2003 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Champion: Greg Anderson

National Dragster, Dec 5, 2003 by Jodauga, John

First-time champ was 2003's most dominant Pro driver with a season-record 12 Pro Stock victories

Greg Anderson's 2003 season was not only one of the greatest in drag racing history but also one of the more successful efforts in any sport. For ample comparisons, one would have to cite the Miami Dolphins' undefeated NFL campaign (17-0) in 1972 or Barry Bonds' 73 home runs in 2001.

Anderson set a new season standard for Pro Stock wins with 12, replacing the mark of 11 that Darrell Alderman set in 1991, and had 67 round-wins, breaking John Force's 1996 record of 65. Also, his 2,217-point total is the most by any Pro racer since the current scoring system was implemented in 1995.

Among the 21 track records that Anderson set this season were new national standards of 6.670 and 207.10 mph, obliterating the previous numbers of 6.750 and 204.38, an amazing feat considering how small the incremental gains for the naturally aspirated Pro Stockers have been in the past.

But perhaps tide statistic of which Anderson is most proud is his 9-1 record in head-to-head competition against his closest competitor for the championship, Kurt Johnson.

Said Anderson, "I don't want to create any negative attention toward Kurt because we've been the best of friends since I served as his father's crew chief for 11 years, but when you can win that many races against the number-two driver in the standings, that means that your team has done its job and has earned the championship."

When asked to reflect on the depth of this season's successes, Anderson replied, "Every time I think about it, I have to remind myself just how blessed I was this season. It all begins with the team owner and sponsor, Ken Black, who made it possible for me to surround myself with the kind of people I needed to get the job done."

Anderson's unprecedented season was the culmination of a dream that began in 1992, when he was bitten by the driving bug after attending Roy Hill's Drag Racing School while serving as Warren Johnson's crew chief.

"I had been with Warren since 1986," said Anderson, "and my first hopes were that I could drive a second car for him."

Unfortunately for Anderson, Kurt, who attended the school at the same time, began his driving career with his father's engines in 1993 and finished second in the standings during his rookie season.

Said Andersen, "I stuck with Warren through the 1997 season in hopes that a ride would develop for me, but when it didn't happen, I decided to go out on my own the following year."

Anderson recorded a 10th-place finish in 21 races in 1999 with father-in-law Troy Humphrey's car but failed to crack the top 10 the next two seasons, running just 13 and 12 events, respectively. In 2002, however, he enjoyed a breakthrough campaign - two wins in six finals and a third-place finish behind Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Jim Yates - after teaming with Black.

"That was an outstanding year for what was supposed to be a learning-curve season," said Anderson. "We were in the lead after the Brainerd national event, but lack of experience cost us in the last few races."

The 2002 campaign gave Anderson a great education, and he used it to rebuild his operation over the winter with an entirely new crew. He hired Rob Downing and Jeff Perley as crew chiefs, Joe Hornick as head engine builder, Eric Maj as in-shop machinist, and 1993 NHKA Stock champion Jason Line, who had served as tuner for Bobby Labonte's Winston Cup championship entry, as dyno operator and track tuner. Though the construction of a new shop and General Motors' requested switch from a Cavalier to a Grand Am body cut into Anderson's R&D efforts, he began the season with ample amounts of horsepower, and he built on that as the season progressed.

Said Anderson, "The additional crewmembers gave us more depth than we had in 2002, and I tried not to spread myself too thin like I did before and delegated more of the duties to the talented individuals we now had. We also had three to four good engines compared to just the one that I ran last year. The new shop enabled us to do everything in-house. I think there are only three or four other Pro Stock teams, like Warren Johnson's, the Reher-Morrison camp, and Dick Maskin's, that do not rely on outside vendors. We were better prepared, and that was a big reason why we didn't have a bad race in the entire 23-event schedule."

Anderson's strong commitment to his crewmembers was best illustrated in how he handled the addition of a second team car with Line as driver. Line qualified for his first race in Columbus but crashed in the first round. Though Line blamed the incident on his lack of experience, Anderson strongly defended his driver and ordered a new car.

While waiting for the new car to be finished, Line drove Anderson's '02 Cavalier at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, where Line qualified ninth and scored a first-round win over veteran Mike Edwards. Line finished the season in Las Vegas, where he qualified No. 2 behind Anderson and recorded a semifinal finish.