Line and Anderson Make the Semi-Finals in Maple Grove

It was an oh-so-close weekend for Summit Racing Pro Stock drivers Greg Anderson and Jason Line as they came up one round short of making the finals at the Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals in Reading, Pennsylvania.

Line started the weekend in stellar fashion, qualifying Number One with a 6.573 second, 201.70 mile per hour pass. This was Line’s second Number One qualifier for the season, earning him valuable bonus points to help improve his chances of winning the 2013 championship.

Line put Kenny Delco on the trailer in Round One of eliminations, 6.584/210.14 mph to 6.693/206.13. In Round Two, a foul start by opponent Vincent Nobile gave Line the win. Line clicked off a 6.596/201.37 run—the fastest speed of the round.

Line ran a 6.607/210.01 pass in the semi-finals—the second-quickest run of the round—but opponent Jeg Coughlin’s .029 second starting line advantage was enough to give him the win, 6.615/208.39 to Line’s 6.607/210.01.

“Today I definitely had a car that could win,” said Line. “This is the last race of four in a row, and the KB Racing guys have worked very hard both on and off the track, and it shows. We’ll keep working and we will be testing before the race in Las Vegas in two weeks. I don’t know that the points race has ever been this close this late in the season, but Team Summit is in the hunt and plans to finish the year on a high note.”

Line is currently third in the Countdown to the Championship points standings, just 50 points out of first place.

Anderson Just Misses Fourth Reading Final
Greg Anderson made the semi-finals at Maple Grove, his second semi-final finish in a row. He qualified 11th with a 6.598/209.85, and defeated Richie Stevens, Jr. in Round One of eliminations thanks to a .013 second reaction time.

Anderson had an equally stellar .014 second reaction time in Round Two, but didn’t need the starting line advantage as opponent Mike Edwards had a foul start. Anderson’s defeat of Edwards was critical for Summit Racing as it gave teammate Jason Line a chance to catch up to Edwards in the points standings. Line is currently just five points behind Edwards in the Countdown to the Championship rankings.

Anderson missed his fourth career final round in Reading by Allen Johnson, who ran 6.595/209.17 to Anderson’s 6.633/209.20.

“It’s going to take absolute perfection to win (the championship),” Anderson said. “The driver, the engine, the car, nothing can be off. We’re still in the battle with Jason’s car, and we’ve got two weekends to go test and find what we think we may be missing with my car so that I can win a race before the year is through and help my teammate. Competition is at an all time high out here, but this season isn’t over yet.”

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

Team Summit Results: Pro Stock
Larry Morgan qualified 13th (6.620/208.78) but lost to Jeg Coughlin in Round One of eliminations.

Team Summit Results: Funny Car
Tim Wilkerson qualified seventh (4.072/312.42) but lost to Del Worsham in the first round. Tim is currently 10th in the points standings.

Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals Final Round Results
Top Fuel: Shawn Langdon defeated Antron Brown, 3.779/323.81 to 3.806/322.04.
Funny Car: John Force defeated Chad Head, 4.106/313.37 to 10.002/65.47.
Pro Stock: Jeg Coughlin defeated Allen Johnson, 6.616/208.75 to 6.588/209.39.
Pro Stock Motorcycle: Matt Smith defeated Eddie Krawiec, 6.936/193.32 to 6.965.

Next Race
The next event is the Toyota NHRA Nationals, October 25-27 in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more news and in-depth results from the Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals, go to http://www.DragRaceCentral.com.