Line Starts Countdown to the Championship at the Top

Summit Racing Pro Stock driver Jason Line came into the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at the top of the Pro Stock points standings, and left the event the same way after a terrific weekend of racing.

First, Line qualified Number One with a 6.589 second pass. Then, he defeated Jeg Coughlin, Jr. in the final round of the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, run at Indy due to a rainout two weeks ago at the event’s home track in Brainerd, Minnesota. It was Line’s first Lucas Oil Nationals victory and the 35th of his career.

Line defeated Rodger Brogdon and Aaron Stanfield in the first two rounds of U.S. Nationals eliminations. He met up with Dave Connolly in the semi-finals, but his 6.635/209.20 pass wasn’t enough to beat Connolly’s 6.615/208.42. Despite the loss, Line’s performance was enough to keep him Number One in the points; he finished the regular season with 1,408 points.

“It was a good day,” said Line, “This was the best weekend I’ve ever had in Indy. I’ll go into the Countdown with a little bit of a lead, and everyone will take something away from this weekend.”

Anderson Finishes Regular Season in 11th Place
Greg Anderson was surely disheartened after relinquishing his spot in the Countdown to the Championship to Jonathan Gray. The 74-time national event winner and four-time NHRA Pro Stock world champion will be out of the playoffs for the first time after Gray ousted him in the first round and went on to make the semi-final round.

Anderson qualified 10th and was a round and a half ahead of Gray going into eliminations. Anderson was first off the starting line with a .013 second reaction, but lost momentum and slowed to a 6.685/201.58 to Gray’s 6.628/208.84.

“Yes, we’re very disappointed,” said Anderson. “That was not what we wanted at all. What we do now is pick our chin up and move forward. We have six races to try to help our teammate win the championship, and we’ll do what we have to do to get a Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro into the winner’s circle each step along the way. I’m going to continue to try to win my first race of the year. We aren’t giving up—we’re just shifting our focus.”

Team Summit Results: Top Fuel
Doug Kalitta qualified ninth (3.787/304.12), but lost to Dom Lagana in Round One of eliminations. He finished the regular season first in the points standings.
J.R. Todd qualified 15th (3.814/323.89) but lost to Steve Torrence in Round One. He finished the regular season 10th in the points standings.

Team Summit Results: Funny Car
Tim Wilkerson qualified sixth (4.026/317.49) but lost to Tommy Johnson Jr. in Round One. He finished the regular season 10th in the points standings.
Del Worsham qualified fourth (4.016/317.12). He defeated Jeff Arend in Round One but lost to Ron Capps in Round Two. Worsham finished the regular season ninth in the points standings.
Alexis DeJoria qualified seventh (4.033/316.52). She defeated Cruz Pedregon, Blake Alexander, and Courtney Force to reach the final round, where she defeated John Force for the win. DeJoria finished the regular season fourth in the points standings.

Team Summit Results: Pro Modified
Kenny Lang did not qualify for the event (6.107/235.15). He is currently 20th in the points standings.

Final Round Results
Top Fuel: Richie Crampton defeated Steve Torrence, 3.766/327.98 to 3.799/327.82.
Funny Car: Alexis DeJoria defeated John Force, 4.038/310.34 to 4.039/319.67.
Pro Stock: Shane Gray defeated Dave Connolly, 6.641/208.42 to 26.800/27.45.
Pro Stock Motorcycle: Eddie Krawiec defeated Jerry Savoie, 6.941/192.63 to 6.987/192.58.
Pro Modified: Rickie Smith defeated Pete Farber, 5.901/245.72 to 6.924/171.60.

Next Event
The first race of the Countdown to the Championship is the Pep Boys NHRA Carolina Nationals, September 12-14 in Concord, North Carolina. Visit Drag Race Central for more news and in-depth results from the Chevrolet Performance US Nationals.