Greg Anderson makes NHRA Pro Stock history at the Texas Motorplex
By Mike Haag, Raceday San Antonio
ENNIS, Texas – Greg Anderson made NHRA Pro Stock history by becoming the winningest driver after winning the Pro Stock race at the Stampede of Speed NHRA Texas Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex.
Greg Anderson. NHRA photo
Anderson, driving the HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro, recorded his sixth victory at the Texas Motorplex when Odessa’s Chris McGaha went red in the final round. Anderson crossed the line in 6.624 at 206.32 mph to notch his 98th career victory. The previous record was 97 and was held by Warren Johnson.
“It’s been a big build-up and I’ve had such a fantastic race car all year, it was almost impossible for it not to happen, but at the same time there’s so many great drivers that can whip you,” Anderson said. “There’s no guarantees it would happen, so I knew now was the time. I certainly expected myself to step up and get it done. I’m honored to be part of this and thank goodness we got it done.”
Anderson is now tied with Top Fuel driver Tony Schumacher for second on the all-time wins list at the Texas Motorplex. Funny Car driver John Force leads the list with seven victories. His 98 victories are second only to Force, who has 154.
Greg Anderson. NHRA photo
“We had a great car all day. I can’t remember too many days of all these 98 wins where I had to depend on a lot of great luck, but today I did,” Anderson said. “There’s been a lot of great places where I’ve been at the last several races where it would have been great to get the 98th there, and Texas Motorplex is a magical place, and it makes sense. I’ve had a lot of victories here that have just been special and been career-changing. It’s a great place to race and it’s great for Pro Stock cars, and we made the most of it this weekend.”
Anderson, who started the day as the No. 1 qualifier, marched his way to the finals by defeating Marty Robertson, Matt Harford and Troy Coughlin Jr. McGaha reached the finals by defeating his son Mason McGaha, Dallas Glenn and Aaron Stanfield.
With the victory, Anderson is 81 points ahead of defending champion Erica Enders, who was knocked out of the race Sunday after losing to Aaron Stanfield in the second round. There are two races left to go on the season schedule as Anderson chases a fifth Pro Stock title.
“I never thought I’d see one win, let alone 98,” Anderson said. “That is a big number, and what a career it’s been. The best part of the whole deal, though, is that I don’t feel like I’m done yet. I still can’t wait to get to the next one.”
The next NHRA Pro Stock race will be the Dodge//SRT NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, October 29-31. The NHRA Finals will take place at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, November 11-14.
Interview:
ENNIS, Texas — Final finish order (1-16) at the 36th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex. The race is the 17th of 20 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series.
TOP FUEL:
- Justin Ashley; 2. Steve Torrence; 3. Brittany Force; 4. Josh Hart; 5. Clay Millican; 6. Billy Torrence; 7. Mike Salinas; 8. Doug Kalitta; 9. Keith Murt; 10. Krista Baldwin; 11. Alex Laughlin; 12. Buddy Hull; 13. Leah Pruett; 14. Antron Brown; 15. Shawn Langdon; 16. Joe Morrison.
FUNNY CAR:
- Ron Capps; 2. Matt Hagan; 3. Cruz Pedregon; 4. J.R. Todd; 5. Paul Lee; 6. Bob Tasca III; 7. John Force; 8. Robert Hight; 9. Tim Wilkerson; 10. Alexis DeJoria; 11. Jim Campbell; 12. Terry Haddock; 13. Dale Creasy Jr.; 14. Blake Alexander; 15. Jack Wyatt; 16. Jeff Arend.
PRO STOCK:
- Greg Anderson; 2. Chris McGaha; 3. Aaron Stanfield; 4. Troy Coughlin Jr.; 5. Erica Enders; 6. Dallas Glenn; 7. Rodger Brogdon; 8. Matt Hartford; 9. Marty Robertson; 10. Kyle Koretsky; 11. Deric Kramer; 12. Mason McGaha; 13. Kenny Delco; 14. Alan Prusiensky; 15. Fernando Cuadra; 16. Vincent Nobile.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:
- Matt Smith; 2. Hector Arana Jr; 3. Angie Smith; 4. Steve Johnson; 5. Jerry Savoie; 6. Chris Bostick; 7. Scotty Pollacheck; 8. Angelle Sampey; 9. Andrew Hines; 10. Jim Underdahl; 11. Karen Stoffer; 12. Joey Gladstone; 13. Jianna Salinas; 14. Kelly Clontz; 15. Eddie Krawiec; 16. Michael Ray.
ENNIS, Texas — Sunday’s final results from the 36th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex. The race is the 17th of 20 in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series:
Top Fuel — Justin Ashley, 3.759 seconds, 326.40 mph def. Steve Torrence, 3.764 seconds, 321.81 mph.
Funny Car — Ron Capps, Dodge Charger, 3.930, 326.87 def. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.919, 328.78.
