Team Summit Racing Makes 15th Final Round of 2016 at Brainerd

Team Summit Racing made its 15th final round of 2016 as Jason Line faced Drew Skillman at the 35th Annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minnesota.

Jason Line qualified second with a 6.597 second, 209.17 MPH pass. He defeated Alan Prusiensky in Round One of eliminations (6.589/209.49 to 6.720/205.26), Chris McGaha in Round Two (6.592/210.01 to 6.642/209.07), and Erica Enders-Stevens in the semi-finals (6.595/207.79 to 6.644/207.75) to reach the final round against Drew Skillman. Line had a slight .005 second starting line advantage, but Skillman took the win with a quicker and faster  6.648/208.97 to Line’s 6.681/206.64.

“We just had a bad run and it didn’t work out like it was supposed to. We definitely got faster as the weekend progressed,” Line said. “The guys on my team did a really good job. We just came up a little short.”

Line did not leave Brainerd empty handed however. He won the C-Stock class on Thursday in his C/SA 1970 Buick GS.

Line remains Number One in the Pro Stock points standings.

Greg Anderson qualified eighth with a 6.636/207.66 run. He defeated Alex Laughlin in Round One (6.597/209.56 to 6.616/209.95) but lost to Vincent Nobile in Round Two. Both drivers had the exact same 6.625 second elapsed time, but Nobile’s .026 second starting line advantage gave him the edge needed to win the race.

“I was second to Jason in terms of ET in Round One, so things were back on track with my car,” Anderson said. “Second round I missed the light and the starting line a little bit. Bottom line is we slipped and you can’t slip in this class.”

Anderson remains second in the Pro Stock points standings.

Tim Wilkerson qualified tenth with a 3.935/323.50 pass. He defeated 16-time World Champion John Force in Round One of eliminations (3.923/324.75 to 3.954/288.39), but lost to Del Worsham in Round Two. Wilkerson left the line too early, cutting a -0.039 second red light and automatically giving the win to Worsham.

“We’re trying to make the car go down the track and it’s behaving and it’s consistent again,” Wilkerson said. “Hopefully all that other stuff we’ve dealt with this season will be behind us. I’m going to try and not to make mistakes the rest of the year.”

Wilkerson’s first round win secured him a spot in the NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship. He is currently ninth in the Nitro Funny Car points standings.

Jimmy Alund Wins Pro Stock in FIA European Drag Racing Series
Nine-time FIA European Pro Stock champion Jimmy Alund took the win at the FIA European Drag Racing Championship event in Hockenheim, Germany. The Summit Racing-sponsored Alund qualified Number One with a 6.602/337.41 pass. He defeated Magnus Petersson in Round One of eliminations and got a bye run in the semi-finals to face Bengt Ljungdahl in the final. Alund got a big .045 second starting line advantage, taking the win with a 6.575/339.94 6 to Ljungdahl’s 6.570/331.79.

Team Summit Results: Top Fuel
Doug Kalitta qualified sixth (3.704/331.20). He defeated Morgan Lucas in Round One of eliminations, but lost to Brittany Force in Round Two. Kalitta is currently second in the points standings.

“I was looking for more than a round win this weekend, but I am confident in what we have learned,"
Kalitta said. “I am excited to get to the U.S. Nationals and see what we have."

J.R. Todd qualified 10th (3.734/326.24). He defeated Richie Crampton in Round One, but lost to Shawn Langdon in Round Two. Todd is currently sixth in the points standings.

“It was a tough finish to the weekend,” Todd said. “We are excited to head to Indy to test and hopefully learn some things that we can transfer to the U.S. Nationals and the Countdown.”

Team Summit Results: Funny Car
Del Worsham qualified second (3.856/326.71). He defeated Bob Bode, Tim Wilkerson and Courtney Force to reach the final round, where he defeated Matt Hagan. Worsham is currently third in the points standings.

"What an incredible day,” Worsham said. “Brainerd is one of my favorite races, and to be able to finally get a win here is perfect. We are getting a good handle on this DHL Toyota Camry and I am really excited for the Countdown."

Alexis DeJoria did not compete. She is currently 10th in the points standings.

Final Round Results
Top Fuel: Brittany Force (4.169/180.21) defeated Antron Brown (6.566/103.47).
Funny Car: Del Worsham (3.908/327.27) defeated Matt Hagan (8.095/71.33).
Pro Stock: Drew Skillman (6.648/208.97) defeated Jason Line (6.681/206.64).
Pro Stock Motorcycle: Andrew Hines (6.866/194.94) defeated Jerry Savoie (6.863/194.88).

Next Race
This final race of the regular season is the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway, August 31-September 5 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Visit Drag Race Central for more results from the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals.