we have a lot riding on it.”