Behind the Numbers

National Dragster, Jan 30, 2004 by Ritenhouse, Duke

Last season, GregAnderson won more rounds than anyone else in NHRA history. Twelve years earlier, Darrell Alderman did more, on average, in fewer events. Comparing two of the best Pro Stock seasons ever recorded.

When discussing Greg Anderson's phenomenal 2003 Pro Stock season, the phrase "rewriting the record book" was used more than once, especially toward the end of the year. It was a fair statement, considering the dominant . season Anderson and his Vegas General Construction team put together: an NHRA record 67 roundwins, a class record 12 event wins, national record performance marks of 6.670 and 207.10 mph, 2,217 points (the most ever scored since the modern scoring system was introduced in 1995), and a mind-numbing 21 track records. By almost any standard of measurement, it was the best Pro Stock campaign in recent memory.

Or was it?

A closer look shows that Anderson's 2003 season, as impressive as it was, shouldn't automatically be handed the unofficial "best-ever" title. In terms of totals, there's no doubt that Anderson is at the top of the list, as his round-win and event-win records will attest. In terms of averages, though, a better Pro Stock season came 12 years earlier!

In 1991, Darrell Alderman ran away from everyone (only second-place Warren Johnson was even remotely visible in the rearview mirror) en route to the second of his three career NHRA championships. As would Anderson 12 years later, Alderman compiled some staggering numbers, among them 59 round-wins - an NHRA record that would stand for five seasons - and 11 event wins, and he did it in just 18 NHRA national events.

In terms of averages, Alderman's 1991 gets the better of Andersen's 2003 in a side-by-side comparison (see box). With 59 wins in 18 events, Alderman averaged 3.27 round-wins per event, or better than a semifinal finish; Anderson's 67 wins in 23 events translate to 2.91 round-wins per event, just slightly below a semi-final average. Similarly, Alderman's percentage of national event wins was higher than Anderson's, .611 (11 wins in 18 events) to .521 (12 wins in 23 events), as was his overall winning percentage for the season, .893 (59-7 record) to Anderson's .859 (67-11).

Overall, Alderman dominated every imaginable statistical category during the 1991 season. he raced in 14 finals (and reached at least the semifinals in 17 of the 18 events), qualified No. 1 seven times, won six of the season's first nine events (and also won the Budweiser Challenge bonus event in Englishtown), and never trailed in the points race. And, in retrospect, Alderman probably left some wins and points on the table - his only first-round loss, to Vince Khoury at the Keystone Nationals, could charitably be described as a major upset.

Anderson enjoyed a similar season in 2003. he reached at least the semifinals 82 percent of the time (19 of 23 events), and he won four of the season's first nine events to take control of the points battle (although he briefly fell into second place, after Kurt Johnson won in Chicago). In qualifying, his numbers were even better than Alderman's: he finished No. 1 at 14 of the 23 tour stops (61 percent), including two streaks to five consecutive No. Is.

Another time-tested method of assessing competitors from different eras is to compare their performances against their toughest peers. In what should add fuel to an already interesting debate, Anderson gets the better of Alderman in this category, thanks mostly to his startling 10-1 record against Kurt Johnson, a four-time event winner and the distant numbertwo finisher in the points chase, which was mathematically over by the time the tour left Dallas, the 21st of the season's 23 events. Anderson also compiled a 7-3 record against third-place Jeg Coughlin Jr. (a two-time event winner), went 5-2 against fourth-place Warren Johnson (four wins), and was a perfect 6-0 against Ron Krisher (one win) for a combined record of 28-6 against the 2003 season's other Pro Stock event winners. His final points margin over Johnson, the season's second-best driver, was also noteworthy: Anderson outscored K.J. by 463 points, or 20.13 per event, the equivalent of a full round of racing.

Alderman's 1991 season was similar, with one notable exception: second-place finisher Warren Johnson. Alderman and the Wayne County/Mopar Parts Dodge team rolled over just about everyone else unfortunate enough to get in their path, but Johnson fought Alderman to a standstill, with each driver winning four times in their eight eliminations races. Alderman lost only three other races (once apiece to Khoury, Scott Geoffrion, and Larry Morgan) and finished a combined 13-5 against the 1991 season's other event winners. Alderman outscored second-place W.J. by 3,268 points (327 using the modern points system), or 18.16 per event.