Second on Friday, Line Aims Higher in Houston

Event:  25th annual NHRA Spring Nationals

Location: Royal Purple Raceway, Baytown, Tex.

Day/Date: Friday, April 27, 2012

Summit Racing driver Jason Line and his fellow Pro Stock competitors faced an unusual challenge during the first day of qualifying for the NHRA Spring Nationals in Houston, Tex.  Under normal circumstances, the “factory hot rods” would enjoy the benefit of extra power during their visit to the Lone Star State due to Royal Purple Raceway’s near sea-level altitude.  However, any potential gains were virtually negated on Friday due to the warm temperatures and high humidity, with crew chiefs scrambling to find the right tune-up to maximize their performance.

Just as he has all season, Line delivered another solid opening-day performance, posting the fourth-quickest time in the first session at 6.591-seconds with a top speed of 210.57 mph before stepping up to a 6.550-second, 211.00 mph run on his second attempt to claim the provisional second position midway through qualifying.

“We made a good run tonight and (provisional No. 1 qualifier) Allen Johnson just made a slightly better one, so I take my hat off to them,” said Line.  “Still, it was a good day for our Summit Racing team.  Besides, we have two more shots at it tomorrow, and we’re not going to go down without a fight.

“That second run wasn’t perfect, but they seldom are.  The important part is that there is something left in it, and we have a good direction with all three cars.  On top of that, the race track was actually better than I thought it would be coming into the weekend. The bumps even turned out to not be as bad, and they had it prepped pretty well.   We’re going to get after it tomorrow, and even if we don’t knock those guys out of the top spot, I think we’ll get close enough to scare them.”