Rookie Jonathan Gray will go head to head with Pro Stock veteran Greg Anderson in the next four races for a berth in the Countdown to the Championship.

Gray holds the tenth place position in the point standings. Anderson holds a lofty advantage in the experience department but right now it's the rookie who holds the most advantageous edge. He leads Anderson by 23 points with a strong race car underneath him.

Rookie Jonathan Gray will go head to head with Pro Stock veteran Greg Anderson in the next four races for a berth in the Countdown to the Championship.

Gray holds the tenth place position in the point standings. Anderson holds a lofty advantage in the experience department but right now it's the rookie who holds the most advantageous edge. He leads Anderson by 23 points with a strong race car underneath him.

“The pressure is building, there is no question about it,” Gray said. “You just have to deal with it accordingly and just try to keep things going. For us, we have start qualifying better. This weekend we'll be working on eliminating the things that have been holding us back with that and hopefully we'll do better.”

Gray received his Pro Stock license just before Gainesville in March, and advanced to back-to-back finals in Bristol and Epping. A first-round loss last weekend in the high-altitude conditions at Denver, Gray has made the race for tenth place in Pro Stock closer.

 “The good news is that it wasn't a bad run, and I’m pretty encouraged going to Sonoma,” Gray said. “(Last) weekend was the first time we've ever got this car to repeat like it did. It will be good to get to Sonoma next week, but (Denver) was a good weekend for us if you look at the bigger picture.”

 Maybe not as important as the Countdown berth is the reality Gray is also contending for the Rookie of the Year award, voted on by members of the media. Beating out Anderson for the final spot should go a long way for Gray.
 
“Before Denver we were in a good position and we had a little bit of a cushion heading up there, but we lost some of that now,” Gray said. “I think we're still okay, but we're going to have to go to Sonoma and go rounds. There is no question. We have to or we'll get knocked out."

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