Further adding to the challenge was last week's rain delay in Memphis, giving teams one less day to prepare for this crucial contest. Fortunately, Greg Anderson and his Summit Racing Pontiac team were able to minimize the effects of racing on Monday by driving back to North Carolina immediately after the race, allowing them to be working at the shop on Tuesday.

"Certainly losing a day was not what we wanted going into Richmond, but it's the same for everyone else," said Anderson. "Since we were all racing on Monday, no one is going to gain any ground back at the shop. Therefore, it really was a non-issue.

"In the case of our Summit Racing team, we're fortunate in that Virginia=2 0Motorsports Park is only a three-hour drive from our shop. With the reduced travel time, we may be able to squeeze in an extra few hours, which is good news for us. This is another big weekend, and we need to keep pushing forward."

As one of a select few teams still having realistic aspirations for this year's Pro Stock title, the KB Racing crew will look to use the Richmond race to build on the positive momentum generated by recent strong performances. Although there is some added incentive for competitors to be the last names etched in Virginia Motorsports Park's record books, as it will not return to the NHRA schedule in 2010, Anderson arrives in the Old Dominion state focused on the big picture. After all, winning the race would put him closer to his fourth championship.

"I like racing in Richmond - period," said Anderson. "The conditions will be a lot like those we had in Memphis, which our Summit Racing Pontiacs prefer. When the heat and humidity are down and the tracks are good, we seem to perform better, and that's what we usually have when we race at Virginia Motorsports Park.

"It's also in the back of your mind anytime we go to Richmond that a record could be set there, putting twenty points up for grabs. Although we may not be the front runners to make that happen, I'm certainly not going to count us out of the game. Based on the gains we seem to have made in Memphis, we're looking forward to this weeken d, and hope to have an even better product on the track.

"Our heads are up and we're feeling positive, which is a good thing, because it's crunch time. We want the championship back at KB Racing, and we're scratching and clawing, finding any way we can to get it done. We feel we have two cars capable of winning, and it's up to us to make sure one of them makes it to the winner's circle, just as we have the past two weeks. It would be cool to put our names in the record books as the last winners there, but more importantly, we need to win this race to win the championship - that's goal number one, and we can't wait to get going."

Fast Facts on Greg Anderson & the Summit Racing Pontiac crew at the Virginia NHRA Nationals:
Greg in Richmond: In four career starts at Virginia Motorsports Park, Greg has two semifinal finishes in 2006 & 2008.

Anderson Looks to add a VMP Wally to his trophy case: Virginia Motorsports Park is one of only three tracks on the 2009 Full Throttle Tour where Greg has yet to win (the others being Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, IL and zMAX Dragway in Concord, NC).

Greg's VMP Qualifying Stats: In four career starts at Virginia Motorsports Park, Greg has one No. 1 qualifying performance (in 2008) and has qualified in the Top=2 0Four three times, with a 3.286 average starting position.

Event Schedule:
Friday, October 9: Two qualifying sessions at 1:30 & 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 10: Two qualifying sessions at 12:00 noon & 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, October 11: Final20eliminations starting at 11:00 a.m.

Television Coverage (all coverage on ESPN2):
Qualifying: Saturday, October 10 - 11:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.
Eliminations: Sunday, October 11 - 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.
RaceDay: Sunday, October 11 - 11:00 - 11:30 a.m.
(All times Eastern)

Established in 1968, Summit Racing Equipment is the leading high performance parts and accessories company. Summit Racing offers the largest selection, lowest prices, and best customer service in the high performance industry via catalogs, Internet, and Retail Super Stores. The company is headquartered in Tallmadge, Ohio with retail locations in Tallmadge, Ohio; Sparks, Nevada; and McDonough, Georgia. For more information, please visit http://www.summitracing.com.

Courtesy of Jon Knapp