POMONA, Calif., Nov. 16, 2008 -- Richie Stevens just shook his head after Sunday's first round of Pro Stock competition in the Auto Club Finals.  "It's hard to beat the guy next to you when he runs low e.t. of the round," said the driver of Kenny Koretsky's Nitro Fish/Indicom Electric Dodge.  "But that's what you expect from the No. 1 qualifier."

Stevens, who qualified 16th, squared off against Greg Anderson and watched Anderson get the win light in 6.644 seconds at 208.33 mph to a 6.727 at 206.04. 

"Lane choice was a big deal because the right lane -- where we were -- isn't as good as the left one," Stevens noted.  "We didn't qualify in the top half so we didn't get lane choice.  I wish we had ended the season on a little better note by winning some rounds. But, all-in-all, it was a good weekend.  We qualified 16th -- and that was a lot better than 17th."

The next race is the Winternationals, Feb. 5-8, 2009.