Line Focused on Achieving Long-Awaited Topeka Victory
 
Mooresville, N.C., May 15, 2013 – Summit Racing driver Jason Line is pleased with the progress that the dedicated KB Racing team has shown in the last few events in NHRA’s 2013 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. Steady forward momentum resulted in a Houston win for the second-generation drag racer in the shiny blue Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro and a positive showing for both Line and teammate Greg Anderson at the rain-delayed event in Atlanta just last weekend, where they were in the top three in qualifying and put forth some of the quickest runs on raceday.
 
But now, Line is very focused on checking off what has become a fairly high-priority task on his to-do list by earning the trophy at a racetrack where he has yet to see the inside of the winner’s circle as a Pro Stock competitor. Heartland Park Topeka is one of just six facilities – including New England Dragway, a new addition to the tour this year – where the two-time series champion has yet to score a victory as a pro.
 
“Still, I’ve always enjoyed going to Topeka,” said Line, who experienced success as a sportsman racer at Heartland Park and won a division-level event there before graduating to the professional ranks. “I raced my Stocker at the first event held there, so I have some pretty good memories to draw on when we roll through the gates. Last year the KB Racing team did pretty well there, and hopefully we’ll be able to do even better with our Summit Racing Camaros.”
 
Last season, Line clocked a remarkable 6.566 in the first round of eliminations on raceday in Topeka to claim low e.t. of the meet and reset the Heartland Park Topeka track record. Line was extremely fast in each round on Sunday, and the only person who could stop him turned out to be his Summit Racing teammate Greg Anderson, who got the nod in their semifinals meeting and was runner-up at the event.
 
This year, particularly in light of their recent upswing, Line is optimistic that Team Summit will have a chance to again ruffle feathers in Kansas.
 
“The whole team has been working really hard both at the KB Racing shop, in testing, and at each race we go to,” said Line, currently No. 5 in the Mello Yello Series standings. “We should be competitive when we get to Topeka, and we may not be as fast as we were last year, but we will be able to make a decent showing. You always hope that one of these years you’ll manage to win this thing – my teammate has won it four times, so I know it’s possible – and maybe this will be my year to do it.”
 
This year has so far been a challenge for all of the NHRA teams as they’ve battled gruesome weather, shortened qualifying sessions, and many delays. The unforgiving conditions have kept teams on the road without much of a break, and with less than a week between last weekend’s delayed completion of the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals in Atlanta and the upcoming event in Topeka, teams are stretched to their limits.
 
“It’s both good and bad,” said Line. “We miss having the time at the shop to work on things, because that time is definitely valuable, but the way things have worked out certainly allows you to get into a groove, so to speak. Hopefully, that will work to our advantage because my expectations are to win this race. No question about it. These Summit Racing Chevy Camaros are capable of winning, and that is always the expectation.”