Jason Line Wins in Dallas, Takes Over Points Lead

The Summit Racing Pro Stock team has a strong bond with the Lone Star state. Greg Anderson and Jason Line now have six wins between them at the Texas Motorplex following Jason’s victory at this year’s AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals. This win also moved Line to the top of the Pro Stock points standings for NHRA’s Countdown to the Championship.

“Having the points lead right now is a big deal,” said Line. “To go from where we were two months ago to being here is a small miracle and a testament to all of our Summit Racing guys. We have worked harder than we have in a long, long time, that’s for sure, and it’s good to see it starting to pay off.”

Although qualifying was cut short by two runs due to persistent rain in the area surrounding the Texas Motorplex, Line had no trouble qualifying the silver Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro fifth with a 6.566 second, 211.06 mph pass. He knocked out Rodger Brogdon in Round One of eliminations, 6.555/211.20 to 6.662/209.52. Line defeated Allen Johnson in Round Two, 6.568/211.39 to 6.578/211.53 and got the automatic win in the semifinals when V. Gaines posted a -.111 second foul start.

That set the stage for a final round matchup with Shane Gray. Line hoped for a repeat of the final round of year’s O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals, when he defeated Gray for the title. There was a malfunction at the starting line, later suspected to be a disturbance of the staging beams by crickets. When both racers staged, the top bulb on the tree, flickered off and on instead of fully illuminating.

The disruption on the starting line showed in each driver’s reaction time. Line posted a .067 second reaction time, with Gray right behind with a .074 second reaction time. Line won the race with a 6.590/211.16 pass to best Gray’s 6.595/210.44.

“That was probably the oddest final of my life, no question,” continued Line. “I did what I normally do, and to be honest, I panicked because I didn’t know what was going on. I was definitely thrown for a loop. But this win is huge, and timing is everything. We are back to being competitive, and I can assure you that we are going to continue to work to gain an advantage on the class. We have some very talented folks on the Summit Racing team, and we aren’t going to stop.”

A Tough Day for Anderson in Dallas
While Greg Anderson was elated to see his Summit Racing teammate in the winner’s circle in Dallas, the four-time Pro Stock world champion was disappointed with his performance at an event where he has earned four Pro Stock titles. Anderson qualified seventh with a respectable 6.567/210.64 and drew Jeg Coughlin as a first round opponent. Both drivers clocked identical .028 second reaction times, but it was Coughlin who tripped the win light, 6.566/210.60 to 6.585/210.60.

“It was a disappointing weekend for me, but I couldn’t be happier for my teammate,” said Anderson. “I think it’s great that Jason’s car is running so well, but our two cars should be the same, and that is what we are working on now. We’ve got the race in St. Louis next week, and hopefully we will be able to get back up there closer to where we belong.”

Anderson is currently ninth in the Countdown to the Championship points standings.

Team Summit Results: Pro Stock
• Rickie Jones qualified second (6.559/210.90). He defeated Matt Hartford in Round One of eliminations, but lost to Jeg Coughlin in Round Two.
• Larry Morgan qualified 11th (6.601/209.33). He defeated Mike Edwards in  Round One, but lost to Shane Gray in Round Two.

Team Summit Results: Funny Car
Tim Wilkerson qualified ninth (4.154/302.41) but lost to Johnny Gray in the first round. Wilkerson is currently ninth in the points standings.

AAA Texas Fall Nationals Final Round Results
Top Fuel: Doug Kalitta defeated Shawn Langdon, 3.842/320.43 to 3.896/291.32.
Funny Car: Cruz Pedregon defeated John Force, 4.106/312.06 to 4.220/270.27.
Pro Stock: Jason Line defeated Shane Gray, 6.590/211.16 to 6.595/210.44.
Pro Stock Motorcycle: Eddie Krawiec defeated Matt Smith, 6.951/191.87 to 6.913/194.55.

Next Race
The next event is the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals, September 27-29 in St. Louis, Missouri. For more news and in-depth results from the AAA Texas Fall Nationals, go to http://www.DragRaceCentral.com