Line and Wilkerson Post Wins at the Four-Wide Nationals

Summit Racing Equipment had two drivers in the winner’s circle at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals presented by Lowes Foods. Jason Line won his third race of the season in Pro Stock and Tim Wilkerson posted his second win in Nitro Funny Car.

Sunday’s victory marks Line’s 40th career Pro Stock win, his first Four-Wide win, and his fifth straight final round appearance in 2016.

“It’s really a big deal and exciting to win here,” said Line. “It is tough to win the Four-Wide. We are taking a lot of pride in this win because we probably had more changes to make, engine-wise, than everybody else did. You realize how difficult it is to win these races and it becomes more and more special.”

Line qualified third with a 6.584 second, 211.10 MPH pass. He defeated Kenny Delco, Vincent Nobile, and V. Gaines in the opening round of eliminations, and held off Skillman, Delco, and Erica Enders in Round Two to be one of the final four. Line posted a 6.565/211.33 to defeat Bo Butner, Drew Skillman, and Chris McGaha and claim his first Four-Wide victory.
 
Line is currently Number One in the Pro Stock points standings.

Anderson Posts Second Number One Qualifier
Greg Anderson scored his second Number One qualifier this season with a 6.576/210.41 pass. He ran a 6.562/211.99 in Round One of eliminations, defeating Chris McGaha, Allen Johnson, and Shane Tucker. However, Anderson’s day ended in Round Two against Chris McGaha, Bo Butner, and Deric Kramer.

This is the only race of the year with four cars racing at once, which presents many unique obstacles for drivers. One of the biggest hurdles is having two Christmas Trees and four staging lights, which can cause some confusion.

“Well, the problem in the second round was the guy in the left lane staged and then he rolled right through the light or something,” said Anderson. “You are sitting there staging and all you know is that the stage lights are all on and then they were all off and then the tree went on. All you can do is stay on the (rev) limiter and wait and see if the tree comes on.”

Anderson posted another milestone in Charlotte. He has now surpassed Warren Johnson for the most consecutive starts without a DNQ at 304 races. Anderson has not had a DNQ since 2002, and is second only to John Force with 395 consecutive races.
 
Anderson is currently second in the Pro Stock points standings.

Wilkerson Scores Second Win of the Season
Tim Wilkerson won his second race of the year in Charlotte. It was his first Four-Wide Nationals win, and his 20th career victory.

“I’ve been in the finals twice here, so I am really happy to get it done,” said Wilkerson. “The whole year has really been exciting with the way everything has been going for us.”

Wilkerson qualified eighth with a 3.970/319.07 pass. He finished first in all three quads. In Round One, he defeated Jeff Diehl, Number One qualifier Alexis DeJoria, and current points leader Robert Hight. In Round Two he outran Pedregon, Courtney Force, and Jeff Diehl.

In the final, Wilkerson powered past Cruz Pedregon, Ron Capps, and Matt Hagan to take the win with a 3.967/315.56 in his Levi Ray & Shoup Ford Mustang.

This is the best start to a season Wilkerson has experienced, and he credits his crew and their hard work ethic.

“I have a great bunch of kids on my crew. The other teams may outspend us, but they will never outwork us,” said Wilkerson. “My guys really do try hard and have a lot of heart.”
 
Wilkerson is currently fourth in the Funny Car points standings.

Team Summit Results—Top Fuel
Doug Kalitta qualified fourth (3.752/325.92). He defeated Max Smith and Scott Palmer in Round One of eliminations, Tony Schumacher and Steve Torrence in Round Two, and Brittany Force in the final. Kalitta is currently third in the points standings.
J.R. Todd qualified second (3.743/324.28). He defeated Terry McMillen and Chris Karamesines in Round One, but was defeated by Brittany Force and Antron Brown in Round Two. Todd is currently sixth in the points standings.

Team Summit Results—Funny Car
Del Worsham qualified fifth (3.963/317.57) but was defeated by Courtney Force and Cruz Pedregon in Round One. He is currently sixth in the points standings.
Alexis DeJoria qualified Number One (3.934/321.04) but was defeated by Tim Wilkerson and Jeff Diehl in Round One. Dejoria is currently eighth in the points standings.

Final Round Results
Top Fuel: Brittany Force (3.764/319.98) defeated Antron Brown (3.779/316.75), Doug Kalitta (4.792/161.34), and Clay Millican (6.616/90.24).
Funny Car: Tim Wilkerson (3.967/315.56) defeated Cruz Pedregon (3.995/313.37), Ron Capps (4.055/315.42), and Matt Hagan (4.069/305.56).
Pro Stock: Jason Line (6.565/211.33) defeated Bo Butner (6.591/210.77), Drew Skillman (6.620/209.43), and Chris McGaha (6.646/208.68).
Pro Stock Motorcycle: Andrew Hines (6.844/195.42) defeated Eddie Krawiec (6.849/ 194.44), Chip Ellis (6.884/193.90), and Matt Smith (12.878/60.42).

Next Race
The next race in the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series is the NHRA SpringNationals at Royal Purple Raceway, Houston, Texas, April 29-May 1. Visit Drag Race Central for more information from the Four-Wide Nationals.