Don’ t get me wrong. I do too, but I don’ t have the fix for that right now. But that doesn’ t mean it won’ t go back to that someday. I want to keep these OEMs as involved as we can, and I still think there’ s a hell of a benefit for them to be involved with this.
I’ m not going to say that it won’ t someday come back to that where you have at least three of the OEMs out there battling it out. I miss that. But let’ s be honest, when you sit in the grandstands and you watch a Funny Car race and you see one of them says Toyota on the windshield and one of them says Ford on the windshield, can you tell the difference that that car is the Toyota, not a Ford? No. And do they have a Ford or a Toyota or GM engine in them? No, they all have the same engine in them too.
It’ s still great racing. We still have great racing. I still think it’ s a great class, so don’ t give up on us and don’ t necessarily think that it’ s going to be like this forever. Five or 10 years ago, we didn’ t see that it would get to this point where it is all Camaros, so you never know what 5-10 years down the road will look from now. Maybe there’ ll be five different brands out there. Who knows? We’ ll keep trying for that. We’ ll keep digging for that.
But in the meantime, it’ s still great racing and you’ re really getting to see the driver more than you have ever before. I think the driver’ s certainly become more important in this class than it ever was before, so that’ s cool too. I think that’ s what all motorsports strive for. They strive to where the equipment is close enough that the drivers decide the race, and I think it’ s more so that way in this class than it’ s ever been without a doubt. We’ ve got that going for it. Fans love that. So don’ t give up on us.
Does the class still have the same magic for you as when you started or has it kind of evolved into something entirely different?
Things have absolutely changed a bit. Back when I first started, at least in my situation when I met Ken Black, he came in and he said,“ Here’ s what I want you to do. Go hire who you want to hire. I’ ll put you in a nice shop. I’ ll put a bunch of equipment in there. We’ re not going to worry about sponsorship. I’ ve been fortunate in my business life and I’ ve been able to make a little bit of money, and as long as we don’ t spend just a crazy amount of money, it’ s my hobby and I don’ t mind spending a little bit of money,” so when you had that situation, you could basically race worry-free. You didn’ t have to worry about paying the bills every day. You didn’ t have to worry about this or that.
Over the years, that has changed where now I
Despite an evergrowing list of accomplishments, Anderson remains committed to chasing that next race win.
have to worry about all that. I have to make sure that we don’ t overspend and I have to make sure we bring in the right amount of money, whether it’ s from sponsorship or race car rentals or engine rentals or whatever. We have to bring in a certain amount of money or the team doesn’ t build forward.
It’ s a lot different than it used to be, but it’ s still going strong as a class. It’ s the new Pro Stock model – how to survive, how to stay out there, and that’ s via all these race car rentals and engine rentals versus back when you used to be able to sign a major sponsorship that would maybe cover the nut for the whole year. You can’ t do that anymore. You have to find other ways to bring in that income. So that’ s what it’ s done, and all those things has made it harder for me, personally, I guess, to win races because I have not only a ton of competition across the country in the other group, but I have it internally also.
So it’ s just harder to win anymore, but still fun. Still having a blast with it. It probably is an even better feeling now because you know you’ ve made it this much harder for yourself to win because you’ ve surrounded yourself with competitors that basically have the same gun that you’ ve got and it’ s a whole different way of racing than I used to do. A lot more worries now, a lot more things that go into making sure you find a way to keep the team afloat, but I’ m not complaining at all. I’ m still very fortunate to do it and I’ m happy with what we’ ve got here at our race shop, with the team we’ ve formed, and with the employees I’ ve got that have been here for a lot of years.
I’ m very proud of the group we have, and that part of being like a proud papa with all these new young drivers, that’ s part of it too. I haven’ t become a grandfather yet, but everybody in the world tells me it’ s the best thing in life, better than having your own children. That’ s a little bit how I feel with all these young drivers that I’ ve taken on on my team that now go out and try to whip my ass. It’ s a neat feeling and it’ s a proud papa feeling.
Final question here, and it’ s something you’ ve touched on at various points in this interview, but after all you’ ve accomplished, all the boxes you’ ve checked, what motivates you? What keeps you going back to the track week in and week out?
The competition, the winning, the chance to win, and the level of competition. I love the fact that, in my opinion, the level of competition is the highest it’ s ever been. People ask me,“ Why do you race this class? It’ s probably the hardest class to win,” and that’ s why. That’ s 100 % why I do it. I don’ t get that big of a thrill out of driving a race car, although I’ ll miss it when I stop driving them because I still enjoy driving them, but it’ s not because of the thrill of the speed or whatever. I’ ve certainly gotten used to that over the years.
I go into every Sunday thinking,“ Man, I just hope to hell I can get past first round.” And then,“ Can I get past second round?” I don’ t feel like a favorite when I go out there. I don’ t feel like there’ s a race where I have this race in hand if I don’ t screw it up. There’ s never a feeling like that anymore. You live in fear every Sunday anymore with all these guns, and every round is like a final round. It’ s crazy out there.
But I love that. I love the level of the competition. That’ s why I race Pro Stock. The other classes, don’ t get me wrong, as far as Top Fuel and Funny Car, they’ ve come a long way too towards where they now have eight to 10 guys that can win any given Sunday. But in Pro Stock, in my opinion, we have 14 to 16 guys or girls that can win any given Sunday. It’ s still a step above competition-level-wise, and that’ s 100 % what I love about it and why I race this class, period. DI
108 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated. com Issue 196