The NHRA Pro Stock class is arguably the most fiercely contested pro category in drag racing, with most events seeing a dozen or more competitors head home after failing to make the stout 16-car fields. In a class where qualifying is an achievement in itself, the majority of Pro Stock competitors are just relieved to make the field. Although qualifying at last year’s Pomona event was a challenge, eliminations proved to be slightly more rewarding as Greg worked his way into the semi-finals suffering defeat at the hands of eventual event runner-up Allen Johnson, driving a Dodge Stratus.

By the second NHRA event in Phoenix, the team qualified their Pontiac Grand Am in the third spot and defeated Troy Coughlin in the final. Unaware of it at the time, the KB Racing Team and Greg Anderson’s performance was an ominous forewarning to his fellow competitors; a harbinger of things to come. During the remaining 21 NHRA events the team would qualify number 1 on 14 different occasions. While Greg placed his team’s Pontiac Grand Am into the finals 15 times winning an historic 12 NHRA Pro Stock Powerade events, outpacing the previous record of 11 held by Darrell Alderman. Greg also broke another long standing NHRA mark by accumulating a record 67 round wins in a single season, eclipsing a record formerly held by NHRA Funny Car legend John Force with 65.

While most competitors would be happy with a couple of event wins, let alone 12, Ken Black’s KB Racing team wasn’t finished yet. At the K & N SuperNationals in Englishtown, New Jersey, uncharacteristically cold weather conditions set the stage for a another record breaking performance. The KB Racing team bettered the existing NHRA Pro Stock national record twice on Saturday, and twice again during Sunday’s eliminations. Greg executed the perfect pass, obliterating the existing NHRA Pro Stock record as he rocketed his Pontiac Grand Am to a 6.67 Elapsed Time at over 207.18 MPH, a record that KB Racing crew chief Rob Downing says “won’t likely be broken during the 2004 season.”

The short drag racing off-season has presented a new challenge to all Pro Stock competitors. Event safety, always a primary concern for the NHRA, was the motivation for implementing the new bead lock rim rule which requires competitors to run the familiar Funny Car style bead lock rim and larger tire. The new rim is designed to prevent both the rotation of the tire on the rim and inadvertent tire separation from the rim at high speed. Teams immediately began modifying their cars for the increased tire size and weight, necessitating both chassis and driveline modifications, and a deeper gear ratio to compensate for the larger tire circumference. “In pre-season testing we’ve initially made over 35 passes with the new tire and rim combination and we’ve discovered a number of issues we’re working to overcome,” said Crew Chief Downing. “Compared to last year’s performance, we are down approximately 1 to1.5 MPH. While we’ve made incremental improvements in the horsepower department over last year, it will not overcome the tire rule change we’re dealing with,” Downing added.

“This year at Pomona, whoever hits on the right chassis set-up will be the team to beat,” says Anderson. “We’re basically starting with a clean sheet of paper on chassis set-up. Due to the new rules, last year’s race set-up data is of no use this season. Testing has been a top priority for the team in an effort to find the right set-up. “By the time we race at Pomona we’ll have made over 80 passes, hopefully we’ll be close,” Anderson said.

Referring to his season high points, Anderson says he has been blessed with a great team owner in Vegas General Construction home builder, Ken Black. “With Ken’s support we have built a top drawer, winning organization,” Anderson said.

The high points in 2003? “For me personally, it was setting the new NHRA Pro Stock record, winning my second Indy US Nationals in convincing fashion. Many of my competitors claimed my first 2001 US Nationals Pro Stock win was a fluke; we proved them wrong. Finally, other great moments included our team sweeping both Las Vegas NHRA events in dominant fashion for home town team owner Ken Black,” Anderson added.

Pomona, Calif. -- Sports dynasties are rare in fact, you can count them on one hand. Take basketball, it’s the Lakers; football, the San Francisco 49er’s. Certainly one season doesn’t make a dynasty, but if 23 races is the criteria, Ken Black’s NHRA Pro Stock team and 2003 NHRA Pro Stock World Champion Greg Anderson, are preparing to share the crown.

PRO STOCK DOMINANCE.

In the sport of NHRA drag racing, the KB Racing team has accomplished something that is extraordinarily rare in motor sports—a season of dominance. How dominant? The team was a finalist 15 times, while winning 12 NHRA Pro Stock titles out of a 23 event season. Compare the team’s record with any racer, in any form of professional motor sports, including NASCAR, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman, IRL,Team Ganassi, Team Penske, and The Indy Car Series? All took a backseat to KB Racing.

In 2003, Ken Black Racing was the most successful team in professional motor sports. Any oval track or road racing competitor would be envious of this team’s qualifying success; an astounding average of 1.8 throughout the National Hot Rod Association’s fiercely competitive 23-race Pro Stock season. The team’s captain and owner, Ken Black, owns Vegas General Construction, a Nevada framing subcontractor. Equally at home on the track, Ken recognized the burgeoning potential in Greg Anderson during 2002. A former NHRA Competition Eliminator competitor himself, Ken banded together with Anderson and began forming the foundation of what is today Ken Black Racing.

