PRO STOCK

(Richard Muir photo)

“To be able to outrun nine cars in one day – and against drivers and teams that I've been looking up to [while] racing in Europe is pretty awesome," said Alund, who defeated runner-up Shane Gray and semifinal finishers Vincent Nobile and Erica Enders-Stevens in the final with a 6.562 at 211.59 mph that was a thousandth quicker than Gray.

"Greg told me in Pomona to 'drive like I stole it,' and I'm actually thinking about stealing it right now," joked Alund, who will race for Anderson at the Houston event in two weeks before handing the reins back to the four-time world champ, who is recovering from heart surgery performed earlier this season.

For Alund, who was contracted to race six events for Summit Racing, the clock was ticking. He had consistently made progress though, qualifying for each event on the tour beginning with the season-opener in Pomona, setting and resetting his career best numbers, and seeing his first win light in competition at the last race on the tour, the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

During qualifying at the Four-Wide Nationals, Alund recorded a best time of 6.550 at 211.96 mph to earn a position in the top half of the field for the second consecutive event. Starting eighth, Alund was second-quickest in his quad in the first round of eliminations on Sunday to advance, topping V Gaines and Larry Morgan with a 6.554 at 211.53 that was only bested by No. 1 qualifier Chris McGaha.

In the second round, Alund saw another win light by putting up the best number in his quad, a 6.563 at 211.43, to advance along with second-quickest Shane Gray (6.555, 211.96) and put McGaha and Jeg Coughlin Jr. on the trailer.

The final in Charlotte was Alund's first on the NHRA Mello Yello Series tour, and with only six allotted races to get the job done, it seemed a long shot for many. Alund, however, was powered by KB Racing and supported by a team that welcomed him with open arms and immediately accepted him as one of their own.

The team of the red Summit Racing Equipment Camaro celebrates.  (Richard Muir photo)

"This means a lot," said Alund. "It really hasn't sunk in yet; let's put it that way. I have a lot of wins in Europe, but this is something special. It will be hard to climb out of the seat. We have a really great group of people in Pro Stock, and I've had a great time. The Summit Racing guys are awesome, and everyone is laughing and having a good time. I think that's a very key ingredient."

Teammate Jason Line put a qualifying-best time of 6.542 at 212.73 on the scoreboard in the second round of qualifying to earn a start from the No. 6 position. On raceday, the two-time NHRA Pro Stock champion clocked a speedy 6.560 at 211.76 that was quickest in his quad in the first round of eliminations. Both Line and KB Racing-powered Vincent Nobile advanced to the second round where a bout of tire shake put an end to Line's quest for the trophy at a racetrack where he has four times been to the final and once scored the win.

Line was out of the game, but the motivated KB Racing group banded together to prepare Alund to move on in the competition.