NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

K.B. Racing enjoyed a banner day at the Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals. Two cars with K.B. Racing engines raced in the Pro Stock final and one of the flagship cars, driven by Jason Line, ended up in the winner’s circle. 

That’s great. Greg Anderson, the driver of the other flagship car and effectively the boss at K.B. Racing, lost in the first round. It was a spectacular day for Anderson the administrator, but it was an abject day for Anderson the racer. 

Jason Line opens NHRA Countdown with 50th Pro Stock win

So, the team got back to work trying to solve the biggest deficiency for the red Summit Racing Chevy Camaro: The time it takes to get to the 330-foot timer. Anderson is eighth out of the 10 playoff contenders in 60-foot average and his time between the 60 foot and 330-foot timers isn’t much better. The team went testing, making more than a dozen runs while trying to find speed in the early part of the track. 

“We try as hard as we can try to simulate what actually happens on race day at a national event,” said Anderson. “But you just never know until you get to a Sunday in a race. So, we made a lot of changes since the last race and the car is different now. Will it make a difference? That’s the million-dollar question.”

Anderson’s Camaro is now four years old and the odometer is in itself a horror movie. Line rolled out a new piece at the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals in Pomona and that, Anderson says, has made all the difference. 

“We used to think (the life cycle on a Pro Stock car) was one year and then we all got away from that,” said Anderson. “We decided it looks like they last longer than that. So, we've been trying to stretch it out, stretch it out. But apparently there is still some sort of a life cycle. It's not a year but I bet it's not over two years anymore. And we've all gotten away from that and you know, this car is four years old now. I think I’m well past the point now of needing a new one.”

You will not see Anderson in a new car in 2019, which means the veteran racer will battle what he calls a narrow tuning window for the rest of the season. That’s going to frustrate the racer who’s looking for his first world championship since 2010. An old car won’t rule him out (he enters St. Louis in eighth) but it will make the chase for his fifth title an uphill climb.