Given the team’s success, why are they fielding a two-car team? “Really the reason is twofold; first our primary goal for the team in 2004 is for Greg to retain his current NHRA Pro Stock Crown,” Ken says.

“After evaluating a number of options including leasing our engines to other competitors, we realized that going in that direction we could potentially lose the performance edge we had worked so hard to achieve. So we came to the conclusion, the best way to control our own destiny was to add a second team car,” Black added.

THE MINNESOTA NASCAR CONNECTION.

Back in 2002, when Greg began assembling his current team, he was actively pursuing Joe Gibb’s Racing employee Jason Line. Anderson and Line are both transplanted Minnesota natives who began their NHRA racing at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minnesota. As an added enticement to lure Line, Greg offered the prospect of driving a second team car. Mind you, Jason wasn’t unhappy in NASCAR. He was a race tuner and engine dynamometer specialist for Joe Gibbs Racing, and contributed to the team’s magic. The Gibbs racing organization captured two Winston Cup Championships within three years, and Jason was an important ingredient for team success. In fact, Jason was the at-track tuner for 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Champion Bobby Labonte.

Deep down inside however, Greg knew Jason Line was a drag racer at heart. Greg made an offer to Line and Jason accepted, joining the KB Team in March 2003. Current team plans call for Line to be behind the wheel of a Jerry Bickel constructed 2004 Pro Stock Pontiac Grand Am as he contends for the NHRA Rookie of the Year title. “I’m thrilled to be a part of Ken Black’s team,” Line said. “This is an incredible opportunity, with the some of the best people in the racing business,” enthusiastically adding, “this is what I live to do, not what I do for a living.”

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.

"My primary goal as both driver and tuner will be to help Greg and the team repeat as 2004 NHRA Pro Stock World Champions,” Line said. “My car will serve as a research and development vehicle for Greg’s racecar, we’ll use it to evaluate different set-ups and test some ideas. We’re convinced a second racecar will provide us with information that will enable us to raise our level of performance and hopefully repeat our success of last year,” he added.

Line is a long time NHRA competitor and is no newcomer behind the wheel of a race car. He has multiple NHRA National Event Wins to his credit and the former 1993 NHRA Winston Stock Eliminator World Champion. Line is also an integral part of KB Racing team’s success as the primary tuner of Greg’s Pro Stock entry throughout the 2003 season. In addition to his driving responsibilities Line will continue tuning the two Pro Stock entries.

“I’d like nothing better than to have Jason and Greg race each other in the finals and let the best man win,” says team owner Ken Black. “Like any two-car team, we may be faced with the dilemma of racing one against the other during a crucial points battle, and it only makes good sense to evaluate each situation as it presents itself.” “We have a high level of confidence in Jason’s abilities. “Believe me, he’ll have everything he needs to win races and be a top five competitor this season,” quips Black.

"I’m extremely happy with what our team has accomplished,” adds Black. “This is a terrific organization. When you examine any successful business you’ll discover it’s really about the people, and I believe we have the best” and he adds with a chuckle, “even our wives all get along.”

Even his competitors would agree, around the pro stock pit area you aren’t likely to meet a nicer guy than Ken Black, but when its time to go NHRA Pro Stock drag racing. Be assured, paraphrasing the immortal words of Theodore Roosevelt, the amiable Black “speaks softly and carries two big sticks.”

Pomona, Calif. – Defending National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Pro Stock Champion Greg Anderson and Ken Black’s KB Racing are set to defend their title at the NHRA’s 44th Annual Winternationals, to be held February 19-22 at the Pomona Raceway in Pomona, Calif.

BUILDING ON SUCCESS.

The biggest issue facing the KB team during the short off-season was, indeed, an enviable one; how can the team better their historic performance of last season? The team’s 2003 NHRA Powerade Pro Stock season performance can be summed up in a few words—historic, record setting, class dominance.

Flashback to last year’s Winternationals. Greg Anderson says the team struggled trying to qualify his Vegas General Construction Pontiac Grand Am, ending up a disappointing ninth at last years event. “We weren’t real organized early on and had limited testing and in fact, we had made just one pull on our new engine dynamometer prior to Pomona,” said the 43-year-old Anderson. But, the season quickly improved with Greg qualifying with an overall average position of 1.80 for the entire season. His other achievements for the 2003 season include:

• Greg raced his team’s Pontiac Grand Am into the finals 15 times winning an historic 12 NHRA Pro Stock Powerade Events, eclipsing the previous record of 11.

• Greg broke another long standing NHRA mark by accumulating a record 67 round wins in a single season, a record formerly held by NHRA Funny Car legend John Force with 65.

• Anderson rocketed his Pontiac Grand Am to a 6.67 elapsed time at 207.18 MPH, NHRA Pro Stock Records that may be unbreakable this season.