Line Ready to Defend Houston Title

Summit Racing Pro Stock driver Jason Line already is eager to compete at the 27th annual O'Reilly Auto Parts NHRA SpringNationals. He returns to Royal Purple Raceway as the defending event champion, and he will have his Summit Racing teammate Greg Anderson by his side once again.

Anderson missed the first five races of the 2014 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series as he recovered from heart surgery to repair a bicuspid aortic valve, and returned to racing one event earlier than anticipated. European Pro Stock champion driver Jimmy Alund did a fine job filling the seat while Anderson was away, winning the Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte, North Carolina.

"I'm glad to have Greg back this weekend, and I think it's great that he's making his return in the car that won last week," said Line. "I really believe that both of the Summit Racing Camaros are going to be good enough to win this race in Houston. That's a good feeling going there, and it will just be up to my teammate and I to follow through."

Line's Houston win last season was particularly memorable as it occurred in front of a live television audience, a rarity due to the unpredictable timeframe for championship eliminations at a drag race. Although Houston will not be televised live, Line is certainly looking forward to a return and what he hopes will be a repeat performance.

"This track has been good to me, so I'm really looking forward to racing here again," said Line, who has two wins in four final rounds and has twice been the low qualifier at Royal Purple Raceway. "Last year's win there really stood out for me because it was on live TV, and I don't think I've ever gotten so many phone calls or text messages in my life."

"The most exciting thing for the KB Racing team this weekend is that Greg will be back," Line continued. "He's obviously amped to say the least. I've never met anyone who has a stronger desire to win, and I can assure you that after missing five races it'll be stronger than ever. His enthusiasm is something that we're all feeling right now."

Line begins racing today with two rounds of qualifying at 4 pm and 6:30 pm. You can check on his progress and the rest of the SpringNationals action at www.DragRaceCentral.com.

Jason Line By the Numbers, SpringNationals Edition 
2: Wins for Jason, the first in 2007 and the second in 2013. 
2: Number One qualifiers, most recently in 2009.
4: Final round appearances (2004, 2005, 2007 & 2013).
9: Top Five starts in 10 prior races. 
18: Elimination round wins in 10 previous starts.

Event Schedule
Friday, April 25: Two qualifying sessions at 4 and 6:30 pm
Saturday, April 26: Two qualifying sessions at 12:30 an 3 pm
Sunday, April 27:  Final eliminations starting at 11 am

Television Coverage on ESPN2 (All Times Eastern)
Qualifying: Saturday, April 26, 6-8 pm
Eliminations: Sunday, April 27, 7-10 pm