Title Hopes Intact for Jason Line as NHRA Tour Heads to Vegas

Summit Racing Pro Stock driver Jason Line had said again and again he wouldn't trade the silver Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro with anybody. After all, that car brought him all the way up to the Number Three position in the Countdown to the Championship, just 50 points back from the top spot.

The two-time series champion certainly never suspected the car would be taken from him, but that’s exactly what happened thanks to a nasty crash during a test session with just two races to go in the 2013 season.

But Line appears to be right back on track for this weekend’s13th annual NHRA Toyota Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He will be piloting the white Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro teammate Greg Anderson has been driving for the better part of the season. Anderson will be driving the red Camaro the team has had on standby.

"Rumor had it that they were going to sell the car, so I basically made sure no one else was going to get it," joked Line, who was uninjured during the rollover crash at a North Carolina race track two weeks ago. "If you can't laugh at yourself, then you have no business laughing at anyone else.”

"In all seriousness, we aren't discouraged by what happened,” Line continued. “The white Camaro has the potential to be better than the silver one was, but the big question is if it will be good right away. There is certainly a sense of urgency because we have to win this week if we want to win the championship. The car performed well during testing, and we have every reason to be optimistic."

Indeed, there is no facility more appealing to the KB Racing team than The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The team has made the final round 11 times in Las Vegas; Line won the spring event there in 2008, and Anderson has won a total of seven times.

"Sometimes adversity forces you out of your box and you have to do something a little bit different," said Line. "I think that's exciting, and I'm looking forward to this weekend. I feel like we have the ability to go out there and beat everybody else, and we need to. It's do or die in terms of the championship. By Sunday afternoon, we're going to have a pretty good idea of who is going to win."

Jason Line By the Numbers, Toyota NHRA Nationals
1—Win at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
4–Number One qualifiers at The Strip, including both races in 2012.
4—Final round appearances most recently in 2010.
10—Semi-final or better finish in 20 starts.

Toyota NHRA Nationals Event Schedule
Friday, Oct. 25: Two qualifying sessions at 1:15 and 3:45 pm
Saturday, Oct. 26: Qualifying sessions at 12:15 and 2:45 pm
Sunday, Oct. 27:  Final eliminations starting at 11:00 am
 
Television Coverage on ESPN2 (All Times Eastern)
Qualifying:  Sunday, Oct. 27, 2:30-4:00 am
Eliminations: Sunday, Oct. 27, 8:00-11:00 pm