Greg Anderson defeated teammate Dallas Glenn to pick up his 104th Pro stock win. (Photo: NHRA Media)
CHANDLER, Ariz. – Greg Anderson needed a big day at Firebird Motorsports Park, which was exactly what he got, picking up his 104th career Pro Stock win in Sunday’s Arizona Nationals, beating teammate Dallas Glenn to the line.
Anderson picked up his first win of the season just three events in, a far cry from the 14 tries it took him to hoist a Wally in 2023. The victory capped a strong weekend for his KB Titan team, which saw Glenn pick up the win in the weather-delayed NHRA Winternationals a day earlier.
“It feels great,” he said. “Honestly, it feels as good as the first win I got. It’s just so hard to win in this class anymore. To have the day I had – the weekend I had – I didn’t embarrass myself. I actually did a good job behind the wheel.”
The win was Anderson’s 104th of his career and third win at Firebird Motorsports Park. He said the win was a true team effort on a weekend when his KB Titan team was nearly unstoppable.
“That’s what it takes to win in this class,” he said. “You have to have the total package. You have to have the best car. You have to have the best crew, and you have to drive it well. We were able to put all three together today on a very, very tricky race track.”
On a day when several Pro Stock pilots struggled to get down the track, Anderson and Glenn stood out as they headed towards a final round matchup. Anderson said his team’s ability to stay ahead of the challenging track made the difference for him.
“You’ve got to be on your toes, and everybody from top to bottom on this team was this weekend,” Anderson said. “We didn’t necessarily outpower everybody or outrun everybody, we flat outraced everybody. We managed the track better than anybody else, and had a good day behind the wheel.”
Anderson’s KB Titan team was not his only team that had a great day. Anderson is sponsored by HendrickCars.com which is run by NASCAR Cup Series owner Rick Hendrick and Anderson’s win came on the 40th anniversary of Hendrick Motorsports. Meanwhile, at Martinsville Speedway, William Byron picked up another win for Hendrick Motorsports, as part of a 1-2-3 finish for the legendary team.
“Before we came up here for the semi-finals we watched the end of that race,” Anderson said. “It was a great motivator. So proud of everybody on that team. I told myself, I have to find a way to dig down and get the job done. I can’t be the weak link.”
Greg Anderson said his Pro Stock win was a great way to honor Rick Hendrick, who was celebrating his team’s 40th anniversary in motorsports on Sunday. (Photo: NHRA Media)
Anderson said that winning on a day that was so important to Hendrick felt very good, especially because of all the support Hendrick has given him since coming onboard as a sponsor.
“Mr. Hendrick is a great, great man, and has done a ton for me, so it just feels fantastic to finally get it done, and not drop the ball,” Anderson added. “They (Hendrick’s NASCAR team) certainly don’t drop the ball. They’re on a hell of a run this year, and they’re celebrating their 40th year in the sport. It’s just great to be a part of. It’s a dream come true.”
In addition to the tough competition on the track, Anderson and his team had to overcome challenging track conditions, and the entire team proved to be up to the task.
“You have no idea when you stage that car if it’s going to make it a foot or if it’s going to go all the way down the race track,” he said. “It’s a challenge. It’s a physical challenge and a mental challenge. It’s tough, but that’s what makes it so rewarding if you conquer it. They did a better job than the other teams out here. It was a total team effort today, and that’s why we won.”
Greg Anderson, Austin Prock and Shawn Langdon celebrate their wins at the Arizona Nationals. (Photo: NHRA Media)
Anderson marched his way through steep competition to get to the top of the Arizona Nationals mountain. In the first round, he took down another teammate in Eric Latino, before taking out the entire Coughlin family in the second and third round – getting past Troy Coughlin Jr. in the second round and his uncle Jeg Coughlin Jr. in the semi-finals before squaring off with Glenn.
In the final round, Anderson got off the line first, then outperformed Glenn on the track, running a 6.582 second pass to best Glenn’s 6.618.
Glenn’s path to the final round included wins over Mason McGaha, Cristian Quadra and Aaron Stanfield before falling to Anderson.
