By Cole Cusumano, Staff Writer
PHOENIX – While Hendrick Motorsports celebrates its 40th anniversary season at Martinsville Speedway as the winningest team in NASCAR, Greg Anderson is hoping to add to his all-time best 103 Pro Stock victories in the NHRA Arizona Nationals.
Anderson, for all intents and purposes, has asserted himself as one of the greatest Pro Stock drivers in NHRA history. Which is why it should come as no surprise Rick Hendrick chose to sponsor the 63-year-old’s Chevrolet Camaro with HendrickCars.com.
Before signing a multi-year deal with the automotive mecca in March 2024, the pair first joined forces towards the end of the 2021 season – where Anderson won his fifth NHRA title as a driver and became the all-time winningest driver in Pro Stock history.
The initial partnership first came about the same year Kyle Larson joined the prestigious NASCAR Cup Series team. He, too, has been sponsored by HendrickCars.com since then and won his first title when Anderson won his fifth.
Both champions have continued to pay tribute to Hendrick’s late son Ricky, who lost his life in a plane crash back in 2004, by sporting the iconic red-white-and-blue paint scheme made famous by him throughout his young racing career.
To put it simply: the winning combination of Anderson and Rick Hendrick with HendrickCars.com just makes sense.
“Just to wear the brand is like a badge of honor, to be honest with you,” Anderson told Kickin’ the Tires. “It’s something I never thought I would do in my lifetime. The association I’ve built with (Hendrick) and the friendship I’ve built with him has been fantastic. I feel very, very fortunate to be able to wear the brand and sport the colors.”
More than just a sponsorship, Anderson and his KB Titan Racing team have been welcomed into the Hendrick family with open arms, even as relative newcomers.
While most NHRA teams reside in Indianapolis, Anderson and his crew set up shop in Mooresville, North Carolina – just a 15-to-20-minute drive to the Hendrick Motorsports complex in Concord.
In addition to texting back and forth with Hendrick, who’s very involved in Anderson’s NHRA operations, he and his KB Titan team make frequent visits to the shop to converse with engineers and take advantage of the top-notch amenities.
“We definitely appreciate how they’ve opened their doors to us, and we certainly think we need to take advantage of that,” Anderson said. “It’s a top-shelf run operation. Everybody knows that, but I’ve got to know it from the inside out and everybody from the top down are just fantastic people. They’re great to work with. They can’t do enough to help you.
“Mr. H makes sure all his guys that work on his race team have whatever tool they need, whatever resource they need, and he’s opened his doors for us to tap into that,” Anderson added. “It’s just fantastic, and the sky’s the limit, as far as I can see.
“I thank my lucky stars every day for him and that group over there.”
Going into the NHRA Arizona Nationals, Anderson is on a mission to dethrone six-time Pro Stock champ Erica Enders, who’s had his number over the past three years.
Before finishing third in the standings last year to eventual titleist Enders, he finished runner-up to her the prior two seasons.
This trend has followed Anderson into the young 2024 season, after he made it all the way to the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals semifinals before losing to – you guessed it – Enders.
It was a classic case of déjà vu for Anderson, who made it all the way to the semifinals of the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternational only to be second-best to Enders yet again.
Entering round one of eliminations at Firebird Motorsports Park, Anderson will take on Eric Latino as the No. 5 qualifier, and should he make it to the final round, he would face off against Enders.
“They’re on top of their game,” Anderson said. “She does a great job of driving, so it’s a tough challenge. Yes, we’ve certainly beaten her plenty, but she’s certainly beaten me plenty and it’s been her way for the last two years.
“I need to find a way to reverse that, and believe me, I will not go away without a fight,” Anderson added. “I love racing her, because you have to bring your A-game every time if you even want a chance. The simple truth is, it’s great when we lock horns, and there’s a lot on the line every time we do it. Any day you do get around her, it’s a great day.
“She’s got a lot of momentum right now. She hasn’t been beaten yet this year, so I need to find a way to stop her, because she could be a runaway train.”