The look on Greg Anderson’s face showed something was bothering him. He had just beaten Erica Enders during the quarterfinals of the NHRA Sonoma Nationals in which both drivers took .16 of a second to stage.

Anderson’s displeasure, in his words, had nothing to do with the staging duel and everything to do with what he felt was poor sportsmanship displayed following the final round at the NHRA Route 66 Nationals. Enders defeated Anderson to become the first female driver to win an NHRA Pro Stock event.

“Sorry for her luck,” Anderson told ESPN2’s Gary Gerould when asked about potential gamesmanship on the starting line. “Sorry for her luck. It’s always good when you race her and I’ve said it all along … she kicked my butt in Chicago. I really didn’t appreciate some of the things she did after that race … it was, in my mind, a little unprofessional. I think the karma train got her a little bit there. She’s a great racer but you have to be professional.”

Anderson declined to give more insight to his comments. Sources have told CompetitionPlus.com the source of Anderson’s ire stemmed from a photo taken of Enders holding her trophy in the air alongside of his hauler and posted on the Internet.

Sonoma was the third race since Enders win earlier this month.

“She’s a great racer … just gotta be professional,” Anderson reiterated.

Enders was taken aback by Anderson’s comments.

“I was brought up to be respectful and sportsmanlike no matter if I win or lose. I distinctly remember going over and shaking his hand after we beat him. He’s loaded my butt on the trailer after he beat me many times and it’s a d*** shame that I went red against him, he was a little late today.

“I’ve done nothing but speak highly of them and their team, Summit and the guys over there,” Enders said. “I think they’re great and to be the best you have to beat the best. If we did something unsportsmanship-like, I wish he’d have brought it to my attention.”

The ESPN2 cameras picked up bits and pieces of the conversation where Anderson could clearly be heard asking, “Why did you do it?” Enders responded, “When your sponsor asks you to hold your trophy up …” before the audio trailed off.

Walking away Enders said to Anderson, “That’s the wrong time to say something like that.”

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