Pro Stock points leader Dallas Glenn continued his postseason surge Sunday at zMAX Dragway, collecting his second straight Countdown to the Championship win and sixth victory of the year at the NHRA 4-Nationals. Glenn ran 6.554 seconds at 209.95 mph in his RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro, defeating a quad that included Greg Anderson, Erica Enders and Aaron Stanfield.
The victory marked Glenn’s 19th career win and his third straight at the Charlotte facility. He has now swept both four-wide races at the track and opened a 79-point lead over Anderson in the standings.
Glenn credited his team’s consistency while reflecting on a costly error in Indianapolis. “I knew I had a fantastic car coming in, so I really just wanted to try to keep the momentum,” Glenn said. “I really felt like I let everybody down in Indy when I let my foot up a little against Erica [Enders]. I made that mistake. So, I just wanted to come into this race and step it up just a little bit more and be a little more aggressive.”
He acknowledged that nothing came easy despite his strong car. “You look at the ladder and you’re like, this is going to be a tough day, so you just got to try to bring your A-game,” Glenn said. “I made a small pedal [adjustment] and went up there and just tried to do everything I could to kind of throw a Hail Mary and hope it stuck.”
Glenn emphasized the importance of staying focused on each race rather than looking too far ahead. “I think I have 79 points right now, so I still count that as basically three rounds, because that’s what it’s going to be in Pomona,” he said. “I want to keep my foot on their throats and keep pressure on until they hand me a trophy.”
Anderson reached his eighth final round of the season, finishing as runner-up with a 6.562. Stanfield, who placed fourth in the quad, climbed to third in points but remains 172 behind Glenn.
The added pressure of Saturday’s 2Fast2Tasty Challenge has also paid off for Glenn. “I only missed one 2Fast2Tasty, and I felt like I was struggling with running good on Saturday at the beginning of the season,” Glenn said. “Then we definitely came on real strong on Saturday at the end of the season and definitely we made up all the points.”
Glenn admitted that some fortune has helped keep his run intact. “Oh, absolutely,” he said. “If I’m leaking oil in E-1 instead of Q-4, this whole countdown looks completely different for me. Then I also am a believer that you kind of make your own luck. Luck’s when preparation meets opportunity.”
While Glenn believes his driving was sharper last season, he sees an edge in his equipment this year. “I feel like I have a better car this year,” he said. “Honestly, I feel like I was probably driving better last year. I feel more relaxed this year and I’m not nearly worried about points as much.”
That sense of calm has carried into his approach through the playoffs. “I definitely feel more relaxed,” Glenn said. “I am kind of taking it more of a one race at a time thing rather than just trying to build and think about what’s it going to be like to Pomona.”
With four races left, Glenn is focused on carrying momentum and minimizing mistakes. “It was good having a fantastic season all the way through and not really struggling at any point because I’m just literally just keeping the wave going,” he said. “I’m just trying to continue what we have, just go up there, not make mistakes, make good clean runs, do my job when I need to.”
