Cole Anderson Seeks to Tame the Southern Summer Heat in the Alabama 200
NORTHFIELD, MN (Aug. 30, 2018) – Cole Anderson has been on a summer hot streak, ripping off wins and top five finishes seemingly every week he climbs into the racecar. This weekend, he travels back to Alabama for the annual Alabama 200 at Montgomery Motor Speedway.
Anderson raced at Montgomery earlier this month with his ATF & Gunslinger team, capturing a top five finish in a race where cautions were few and long-run speed was at a premium. After starting third, Cole expected at least one late-race caution which never came and after racing side-by-side with a competitor for laps on end, finished fourth.
This weekend, the Alabama 200 presents different challenges for the Minnesota driver. While most races at Montgomery have been run in the cool of the night this summer, Sunday’s Alabama 200 is scheduled to take the green flag during the hot, mid-afternoon sun at approximately 3:30 pm CT. With the long race in an already-hot racecar, physical conditioning is going to be key for Anderson and his team.
“We’re really hoping for a solid run and if we can come away with a top three, we’d be happy,” explained Anderson about this weekend’s race. “Staying hydrated in the seat is going to be one of the biggest challenges. You have to be well hydrated to make smart, aggressive decisions late in the race to put us in a spot to contend at the end. Having a shot to win would be huge. I feel our team has been really consistent and preparing our racecars right, so it definitely would be huge.”
Anderson has picked up wins this summer at Mobile International Speedway, New Smyrna Speedway, and on dirt at Deer Creek Speedway. With five wins in the last two months, the driver of the No. 97 Toyota has acquired a feel he looks for behind the wheel in order to promote consistent runs and maximum speed. Although Montgomery’s unique layout presents its own challenges, the biggest adjustments may come from behind the wheel.
“I think we’re just rolling with the same baseline setup we’ve had and adjusting from there,” he said. “We learned a lot about our car last time and how hard we could have run just by looking at our tires after the last race. I think we just have to have a well-balanced racecar which I always expect from Jamie and the guys. They do a great job and I just need to do my job in the seat.”
The Alabama 200 festivities kick off on Friday with open practice, followed by additional practice and qualifications on Saturday. Feature racing begins at 2 pm with the Modifieds of Mayhem preliminary race (75 laps) with the Alabama 200 immediately to follow.
For more information and the latest updates about Cole Anderson visit his website at ColeAndersonRacing.com. He can also be found on social media such as Facebook (@ColeAndersonRacing), Twitter (@Cole_Anderson97) and Instagram (@Cole_Anderson97).
Sources: Tony Stevens/Pit Row Media