Championship Battle Comes Down to Wire for Line

The Countdown to the Championship Pro Stock title is now down to the final race of the season as Summit Racing driver Jason Line leaves the NHRA Toyota Nationals in Las Vegas 17 points away from securing a third career Pro Stock championship.

Line qualified fifth on the strength of a 6.605 second, 209.56 MPH pass. He defeated Matt Hartford in Round One of eliminations, crossing the finish line with a 6.609/208.71 pass to Hartford’s 6.647/209.04. In Round Two, Line and opponent Dave Connolly left the starting line almost simultaneously. Connolly got into trouble and had to shut off. Line sailed ahead for a 6.629/208.36 win.

In the semifinals Line faced championship rival Erica Enders-Stevens. With the points lead on the line, both drivers were charged up. Enders-Stevens cut a .009 second reaction time, but Line jumped a bit too soon and illuminated a .003-second red light. He ran a strong 6.629/208.42, but Enders-Stevens’ 6.593/209.20 would have been impossible to beat.

Enders-Stevens went on to win the event and wrestle the points lead from Line, who has been at the top since winning the Brainerd Nationals. The deficit is just 17 points, making the championship a virtual toss-up heading into the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals.

“This was not a horrible day for us,” said Line. “I never take a shot at the tree, but I learned something coming out here in testing that helped me be a little bit quicker. I was trying to be .00 [at the starting line], and I was just on the wrong side of it. I was shocked that it was red because I felt like I nailed it.”

“You know it’s not over. It is absolutely not over,” Line continued. “The race track in Pomona has been pretty good for Summit Racing over the years, and I’m excited to get there and race for the championship.”

Anderson on His Game in Las Vegas
Greg Anderson qualified tenth with a 6.633/208.68. He drew rookie contender Jonathan Gray in the first round of eliminations for the fourth time this season. Both drivers were dialed in, and Anderson launched with a swift .008 second reaction time. Gray was even quicker with a .002 RT, but could not muster the power. Anderson crossed the finish line first with a 6.641/208.65 to his opponent’s 6.855/198.35.

Anderson met up with Jonathan Gray’s brother, Shane in Round Two. Anderson continued his regular routine of leaving the starting line first and clocked a .034 second reaction time to Gray’s .044. Although he was able to pick up some from the first round, it wasn’t quite enough—Gray got the win, 6.611/208.26 to Anderson’s 6.638/208.55.

“We’re still fighting to find performance with my car, but we aren’t there yet,” said Anderson. “We know it’s there—we’re just struggling to bring it out right now. The quest continues. We don’t give up. We don’t quit.”

Team Summit Results: Pro Modified
Kenny Lang did not qualify (6.082/236.75). The NHRA Nationals was the final race for the 2014 NHRA Pro Mod Series.

Team Summit Results: Top Fuel
Doug Kalitta qualified third (3.747/317.34) but lost lost to Brittany Force in Round One of eliminations. Kalitta is currently fifth in the points standings.
J.R. Todd qualified Number One (3.732/327.43). He defeated T.J. Zizzo, Khalid alBalooshi, and Billy Torrence to reach the final round where he lost to Spencer Massey. Todd is currently third in the points standings.

Team Summit Results: Funny Car
Tim Wilkerson qualified 10th (4.079/314.17). He defeated Bob Tasca III in Round One but lost to John Force in Round Two. Wilkerson is currently ninth in the points standings.
Del Worsham qualified 12th (4.090/311.13). He defeated Jeff Arend, Ron Capps, and Matt Hagan to reach the final round, where he defeated John Force. Worsham is currently sixth in the points standings.
Alexis DeJoria qualified ninth (4.076/308.35) but lost to Tommy Johnson Jr. in Round One. She is currently eighth in the points standings.

Final Round Results
Top Fuel: Spencer Massey defeated J.R. Todd, 3.756/330.88 to 7.375/87.51.
Funny Car: Del Worsham defeated John Force, 4.064/318.39 to 4.104/321.42.
Pro Stock: Erica Enders-Stevens defeated Jeg Coughlin, 6.587/209.36 to 6.596/209.14.
Pro Stock Motorcycle: Andrew Hines defeated Matt Smith, 6.955/191.02 to 6.971/192.11.
Pro Modified: Rickie Smith defeated Don Walsh, 5.912/242.63 as Walsh crossed the center line, resulting in an automatic disqualification.

Next Race
The last event of the 2014 season is the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals, November 14-16 in Pomona, California. Visit Drag Race Central for more news and in-depth results from the NHRA Toyota Nationals.