Line Wins Season-Opening Winternationals

As Jason Line says, “If you're going to win them all, you have to win the first one.” And that is exactly what he did when he drove the blue Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro to victory at the season-opening Circle K NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, California. The win was particularly special as it also marked the 91st NHRA Pro Stock win for Chevrolet, giving the manufacturer the most wins in the Pro Stock category (Pontiac is second with 90).

“Our Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro was just steady the whole day,” said Line. “It was great right from the start. When you can have days like today when the driver and the car are in sync, you get lucky enough to win. I’m as happy as I get.”

Line qualified second with a 6.523 second, 212.93 MPH pass in the third qualifying session; rain on Saturday forced a cancellation of the fourth session. He took on Joey Grose in Round One of eliminations. Grose tripped the red light by -023 seconds, and Line took the win with a 6.545/212.09 run. Line defeated Shane Gray in Round Two, 6.564/211.56 to Gray’s 6.574/211.00.

Line met up with Rodger Brogdon in the semifinals. Both ran identical 6.560/211.00 passes, but Line's .038 second starting line advantage gave him the win and a matchup in the final round with Drew Skillman, a fellow Chevrolet Camaro pilot who was making his Pro Stock debut.

Skillman showed great prowess throughout eliminations to earn his spot in the final, but Line was out of the gate first with a .004 second jump on his opponent. KB Racing power sealed the victory as Line ran a 6.545/211.83. It was Line’s 36th Pro Stock trophy in his 75th final round.

“It’s great to get off to a good start,” said Line, who won the Winternationals in 2014. “I’d also like to say congratulations to Drew Skillman for making it to the final. He did a good job today, but I’m very happy the trophy is going home with Team Summit.”

Anderson Optimistic for 2015
Greg Anderson missed the NHRA Winternationals last season while recovering from heart surgery, but was off to a good start this year behind the wheel of the white Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro. Anderson made great gains in qualifying, earning a seventh place ranking with a 6.535/211.99 and picking up a bonus point that will may come in handy as the season progresses.

Anderson faced Shane Gray in Round One of eliminations. He got a .023 second jump on Gray, but had trouble getting the Summit Racing Camaro to hook up. That gave Gray the win, 6.589/211.26 to Anderson’s 6.637/211.56.

“We shook the tires real hard and unfortunately, that was the end for me,” said Anderson. “It’s unfortunate because I felt good, and I really think we could have had a good car all day long. But it was still a good day. We had a good winter, and I know I can compete as a driver. Brighter days are coming, and I can’t wait.”

Team Summit Results; Top Fuel
Doug Kalitta qualified third (3.733/327.59). He defeated Terry McMillen in Round One of eliminations, but lost to Antron Brown in Round Two.
J.R. Todd qualified 15th (3.914/242.54) but lost to Richie Crampton in Round One.

Team Summit Results; Funny Car
Tim Wilkerson qualified 10th (4.066/311.77) but lost to Robert Hight in Round One.
Del Worsham qualified eighth (4.045/314.09). He defeated Chad Head in Round One and Courtney Force in Round Two, but lost to Matt Hagan in the semifinals.
Alexis DeJoria qualified 11th (4.085/305.84) but lost to Ron Capps in Round One.

Final Round Results
Top Fuel: Shawn Langdon defeated Antron Brown, 3.799/309.91 to 3.804/310.70.
Funny Car: Matt Hagan defeated Ron Capps 4.011/320.89 to 4.078/314.90.
Pro Stock: Jason Line defeated Drew Skillman, 6.545/211.83 to 6.556/211.13.

Next Race
The next event is the NHRA Arizona Nationals, February 20-22 in Phoenix, Arizona. Visit Drag Race Central for more news and in-depth results from the Circle K NHRA Winternationals Nationals.