DALLAS GLENN TAKES ON MENTOR GREG ANDERSON IN PRO STOCK DEBUT
�As a lifelong Pro Stock fan and crew member in the class for nearly 10 years , Dallas Glenn was giddy with excitement when he rolled into Orlando to start making his Pro Stock licensing runs . After making a series of progressively quicker runs to upgrade his license , Glenn was hooked and ready to enter the World Doorslammer Nationals , his first foray into Pro Stock racing .
“ Those cars are just so much fun to drive ,” Glenn says , his enthusiasm still shining weeks after the race . “ I always thought they would be really fun to drive , but to actually do it and experience it was a ton of fun . It blows you away how much fun and how difficult it is to remember to do everything you need to do in them .”
Despite his lack of experience in a Pro Stock car , Glenn was driving like a veteran . He admittedly had an issue with going red in testing and qualifying , but after Saturday ’ s third and final qualifying session , Glenn felt confident in his ability to leave on time .
Plus , he had the benefit of a quick , consistent car under him . Glenn qualified No . 6 with a 6.55 at 211.20 in the KB Racing-fielded RAD Torque Systems / Silverstate Plumbing ’ 20 Camaro .
“ I kept going red and it was kind of worrying me until race day when I figured out a couple different things with my foot to try to stay green ,” Glenn says . “ It was a lot of fun , I just wish we could ’ ve drawn chips a little better .”
Glenn paired up with Fernando Cuadra Sr . in the opening round of eliminations , defeating Cuadra ’ s 6.619 with a 6.529 , the third quickest pass of first round . He was upstaged only by his KB Racing teammates , Greg Anderson and Kyle Koretsky , who ended up racing each other . Anderson recorded a 6.503 to eliminate Koretsky and his 6.51 .
As it turned out , another KB Racing matchup would follow in the second round .
“ We were drawing chips and Greg pulls his chip and I pull my chip and look at it and look
at Greg , then they started calling the 1s and the 2s ,” Glenn says , recalling the chip draw where drivers determined their pairings and run order by drawing numbered chips . “ When they said 3 and 3 , me and Greg looked at each other and our hearts dropped . It ’ s like how are we that good at drawing each other ? I would ’ ve rather run anyone else other than Greg .”
Glenn was going into his second-ever round of eliminations in Pro Stock and he had to face one of the most accomplished drivers in the history of the class . Not only that , but Anderson is one of the handful of key people who taught Glenn the
Pro Stock ropes at KB Racing since the 30-yearold sportsman standout joined the team in 2012 .
“ I wasn ’ t really nervous ,” Glenn says . “ I knew what I needed to go up there and do . I knew that either way it was going to be a good race . The only thing I really worried about in racing him was I thought I had a chance of going red because I was really gonna go for it . I guess I kind of overcompensated the other way .”
When Glenn says he overcompensated , he means he slowed from his . 015 reaction time in the first round to a . 018 against Anderson . That gave him a . 008 advantage over Anderson , and he held that advantage for most of the race , but Anderson pulled ahead at the finish line . Glenn improved to a 6.512 at 211.96 , but it wasn ’ t enough to hold off Anderson ’ s 6.497 at 212.86 , which stood for low E . T . of the event . The margin of victory was just seven thousandths of a second .
“ When I got down to the end I felt like I had missed [ the tree ] but I knew it wasn ’ t terrible ,” Glenn says . “ I didn ’ t see or hear Greg the entire run , but I knew I felt decent on my shifts and the car went nice and straight . I see Greg go past me and I figured I got my chute out just a little before him . We get out of the cars and he ’ s just shaking his head and goes , ‘ Raw horsepower is the only reason I got around you . You were out in front for a long way .’
“ I think it was the first of many good races that Greg and I are going to have in the future ,” says Glenn , who has at least three more races planned this season .
After earning his dues as a crew member for dozens of races and test sessions and countless hours at the shop , Glenn can say it was all worth it .
“ I totally understand why Greg wants to test so much – these cars are so much fun to drive ,” he laughs . – NATE VAN WAGNEN DI
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