Line Qualifies Number One, Sets Low ET of Eliminations in Denver

Jason Line was in command of a very powerful race car this weekend at the 35th annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals. He wheeled the Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro to the Number One qualifying position and also ran the lowest elapsed time of eliminations en route to a semifinals finish at one of the most challenging race tracks on the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour.

Line scored an upset in the final session of qualifying, unseating Allen Johnson to qualify first with a 6.924 second, 198.70 MPH run. Line set low ET of the round in his Round One matchup with Steve Kalkowski, running a 6.931/198.61 to Kalkowski’s 7.218/188.73. Line set low ET again in Round Two, defeating KB Racing-powered Vincent Nobile 6.932/198.32 to 6.979/197.48.

Line was loaded for bear in the semifinals meeting with Jeg Coughlin, Jr. Line came out of the gate with a .017 second reaction time and ran the quickest ET of eliminations. But Coughlin’s .002 second reaction time gave him the win, 6.931/198.76 to Line’s 6.924/198.64.

“We ran very well this weekend with our Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaros,” said Line. “We were Number One qualifier, set low ET of eliminations, and set low ET for five runs in a row. It’s a little frustrating to not get to the winner’s circle when you have that kind of power, but at the same time it’s also very encouraging. I can’t wait to get to the next race.”

Line is currently fourth in the Pro Stock points standings.

Anderson Closer to Reaching the Top 10
Greg Anderson was certainly hoping to add a Wally to his collection at the Mile-High Nationals. While that didn’t happen, he and the Summit Racing team tapped into a surge of horsepower that will be critical to winning the rest of the season.

Anderson qualified fifth with a 6.937/198.44, his best start so far this season. He knocked out Matt Hartford in the first round of eliminations with a .019 second reaction time, 6.976/197.94 to Hartford’s 6.971/198.12. Anderson’s day ended in a Round Two loss to Jeg Coughlin, Jr., 6.971/197.65 to 6.944/198.44. Anderson did earn 20 more points in his quest to break into the Top 10. He is currently 11th and just 23 points away from moving up to 10th.

“We were very excited to have made such gains here in Denver,” said Anderson. “This is not an easy place to race these Pro Stock cars because of the high altitude conditions, but we did very well, and I’m very happy.”

“I came into Sunday thinking I had a car that could win, and that is a great feeling to have,” Anderson continued. “I have a lot of confidence that the gains that we’ve made will carry through to Sonoma next week and then beyond. We did our homework, we worked hard, and we feel good. I really feel that we’ve turned a corner."

Team Summit Results: Top Fuel
Doug Kalitta qualified 11th (3.933/298.40) but lost to Antron Brown in Round One of eliminations. Kalitta is currently Number One in the points standings, and has secured a spot in the Countdown to the Championship.
J.R. Todd qualified 10th (3.923/313.07). He defeated Terry McMillen, Steve Torrence, and Larry Dixon in the first three rounds, then defeated Brittany Force in the final round to win the event. The win was Todd’s first this season, and he is currently eighth in the points standings.

Team Summit Results: Funny Car
Tim Wilkerson qualified third (4.071/310.77). He defeated Tony Pedregon in Round One and Jack Beckman in Round Two, but lost to Robert Hight in the semis. Wilkerson is currently 10th in the points standings.
Del Worsham qualified 10th (4.151/302.75) but lost to Courtney Force in Round One. He is currently ninth in the points standings.
Alexis DeJoria qualified ninth (4.113/297.22) but lost to Matt Hagan in Round One. She is currently sixth in the points standings.

Final Round Results
Top Fuel: J.R. Todd defeated Brittany Force, 3.878/317.87 to 3.968/297.35.
Funny Car: Robert Hight defeated John Force, 4.166/306.05 to 5.953/121.42.
Pro Stock: Allen Johnson defeated Jeg Coughlin, 6.930/198.61 to 8.050/126.19.
Pro Stock Motorcycle: Andrew Hines defeated Michael Ray, 7.246/184.35 to 9.033/103.64.

Next Race
The next event is the NHRA Sonoma Nationals, July 25-27 in Sonoma, California. Visit Drag Race Central for more news and in-depth results from the Mopar Mile High NHRA Nationals.