Line and Anderson Remain First and Second in Points after Mile-High Nationals

After winning 13 races in a row, Team Summit Racing Pro Stock drivers Jason Line and Greg Anderson were stopped in the semifinals of the Mopar NHRA Mile-High Nationals in Denver. Despite the loss, Line and Anderson remain first and second respectively in the Pro Stock points standings by very comfortable margins.

Jason Line qualified fourth with a 6.939 second, 198.64 MPH pass. He defeated Deric Kramer in Round One of eliminations (6.959/197.94 to 7.049/195.14) and KB Racing teammate Bo Butner in Round Two (6.977/197.57 to 6.979/197.86).

Line faced off with Vincent Nobile in the semifinals. The race was decided at the starting line as Line cut a -0.012 redlight, automatically giving the win to Nobile.

“We struggled during qualifying, which we knew would happen since we made the decision to not come to Denver and test,” Line explained. “But by Sunday we were certainly as fast as or faster than everybody else. I just made a bad error and you can’t make errors if you want to win.”

Line maintains the lead in the Pro Stock points standings.

Anderson Makes Semi-Final Round
Greg Anderson qualified sixth with a 6.591/197.25 pass. He defeated Matt Hartford in Round One of eliminations and (6.995/197.22 to 7.054/197.73) and Chris McGaha in Round Two (6.998/197.25 to 7.020/196.24).

In the semifinals Anderson faced Allen Johnson, who has been nicknamed “King of the Mountain” for his continued success at Bandimere Speedway. And it was Johnson who took the win with a .050 second starting line advantage 6.986/196.42 to Anderson’s quicker and faster 6.968/197.19.

“We started the weekend off pitiful, but gained on it every day and had the fastest cars by Sunday,” Anderson said. “I’m proud of the effort the team put in this weekend. From where we started without testing here, and the gains we made through the weekend, I can’t thank the guys enough for the job they did. As a driver to let the ball drop like that, it’s very disheartening.”

Anderson remains second in the Pro Stock points standings.

Tim Wilkerson Suffers Crash
Tim Wilkerson suffered a crash during the fourth qualifying session on Saturday night. The Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Shelby Mustang took a sharp right turn off the starting line, crossed the center line, and crashed into the wall. Wilkerson walked away without injury, but after inspecting the car decided not to compete in eliminations.

“We’re pretty sure we figured out what happened. We’re going to try to get our spare car from Murf McKinney and bring it to Sonoma and we will work on it there,” Wilkerson said.

Wilkerson leaves Denver ninth in the Funny Car points standings.

Team Summit Results: Top Fuel
Doug Kalitta qualified eighth (3.835/290.13) but lost to Tony Schumacher in Round One of eliminations. He is currently second in the points standings. 

“It was a quick exit today, but the performance was there.” Kalitta said. “I look forward to going to Sonoma, where my team has had more success there.” 

J.R. Todd qualified sixth (3.816/316.38). He defeated Scott Palmer in the Round One and Richie Crampton in Round Two, but lost to Antron Brown in the semi-finals. Todd is currently seventh in the points standings. 

"We had a good handle on the mountain, but it was not our day,” Todd said. “I am excited with the consistency we have built into this machine and I look forward to see what else we can do on the Western Swing.”

Team Summit Results: Funny Car
Del Worsham qualified third (3.963/322.34). He defeated Todd Simpson in Round One and Ron Capps in Round Two, but lost to John Force in the semi-finals. Worsham is currently fifth in the points standings.

“We keep knocking on the door at these races,” Worsham said. “The DHL crew did a great job and this new Bounty Hunter chassis performed very well. Denver is a tough race and the way we competed this weekend makes me very proud.”

Alexis DeJoria qualified fourth (3.975/318.69) but lost to John Hale in Round One. She is currently tenth in the points standings.

Final Round Results
Top Fuel: Tony Schumacher (3.802/324.28) defeated Antron Brown (5.199/144.75) 
Funny Car: John Force (3.965/319.45) defeated Courtney Force (3.963/314.75) 
Pro Stock: Allen Johnson (6.982/197.390 defeated Vincent Nobile (7.037/196.82) 
Pro Stock Motorcycle: Andrew Hines (7.134/188.33) defeated Eddie Krawiec (7.148/187.21

Next Race
The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series continues with the second stop of the Western Swing, the Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals on July 29-31 at Sonoma Raceway. Visit Drag Race Central for more results from the Mopar Performance NHRA Mile-High Nationals.