Line Extends Points Lead, Anderson Cuts Perfect Light in Maple Grove

Jason Line has held the NHRA Pro Stock points lead since winning the rain-delayed Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in September. Thanks to a first round winand some luck, he continued his pursuit of a third Pro Stock world championship with a first round finish at the 30th annual NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway.

Line qualified third with a 6.500 second, 213.23 MPH pass. He won Round One of eliminations when opponent John Gaydosh illuminated a -.262 second red light. Just as important, Vincent Nobile defeated Dave Connolly, who was second in the Countdown to the Championship points standings. The round loss moved Connolly to third place in the points.

In Round Two, Line got the starting line advantage with a .034 second jump on Rodger Brogdon. Unfortunately, severe tire shake on the cold racing surface ended Line’s day as Brogdon took the win with a 6.505/212.13. Good fortune smiled on Line, though, as rivals Erica Enders-Stevens and Allen Johnson were knocked out in the semifinals. All told, Line was able to extend his points lead to 35 over second-place Enders-Stevens.

“It was a bizarre weekend, but thankfully I was able to gain in the points and move forward,” said Line. “Team Summit is going to go back to the shop to reevaluate things and get everything freshened up for the last two races. Our challenge will be to keep the points lead and extend it even more. It’s going to come down to the end, so it will be a good show for the fans.”

Anderson Reaches Semifinals
With killer reaction times and a very fast car, Greg Anderson had a good weekend at Maple Grove Raceway. While he qualified tenth with a 6.539/212.49, the power of Anderson’s Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro showed its face during eliminations. In Round One, Anderson recorded a perfect .000 second reaction time against Jeg Coughlin, Jr. and never looked back, winning the round with a 6.501/213.60 to Coughlin’s 6.545/212.23. It was Anderson’s fourth career perfect light, and just the 38th ever recorded in Pro Stock. Anderson’s pass also earned him Top Speed of Event honors.

Anderson vaulted off the starting line with a .006 second reaction time in his Round Two matchup with Shane Gray, taking the win with a 6.515/211.99 to Gray’s quicker 6.499/211.96. Mechanical issues ended Anderson’s day in the semifinals as the engine lost power during the burnout and the Camaro had to be pushed back from the starting line.

“I really had a good chance to win the race,” said Anderson. “But I had a great start today and had absolutely zero concern that I couldn’t (cut a good light) every time I went up there. I wish I could have gone the distance and helped Jason a little bit more. But I still leave here holding my head high and knowing we have two more chances to win and to to help the Summit Racing team win a championship.”

Team Summit Results: Top Fuel
Doug Kalitta qualified fourth (3.747/326.95). He defeated Clay Millican and Khalid alBalooshi in the first two round of eliminations, but lost to Tony Schumacher in the semifinals. Kalitta is currently second in the points standings.
J.R. Todd qualified third (3.738/325.77). He defeated Dom Lagana in Round One but lost to Spencer Massey in Round Two. Todd is currently sixth in the points standings.

Team Summit Results: Funny Car
Tim Wilkerson qualified 12th (4.090/314.46). He defeated Robert Hight in Round One but lost to Jeff Arend in Round Two. Wilkerson is currently ninth in the points standings.
Del Worsham qualified seventh (4.046/316.15) but lost to Alexis DeJoria in Round One. He is currently eighth in the points standings.
Alexis DeJoria qualified 10th (4.087/307.02). She defeated Del Worsham and Bob Tasca III in the first two rounds of eliminations, but lost to Matt Hagan in the semifinals. DeJoria is currently sixth in the points standings.

Final Round Results
Top Fuel: Tony Schumacher defeated Brittany Force, 4.440/291.13 to 4.652/269.94.
Funny Car: Matt Hagan defeated Tommy Johnson Jr., 4.333/215.00 to 5.456/152.31.
Pro Stock: Rodger Brogdon defeated Allen Johnson, 6.516/212.13 to 10.270/90.64.
Pro Stock Motorcycle: Eddie Krawiec defeated Scotty Pollacheck, 6.793/197.13 to 6.853/193.82.

Next Race
The next event is the Toyota NHRA Nationals, October 31-November 2 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Visit Drag Race Central for more news and in-depth results from the Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals.