Line, Last Season’s Runner-Up, Wants Redemption In Seattle
Mooresville, N.C., July 30, 2013 – Last season, Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro driver Jason Line was a hundredth of a second away from scoring his third victory at Seattle’s Pacific Raceways. This year, the 30-time Pro Stock national event victor is seeking redemption as NHRA’s Mello Yello Drag Racing Series pulls into town for the NHRA Northwest Nationals, the 16th of 24 races on the 2013 tour.
Minnesota-native Line was particularly challenged by the racetrack in Seattle in the early days of his career as the pilot of a 200+ mph factory hot rod. In 2008, however, the Mooresville, N.C.-transplant turned over a new leaf as he raced to the money round flying the colors of Summit Racing and closed the deal with the defeat of tough customer Allen Johnson.
The very next season, Line made his way to the final round again but was stopped just short of victory, and after KB Racing teammate Greg Anderson nabbed the win in 2010, Line returned to the winner’s circle in 2011 by putting his Summit Racing partner on the trailer. Line’s runner-up finish to Erica Enders-Stevens last summer marked the fifth consecutive season that a Summit Racing car had shown up to run for the trophy in Seattle.
“We’ve had some success in Seattle for the past few years,” admitted Line. “But you never go to a racetrack assuming you’re going to be handed any kind of luck or success. You have to work for it, and that’s something Team Summit is good at – these guys work hard, and if we can see the fruits of our labor in Seattle this weekend, we’ll all be very, very happy.”
Line already has a victory on his scorecard this year – he took home the trophy at the SpringNationals earlier this season in Houston – and is eager to add another to his collection as the Countdown to the Championship playoffs come into view. Line and the rest of the field are vying for all of the points they can accumulate towards earning one of 10 positions in the Countdown. Currently sixth in the series standings, Line’s approach is very simple.
“All I’m worried about right now is making sure our Summit Racing Chevy Camaros are as fast as they can possibly be,” said the two-time season titlist. “That’s where it all starts. Greg and I both need to be on our game as drivers, but we have to have the horsepower to get it done. Hopefully, this weekend in Seattle will be a replay of the all-Summit final we had in 2011. That would definitely make up for last year.”