Pro Stock — Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.624, 206.32 def. Chris McGaha, Camaro, Foul – Red Light.
Pro Stock Motorcycle — Matt Smith, EBR, 6.839, 199.08 def. Hector Arana Jr, EBR, Foul – Red Light.
Top Alcohol Dragster — Jackie Fricke, 5.204, 275.73 def. Matthew Cummings, 5.240, 271.79.
Top Alcohol Funny Car — Doug Gordon, Chevy Camaro, 5.517, 267.22 def. Brian Hough, Camaro, 5.562, 262.69.
Competition Eliminator — Don Thomas, Dragster, 7.074, 178.19 def. Keith Mawhee, Chevy Cavalier, 7.777, 175.48.
Super Stock — Jimmy Hidalgo Jr., Pontiac Firebird, 9.787, 135.69 def. Harvey Emmons III, Chevy Cavalier, 9.724, 129.87.
Stock Eliminator — Brenda Grubbs, Chevy Camaro, 10.018, 131.52 def. Jerry Emmons, Camaro, 10.242, 128.59.
Super Comp — Steve Evans, Dragster, 9.777, 146.65 def. Jeromy Hefler, Dragster, Broke – No Show.
Super Gas — Austin Williams, Chevy Camaro, 9.937, 166.91 def. Jerry DeBusk, Ford Probe, 9.948, 164.83.
Super Street — Scooter Wilkins, Chevy Nova, 10.945, 141.22 def. John Leibham, Chevy Camaro, 10.903, 150.90.
Top Sportsman presented by Vortech Superchargers — Jimmy Lewis, Pontiac GXP, 6.529, 192.47 def. Darian Boesch, Chevy Camaro, 7.296, 183.52.
Top Dragster presented by Vortech Superchargers — Ross Laris, Dragster, 6.285, 183.64 def. Wayne Landry, Dragster, 6.397, 218.72.
Pro Modified — Lyle Barnett, Chevy Camaro, 5.894, 251.20 def. Justin Bond, Camaro, 5.829, 244.65.
Top Fuel Harley — Chris Smith, Weekend, 6.338, 221.63 def. David Larson, Harley, 12.460, 73.53.
ENNIS, Texas — Final round-by-round results from the 36th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex, the 17th of 20 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series:
TOP FUEL:
ROUND ONE — Josh Hart, 3.755, 305.56 def. Leah Pruett, 4.230, 192.63; Billy Torrence, 3.761, 327.66 def. Alex Laughlin, 3.927, 290.63; Brittany Force, 3.703, 334.15 def. Joe Morrison, 7.811, 90.75; Mike Salinas, 3.723, 329.02 def. Krista Baldwin, 3.913, 308.28; Justin Ashley, 3.748, 319.29 def. Keith Murt, 3.862, 311.85; Steve Torrence, 3.720, 328.06 def. Buddy Hull, 4.000, 300.26; Doug Kalitta, 4.504, 187.83 def. Antron Brown, 4.556, 210.44; Clay Millican, 3.766, 327.27 def. Shawn Langdon, 4.626, 171.66;
QUARTERFINALS — Ashley, 3.755, 324.75 def. B. Torrence, 3.749, 328.86; Force, 3.710, 332.10 def. Millican, 3.734, 323.19; Hart, 3.788, 318.39 def. Salinas, 3.774, 296.05; S. Torrence, 3.752, 324.51 def. Kalitta, 5.093, 144.07;
SEMIFINALS — Ashley, 3.740, 325.30 def. Force, 3.727, 332.84; S. Torrence, 3.764, 326.40 def. Hart, 3.792, 321.19;
FINAL — Ashley, 3.759, 326.40 def. S. Torrence, 3.764, 321.81.
FUNNY CAR:
ROUND ONE — John Force, Chevy Camaro, 3.916, 324.44 def. Alexis DeJoria, Toyota Camry, 3.893, 329.91; Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 3.884, 331.61 def. Jim Campbell, Dodge Charger, 4.019, 309.98; Robert Hight, Camaro, 3.953, 304.46 def. Jeff Arend, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.951, 131.13; Ron Capps, Charger, 3.898, 324.75 def. Jack Wyatt, Charger, 4.795, 168.72; Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 3.898, 329.18 def. Terry Haddock, Mustang, 4.026, 307.93; Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.910, 330.15 def. Dale Creasy Jr., Charger, 4.032, 297.29; Paul Lee, Charger, 3.954, 326.79 def. Blake Alexander, Mustang, 4.425, 272.01; J.R. Todd, Camry, 3.867, 331.36 def. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.886, 330.31;
QUARTERFINALS — Pedregon, 3.925, 329.10 def. Force, 4.299, 225.07; Todd, 4.796, 205.19 def. Hight, 5.955, 220.98; Hagan, 3.918, 325.53 def. Tasca III, 3.955, 331.61; Capps, 3.928, 323.58 def. Lee, 3.943, 326.95;
SEMIFINALS — Capps, 3.924, 326.56 def. Pedregon, 3.906, 327.59; Hagan, 3.904, 331.04 def. Todd, 7.983, 71.40;
FINAL — Capps, 3.930, 326.87 def. Hagan, 3.919, 328.78.
