Line Makes Final Round in the First Countdown to the Championship Race

Jason Line began the 2013 Countdown to the Championship in fine style by qualifying Number One and reaching the final round at the Carlyle Tools NHRA Carolina Nationals. Line began the weekend by qualifying Number One with a 6.541 second, 211.86 MPH pass. It was his first Number One qualifier of the season and the 34th of his Pro Stock career.

In Round One of eliminations, Line paired a .022 second reaction time with a 6.563/210.70 run to defeat Summit Racing All-Star Warren Johnson. In Round Two, Line ran a 6.546/211.49 to defeat the traction-troubled V. Gaines. Line’s pass would stand as low ET of the Meet and top speed of eliminations.

In the semi-finals, Line’s 6.579, 210.73 put Erica Enders-Stevens on the trailer and put him in the final round against Jeg Coughlin. In the previous rounds, Line had a similar or better reaction time than his opponent. But his .052 second reaction time would cost him the win as Coughlin’s .026 second RT gave him the win over the quicker and faster Line, 6.583/201.05 to 6.578/201.97.

“It was a good day today, but I would be a lot happier if it would have been just a little bit better,” said Line. “The silver Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro was the best car out there this weekend, no question. This weekend we finally showed that we have the best car. No doubt about it, people knew we were here. We’re definitely going to be tough from here on out, and that feels good.”

Line moves up to third place in the Countdown to the Championship points standings.

Anderson Ready to Get Back to Work After Charlotte
Greg Anderson hoped to add another zMAX Dragway win to his record of three victories. While his weekend ended in Round Two of eliminations, Anderson is inspired to dig further in his Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro before the AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals in Dallas.

“The Summit Racing team is such a strong group, and my teammate Jason Line showed that the Summit Racing Camaros can be great cars,” said Anderson. “Jason’s car was great, but we have some more work to do with my car.”

Anderson qualified seventh with a 6.556/210.44 pass. He met up with Vincent Nobile in Round One of eliminations. Anderson had the starting line advantage with a .021 second reaction time and never looked back as Nobile had tire shake off the line and shut off, coasting to a 12.600/69.61 to Anderson’s 6.596/209.75.

Anderson had the starting line advantage once more against Mike Edwards in Round Two, but got out of the groove right off the starting line and was forced to shut down. Edwards took the win, 6.564/211.20 to Anderson’s 12.987/54.57.

“The work that we did to bring our car closer to Jason’s could have made a difference, but we lost lane choice,” said Anderson. “Today wasn’t our day, but we have a lot of confidence that we can right the ship in time to make a recovery and chase that championship.”

Anderson is currently eighth in the Countdown the Championship points standings.

Team Summit Results: Pro Stock
• Larry Morgan qualified 12th (6.592/209.26), but lost to Allen Johnson in Round One of eliminations. Morgan is currently 11th in the points standings.
• Warren Johnson qualified 16th (6.644/208.91) but lost to Jason Line in Round One. He is currently 19th in the points standings.
• Kurt Johnson qualified 14th (6.601/210.08) but lost to Shane Gray in Round One. He is currently 18th in the points standings.

Team Summit Results: Pro Mod
Kenny Lang qualified 14th (6.017/240.29) but lost to Jim Laurita in Round One. He is currently fourth in the points standings.

Team Summit Results: Funny Car
Tim Wilkerson qualified third (4.020/318.99) but lost to Tony Pedregon in Round One. He is currently ninth in the points standings.

Carolina Nationals Final Round Results
Top Fuel: Morgan Lucas defeated Spencer Massey, 3.788/317.49 to 3.816/319.60.
Funny Car: Robert Hight defeated Matt Hagan, 4.083/312.64 to 4.066/313.58.
Pro Stock: Jeg Coughlin defeated Jason Line, 6.583/210.05 to 6.578/210.97.
Pro Stock Motorcycle: Andrew Hines defeated Hector Arana Jr., 6.966/190.97 to 14.134/35.01 (foul start).
Pro Mod: Von Smith defeated Pete Farber, 5.968/240.47 to 6.259/221.63.

Next Race
The next event is the AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals, September 20-22 in Ennis, Texas. For more news and in-depth results from the Carlyle Tools NHRA Carolina Nationals, go to http://www.DragRaceCentral.com