GREG ANDERSON

KB Racing ’ s Greg Anderson and Jason Line were out of the gate with ferocity in their Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaros at the season-opener , where Anderson picked up the first No . 1 qualifier award in the new era of Pro Stock with carburetors swapped for electronic fuel injection and RPMs stunted to a paltry 10,500 . Anderson then emerged victorious in a final-round battle with Line for that coveted first trophy , and the domination continued from there with 16 trophies in 24 races landing in the Team Summit camp . The edge over their competition parlayed into a third world championship for Line in the final hours with only Anderson nipping at his heels .

It was quite a season for the Summit Racing NHRA Pro Stock team , but Anderson projects that 2017 will bring significantly more challenge .

“ I don ’ t think it ’ s any secret , and you saw it towards the end of last year , everybody is closing the gap on us ,” said Anderson from the KB Racing shop in Mooresville , N . C . “ There will not be a big gap . Things are , without a doubt , tightened up . We ’ re expecting a tougher challenge without the edge that we had last year , and it will be more of a driver ’ s race than a crew chief ’ s race .”

The 86-time national event winner got a little seat time last week in preparation for the season-opening Circle K NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona , scheduled to take place Feb . 9-12 , 2017 . The crew drove south to Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida with just one car – the Chevrolet Camaro that KB Racing-powered Bo Butner will pilot for the first handful of events while his new Jerry Haas-built Chevy Camaro is completed .

“ We brought out the Camaro that I drove back in 2012 , and it hasn ’ t been run in a couple of years . So , we made 18 runs in two days , and I think we ’ re just about ready ,” said Anderson , who won the 100th victory for KB Racing in the Camaro that he will hand off to Butner . That milestone win was particularly notable as it occurred in the very first outing for the car , but most won ’ t recognize the Chevy now with its smooth , scoopless hood

– another change mandated for the factory hot rods prior to last season .

According to Anderson , the weather in Bradenton was comparable to what will likely be seen the weekend of the Winternationals , which allowed the team to get a good gauge on a few things they have been working on since the curtain dropped on 2016 .

“ We were able to kill two birds with one stone with this test ,” said Anderson , a four-time NHRA Pro Stock champion who will enter the 2017 season with the No . 2 on his window . “ This was a good opportunity for us to get this car ready for Bo to drive for the first couple of races , but it also gave us the chance to test some engine projects that we ’ ve been developing over the winter . It was a good test , we learned a lot , and now we have a few days to get our ducks in a row , decide what was good and what was bad , and get ready for the season ahead .”

The Summit Racing team will soon head West to begin their title defense with a stop at

Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park , just outside of Phoenix . Many NHRA Pro Stock teams will join them there for one final pre-season test the week of the Winternationals , and the KB Racing group is looking forward to getting comfortable in newly re-bodied Jerry Haas-built Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaros , freshly painted by renowned artist and Sportsman racer Travis Hess .

“ We ’ re certainly looking forward to getting back out there with everybody ,” said Anderson , who won 8 races in 14 final rounds last season , mirroring teammate Line yet missing the championship by just three points . “ With the way the rules are now , nobody is going to stay separated from the pack for very long . We knew that from the beginning , and it just took a little longer than we thought it would for everyone to catch up . Everybody has been staying home working on the dyno this winter , doing their homework . There will be many teams who are every bit as strong as us , and it will be very tough – but that ’ s what makes it exciting .” DI

PHOTO : NHRA / NATIONAL DRAGSTER