NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Cody Anderson came into his rookie season in NHRA Pro Stock with plenty to learn. By his own measure, he’s already exceeded expectations. He’ll make his final start of 2026 Sunday at the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals, hoping to finish a season that has brought both hard lessons and confidence-building wins on a high note.

“I’m proud,” Anderson said. “I’ve had a ton of fun. It’s been a big learning curve, and I think for my first year I’ve exceeded my expectations. I’ve just tried to enjoy every minute of it. All in all, I’m happy.”

Anderson is a decorated athlete, but Pro Stock is the first race car he has driven. The son of six-time NHRA Pro Stock champion Greg Anderson, Cody made his debut at the 2026 Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals and quickly looked comfortable in the naturally aspirated machine.

He knows there’s still plenty to learn.

“We’re race number 20, and I’m still making rookie mistakes. It’s kind of the ebbs and flows,” Anderson said. “We’ve had some really good weekends, and we’ve had some pretty bad weekends, but it’s evened out, and I’m happy where we’re at.”

One of the season’s highlights was Anderson’s victory in the final Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge. His father clinched the year-end title, and Cody also earned a runner-up finish at Rockingham.

“Those were confidence boosters. My favorite was definitely the Mission Foods win and beating Greg Stanfield, who was running for a championship. He’s arguably one of the best out here,” Anderson said. “I’ve turned on some big win lights, and they might have been first- or second-round wins, but they were big to me because these guys out here are so good and so hard to beat. When you do beat them, it’s exciting."

Anderson’s plans for 2027 aren’t set. He’s still working to secure full-time sponsorship, but for now, his focus is on closing out the weekend strong.

“This weekend, I’m just trying to enjoy it,” he said. “You never know when it’ll be the last one. Pomona, this track’s so cool — just the aura and all the years of being out here, and my dad winning championships out here. It’s an exciting place, and this is definitely a bucket-list race. It’s especially a bucket-list win.”

Greg Anderson has won the finals nine times. Cody hopes some of his father’s success at Pomona will rub off.

“My dad loves this track, and hopefully that trickles down to this Anderson, too,” he said.

Cody Anderson is also a contender for 2026 NHRA Rookie of the Year alongside Maddi Gordon. He said he believes Gordon has made a strong case for the award.
“I think we’re out of it. Maddi’s definitely deserving of it. She’s done a hell of a job, and I’m completely fine with where it’s at,” Anderson said.

As he looks back on his rookie season, Anderson is grateful to the people who helped make it possible.

“I just want to thank everyone who’s allowed me to do this and helped me along the way,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of support — my team, our team owners, Jim Whiteley and Keith Haney. They initiated this whole deal, got me in the car and got me going.”