The first day of the 56th annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals marked the beginning of Greg Anderson’s 27th season behind the wheel of a naturally aspirated factory hot rod, and as he rolled to the starting line flying the respected colors of NASCAR Hall of Famer Rick Hendrick’s HendrickCars.com, the No. 1 was proudly displayed on the window. Anderson rose to the challenge in 2024, powering past the next generation of up-and-comers to lock down his sixth world championship, and he didn’t let off the throttle coming into the new year. The most winning driver in the history of the class proved early that he’s pointing his trusty KB Titan Racing-powered Pro Stocker at a seventh title – a 6.443-second blast in the second session of qualifying in Gainesville rocketed Anderson right to the top and reset the national record.
In all, there were seven Pro Stock cars that raced into the 6.4-second zone on Friday in Gainesville (five of them powered by KB Titan Racing), and although they were each bumping near to the previous record of 6.450, it was Anderson who got the job done.
“This is beyond cool. I didn’t expect it, I honest to God did not expect it,” said Anderson, whose first national record for elapsed time was claimed in 2003 at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, where his 6.670 at 207.18 reset both ends of the then-historic best. “When I was getting buckled into my car and watched a couple of my team cars – Eric Latino and Deric Kramer – go out there and run 6.46, I was like, ‘Wow, is it really that fast out here? Can I do that? Can I run .46 or even .45?’ And somehow, we surpassed them both. It feels good to run that fast. We live for conditions like this and fast ETs; that’s what Pro Stock drivers and crew chiefs love.”
Anderson – with longtime crew chief Rob Downing by his side – has reset the record for elapsed time seven times: Englishtown 2003 (6.670); the fall race in Chicago 2004 (6.665); Gainesville 2005 (6.663); Sonoma 2006 (6.631); Gainesville 2007 (6.536); and the 2009 Winternationals (6.528). He also has five national event records for speed, three acquired next to a national record for e.t.
The bridge from Pomona to Gainesville
Coming into the season and immediately displaying a hand that could win indicated that nothing was lost over the winter, and perhaps there were even gains. In addition, Anderson showed last year that he was still well-qualified to come to the table as a driver, and he looks to have carried that into 2025.
“It was really, really cool to win the championship last year. I’ve been doing this a long time, and I have to go up against these young guys who are very capable of winning races and championships,” said Anderson, who will turn 64 on March 14th. “Those guys could care less how many wins or championships I have; they’re out there to win races, and they have what it takes to do that. I have to find something special every time I go to the starting line.
“We had a flawless weekend, teamwide, at the NHRA Finals in 2024, and everybody had a smile on their face all winter. We were smiling, but we were working very hard – because we’re going to try again. We have a great bunch of guys with the right attitude, and when we finished the year, they were willing to work. Winning breeds that. You like that feeling, and you want to do it again.”
Last season, Anderson claimed the pole and reached the final round at each of the last three races, ultimately sailing to victory at the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals to earn the championship over fellow KB Titan driver Dallas Glenn by just 11 points. Aaron Stanfield finished third, just one point behind Glenn. While the title came down to the wire with three drivers in heated contention, Anderson expects the competition to be widespread throughout the entire new season.
The Pro Stock field is rife with capable drivers and crew chiefs backed by reliable equipment, but in pre-season testing at Bradenton Motorsports Park’s SCAG Power Equipment PRO Superstar Shootout, Anderson’s HendrickCars.com Chevrolet – as well as the other entries in the KB Titan Racing stable – performed exceptionally well. Cory Reed claimed the top spot in qualifying for KB Titan Racing with a 6.494, and Anderson was just behind in the No. 2 spot on a 6.498, while Glenn was No. 3 on a 6.515. Matt Latino, in his Pro Stock debut with the team, locked into the top half of the field, as did longtime KBT campaigner Deric Kramer. Reed drove to the final round at the special event.
“We’ve worked very hard, and I think we have a better product to start the season with than we did last year,” said Anderson. “We started the year with a bang at Bradenton, all of our cars were the class of the field. I feel good about the work we put in team-wide all winter. KB Titan is going to be a hell of a threat to win a lot of races and the championship.”
Mind over matter
Since making his debut in Pro Stock in 1998, the landscape in the class has changed dramatically. Three decades ago, the power of the engines mattered most, and that alone could win a race. In today’s Pro Stock, it’s a stout combination of horsepower, car setup, and driver ability – not just at the starting line, but also at every shift point down the track. As one of the most veteran drivers in the class, Anderson sees the youth movement charging toward him like he’s got a bullseye on his back, and knows he has to dig deep and stay steady.
“Between every race, I try to come up with a better way to do it, I work to get a better mindset,” said Anderson. “I’m constantly searching for ways to become a better driver. It’s more than having a great reaction time; you have to shift and steer perfectly, and you have to do it the same every single time so the guys can tune the cars. To be able to make quality run after quality run, that’s a big thing, and people don’t quite understand. Young guys like Dallas Glenn can go up there and be teen and double-o on the tree every time, but as you age, you have to find new ways. Every week, I try to be a better driver than the week before. You have to find a way to reinvent yourself. You have to keep trying to evolve.
“Every year, people ask me how much longer I’m going to do this. My answer is straightforward and the same every time. I’ll do this until I can’t win anymore. As long as I can find a way to improve, keep getting better, and run with this new generation, I’m going to do it.”
Pivotal partnership
In late 2021, Anderson debuted a new paint scheme on his Chevrolet Camaro with the recognizable HendrickCars.com logo boldly on display. He drove to the championship that season and brought the trophy home to Charlotte, N.C., and to Rick Hendrick. To be able to hand the gentleman known as Mr. H a second NHRA world championship trophy was high on Anderson’s list of priorities, and to do so at the conclusion of 2024 was further validation that the partnership was win-win. Anderson expressed pride in continuing to race with a powerful ally such as the Hendrick group and their 14 NASCAR premier series world championships, and Anderson and his KB Titan Racing group have benefitted greatly from their technologically advanced partners.
“It’s a great honor, and it means everything to me to wear the badge of HendrickCars.com,” said Anderson. “I look up to Mr. Hendrick, and there is every reason to. Seeing his operation from the inside out, everything about it is just done right. The people are fantastic, and they all have great attitudes. It’s the best of the best over there, and it’s a great opportunity to be part of a group so far ahead of us on the development curve. They’ve opened their doors to our team, and it’s not just the name on the car – we can walk right in the door over there any time and ask questions, and they’ve been over here to see how they can help us.
“My lead engineer Brian Fleck [at KB Titan Racing] has 14 years of working in that building as a lead engineer over there. That’s a very tight tie-in, and it’s neat. Right from the top on down, from Mr. H, to Jeff Gordon, to Jeff Andrews – the president of the company, to Scott Maxim – the head engine builder, they just can’t offer enough to us. They offer every day, in any possible way, to help out. That’s big for us.”
With a very fast racecar and all of the right parts and people in place, Anderson is in a prime position to defend the championship, and he feels that his entire pit area is packed with potential.
“I think a lot of people around the world were a little bit shocked and surprised we were able to win the championship last year, but I’m not,” said Anderson. “I don’t think any of the guys that race with me were. I’m going to be very surprised if we don’t win it this year, whether it’s my HendrickCars.com car or another one of the KB Titan cars, I’ll be just as happy as I was at the end of last year. One of the KB Titan cars has got to be a favorite in Gainesville, and I don’t know which one. I’m very excited – I know we’re bringing a great product.”
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