Line Continues to Note Improvement as Raceday Nears in Sonoma
SONOMA, Calif., July 27, 2013 – Summit Racing Pro Stock driver Jason Line made his quickest run of the weekend in the final qualifying round at the NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway, the 15th race of 24 on NHRA’s 2013 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour. Starting from the No. 9 position on Sunday at the racetrack situated in California’s Napa Valley, Line will race Vincent Nobile in the first round of eliminations.
The Mooresville, N.C.-based driver clicked off a 6.635 at 209.72 mph in the first session on Friday, and he came back in the later session with a significantly improved 6.571 at 210.64. The third round of qualifying, which took place early Saturday afternoon, did not reflect a quicker trip down the quarter-mile in terms of e.t.; however, Line displayed a bit more of his available horsepower and cleared the finish line with a greater speed of 211.30 mph.
Entering the final qualifying session, Line was positioned in the No. 10 spot – on the opposite side of the ladder from Summit Racing teammate Greg Anderson. Line gave it all he had in the final session and came up with a 6.568 at 211.10 mph. The time was a bit of a double-edged sword as it meant a move up in the line-up to the No. 9 spot, but also signified a move to the same side of the ladder as Anderson and eliminated the possibility of an all-Summit Racing final round on raceday.
“You know, to be honest I really wasn’t thinking about the ladder before the last qualifying session,” said Line. “I don’t think you can really think about those things. You have to try to think about how to make the car go faster each run, and then you have to make the best of what you’ve got. We would rather have the Summit Racing Camaros on opposite sides of the ladder, but it is what it is and now we have to focus on getting one of our cars to the winner’s circle.”
Line and his KB Racing counterpart Anderson are familiar with the winner’s circle at the facility; they collectively possess six Sonoma Raceway wins, with Line contributing two victories (2006 and 2009).
“I will say this, my Summit Racing Chevy Camaro got better with each run during qualifying,” said Line, who last faced Nobile in the first round at Bristol, where he eliminated his opponent and advanced to the semifinals. “That’s encouraging, and heading into tomorrow, hopefully we can continue to improve. It’ll be tough because we’ll be the first pair out, but maybe luck will be on our side.
“Our biggest challenge is going to be getting past the first round. After that, we’ll just take it one round at a time and see if we can get back to the winner’s circle. This racetrack here in Sonoma has been good to Team Summit in the past, and if history has anything to do with how tomorrow goes, it could be a very good day for us.”