PRO STOCK:
ROUND ONE — Matt Hartford, Chevy Camaro, 7.765, 187.99 def. Vincent Nobile, Camaro, 8.147, 199.02; Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.658, 206.45 def. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.667, 206.48; Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.644, 205.82 def. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.671, 205.72; Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.636, 205.38 def. Kyle Koretsky, Camaro, 6.664, 205.82; Rodger Brogdon, Camaro, 6.647, 206.42 def. Alan Prusiensky, Dodge Dart, Foul – Red Light; Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.621, 206.01 def. Fernando Cuadra, Ford Mustang, 6.687, 204.66; Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.621, 205.94 def. Marty Robertson, Mustang, Foul- Red Light; Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.640, 207.78 def. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.666, 205.13;
QUARTERFINALS — Stanfield, 6.674, 205.72 def. Enders, 6.655, 207.50; Coughlin Jr., 6.652, 205.38 def. Brogdon, 17.226, 39.35; Anderson, 6.680, 205.72 def. Hartford, 18.623, 29.97; C. McGaha, 6.668, 206.04 def. Glenn, 6.673, 206.20;
SEMIFINALS — C. McGaha, 6.695, 206.13 def. Stanfield, 6.690, 205.26; Anderson, 6.666, 205.51 def. Coughlin Jr., 11.055, 81.38;
FINAL — Anderson, 6.624, 206.32 def. C. McGaha, Foul – Red Light.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:
ROUND ONE — Scotty Pollacheck, 6.966, 194.21 def. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 6.999, 190.59; Chris Bostick, 6.909, 194.30 def. Jim Underdahl, Suzuki, 6.982, 190.35; Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, 6.901, 194.86 def. Joey Gladstone, Suzuki, 7.016, 67.58; Hector Arana Jr, 6.911, 197.19 def. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 7.066, 189.34; Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, 6.845, 196.19 def. Andrew Hines, Buell, 6.940, 195.65; Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.840, 195.62 def. Jianna Salinas, Suzuki, 7.026, 191.29; Matt Smith, 6.798, 201.37 def. Michael Ray, Broke – No Show; Angie Smith, 6.935, 196.33 def. Eddie Krawiec, Buell, 7.142, 198.64;
QUARTERFINALS — Arana Jr, 6.938, 193.29 def. Savoie, 6.902, 193.74; A. Smith, 6.952, 195.99 def. Sampey, 8.074, 116.13; Johnson, 6.872, 194.13 def. Pollacheck, 7.012, 192.49; M. Smith, 6.828, 199.40 def. Bostick, 6.957, 189.90;
SEMIFINALS — Arana Jr, 7.061, 192.28 def. Johnson, Broke; M. Smith, 6.882, 198.12 def. A. Smith, 7.066, 192.74;
FINAL — M. Smith, 6.839, 199.08 def. Arana Jr, Foul – Red Light.
ENNIS, Texas — Point standings (top 10) following the 36th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex, the 17th of 20 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series –
Top Fuel
- Steve Torrence, 2,473; 2. Brittany Force, 2,421; 3. Justin Ashley, 2,352; 4. Mike Salinas, 2,305; 5. Billy Torrence, 2,301; 6. Leah Pruett, 2,255; 7. Antron Brown, 2,221; 8. Clay Millican, 2,212; 9. Shawn Langdon, 2,196; 10. Doug Kalitta, 2,148.
Funny Car
- Matt Hagan, 2,449; 2. Ron Capps, 2,416; 3. Cruz Pedregon, 2,336; 4. John Force, 2,334; 5. J.R. Todd, 2,315; 6. Bob Tasca III, 2,291; 7. Robert Hight, 2,261; 8. Tim Wilkerson, 2,211; 9. Alexis DeJoria, 2,197; 10. Blake Alexander, 2,153.
Pro Stock
- Greg Anderson, 2,520; 2. Erica Enders, 2,439; 3. Dallas Glenn, 2,337; 4. Kyle Koretsky, 2,334; 5. Aaron Stanfield, 2,304; 6. Chris McGaha, 2,278; 7. Troy Coughlin Jr., 2,274; 8. Mason McGaha, 2,224; 9. Matt Hartford, 2,214; 10. Deric Kramer, 2,178.
Pro Stock Motorcycle
- Matt Smith, 2,368; 2. Steve Johnson, 2,360; 3. Angelle Sampey, 2,315; 4. Eddie Krawiec, 2,267; 5. Scotty Pollacheck, 2,229; 6. Joey Gladstone, 2,203; 7. Angie Smith, 2,194; 8. Karen Stoffer, 2,150; 9. Andrew Hines, 2,141; 10. Cory Reed, 2,125.
