Line and Anderson Get Round Wins in Phoenix

Jason Line and Greg Anderson posted round wins at the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals in Phoenix, Arizona.

Line qualified sixth with a 6.562 second, 211.16 MPH pass. The driver of the blue Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro defeated Vincent Nobile in Round One of eliminations with a strong 6.567 at 210.70 mph that was the quickest pass of the round. In Round Two, Line powered down the race track a 6.582/210.87 run that was quicker and faster than opponent Drew Skillman’s 6.595/210.50. Unfortunately, Skillman’s .020 second starting line advantage gave him the win. The margin of victory was just .007 of a second.

“That second round, we didn’t make the run we could have, and I did a lousy job as a driver,” said Line. “To win in this class, you have to be great every round, every second. Today I wasn’t, and that equals an early exit. That’s what it comes down to.”

Line and Team Summit will travel to Florida for the NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville. The race is three weeks away, which gives the KB Racing crew time to improve a program that is already well ahead of many of their competitors.

“We certainly have a lot of work to do,” said Line. “But we will keep working. That’s one thing we do relentlessly, all of our Summit Racing guys work really hard, and that’s good because we are going to get better.”

Line is currently third in the Pro Stock points standings, 27 points out of first place.

Anderson Encouraged by Round Win
Greg Anderson and his Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro team are keeping their noses to the grindstone as they prepare for a strong push for the remainder of the year. Anderson qualified ninth position in Phoenix with a 6.578/210.67 pass. Despite lack of lane choice in the first round of eliminations, Anderson got a .009 second starting line jump and defeated Larry Morgan, 6.606/210.64 to Morgan’s 6.599/211.20. The margin of victory was .002 of a second.

“It wasn’t a very good run, but the starting line is always suspect for the first pair out,” said Anderson. “We both spun the tires off the starting line, but it was a great side-by-side race. It was a good sign, and I thought today was the day.”

Anderson met up with 2014 Pro Stock champion Erica Enders-Stevens in Round Two. This time, it was Enders-Stevens who got the starting line advantage and took the win, 6.570/210.60 to Anderson’s 6.603/210.80.

“It was difficult to make a good, clean run in that right lane,” said Anderson. “The bottom line is that you have to be fast enough that you get lane choice and don’t have to worry about that. For Gainesville we plan to show up, run fast, and put the other cars at a disadvantage. We learned some things this weekend. We didn’t get to the finish line like we had hoped, but it was still positive in many ways.”

Anderson is currently ninth in the Pro Stock points standings.

Team Summit Results: Top Fuel
Doug Kalitta qualified second (3.733/329.02). He defeated Clay Millican, Brittany Force, and Shawn Langdon to reach the final round, where he runner-upped to Tony Schumacher. Kalitta is currently fourth in the points standings.
J.R. Todd qualified fourth (3.753/323.12). He defeated Terry McMillen in Round One of eliminations but lost to Antron Brown in Round Two. Todd is currently tied with Steve Torrence for eighth place in the points standings.

Team Summit Results: Funny Car
Tim Wilkerson qualified ninth (4.034/312.50) but lost to Cruz Pedregon in Round One. He is currently 13th in the points standings.
Del Worsham qualified third (3.997/319.98). He defeated John Hale, Chad Head, and Robert Hight to reach the final round, where he runner-upped to Matt Hagan. Worsham is currently second in the points standings.
Alexis DeJoria qualified fourth (4.000/313.58). She defeated Tony Pedregon in Round One and Tommy Johnson Jr in Round Two, but lost to Matt Hagan in the semis. DeJoria is currently seventh in the points standings.

Team Summit Results: Pro Stock
Jimmy Alund qualified 13th (6.626/209.14) piloting Greg Anderson’s former Pontiac GXP. He was defeated in Round One by Allen Johnson, 6.588/210.50 to 6.615/210.14. Alund, a nine-time European Pro Stock champion, will be competing at the next two NHRA national events before returning to Sweden for the 2015 FIA Drag Racing Series.

Final Round Results
Top Fuel: Tony Schumacher defeated Doug Kalitta, 3.720/326.56 to 3.758/325.14.
Funny Car: Matt Hagan defeated Del Worsham 3.975/324.83 to 4.010/318.17.
Pro Stock: Rodger Brogdon defeated Erica Enders-Stevens, 6.560/211.49 to 6.640/205.51.

Next Race
The next event is the NHRA Gatornationals, March 13-15 in Gainesville, Florida. Visit Drag Race Central for more news and in-depth results from the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals.