The eighth of 20 races on the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series tour brought Greg Anderson a tidy stack of accolades and a good nudge of momentum as the 13th annual NHRA New England Nationals drew to a close. It also provided a strong springboard for the last of three consecutive events in three weeks, which will take place at the very racetrack where Anderson claimed the first win of his career 25 years ago: Bristol Dragway.
“It was a good weekend for me and the HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, and it was a great weekend for KB Titan Racing,” said Anderson, who reached the semifinals on Sunday at New England Dragway after claiming the 145th No. 1 qualifier of his career and winning the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge bonus race. Anderson’s teammate and the reigning world champion, Dallas Glenn, ousted the most winning driver in the history of Pro Stock and went on to win the event in the sixth all-KB Titan final of the season.
With a bye run in the opening round of eliminations, Anderson raced to a low elapsed time of the round 6.546-second pass at 209.36 mph, and the bold numbers gave him lane choice over longtime rival Jeg Coughlin Jr. in the second round. There, Anderson was off the starting line with a respectable .035-second reaction next to Coughlin, who had problems on the starting line and rolled through the beams too quickly, illuminating a -.217 red light. The HendrickCars.com Chevrolet was again quickest of the round, tripping the final timer with a 6.546, 209.75.
With a 16-8 advantage over Glenn in previous elimination rounds – and lane choice over him in the semis – Anderson had a statistical leg up. After raking in a bunch of bonus points in qualifying, he entered eliminations one mark ahead of the incoming points leader. Glenn was in no mood to give up the lead leaving the event and launched with a .011 to top the six-time world champ’s .039. That was the decider as Anderson’s quicker 6.548, 209.30 was eclipsed by Glenn’s 6.556, 209.49.
Anderson leaves the event No. 2 in the Pro Stock points, just two rounds behind Glenn.
“It’s hard to be too unhappy about it, though, because we’re heading right to Bristol Dragway, and I really feel like my HendrickCars.com Chevy is the best car out here,” said Anderson. “That means it’s up to me, and Bristol holds a lot of memories and some really great history for this old guy. I just have to do my job once we get there, because obviously I’ve got the car that can get it done.”
The next event on the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series tour is the 25th annual Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway, June 12-14.
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