Line Looks to Defend Event Title in First Race of Countdown
 
Mooresville, N.C., September 11, 2013 – Summit Racing Pro Stock driver Jason Line has a very strong recent record at zMAX Dragway, the esteemed facility located in Concord, N.C., just a handful of miles from the KB Racing shop in Mooresville. As the defending event titlist at this weekend’s sixth annual Carlyle Tools NHRA Carolina Nationals, Line is focused on a two-fold goal: defending the win and securing solid footing at the first of six races in NHRA’s Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship.

Line was somewhat stymied by zMAX Dragway until last fall and had never been able to cross the finish line first in the final round at the racetrack that the Minnesota-transplant now considers his home turf. Line had regularly qualified in an exceptional manner and to date possesses four No. 1 qualifier awards in Charlotte, but on raceday, he was consistently stopped just short despite an impressive tally of three final round visits. The tide turned, however, at the fall race last season when the now 30-time national event titlist qualified in the No. 2 spot and topped then-points leader Allen Johnson in his fourth Charlotte final round to finally grab the trophy.

“The Summit Racing team gave me a Chevrolet Camaro that was bad to the bone that day,” said Line. “We went through our fair share of struggles leading up to that win, but the car was just phenomenal that weekend, and it went down the track almost every run without any issues. Thankfully, we were able to come home with a huge win, and that’s certainly something we hope to replicate this weekend.”

The forecast for the weekend ahead is a pleasing departure from the extreme temperatures and oppressive weather felt in recent weeks as the Mello Yello tour finished out the regular season, and Line, who tested relentlessly over the past several weeks, believes that Team Summit will be able to take full advantage of the optimal conditions.

“The weather looks like it could play right into our hands,” stated Line. “It should be cool and there really doesn’t look like there is much of a chance for rain. Hopefully, we’ll have low humidity. If everything comes together like it looks like it will, we think we can perform really well this weekend. It’s a good forecast that should work nicely with the KB Racing playbook, and as long as it holds up, we will have every opportunity to excel. That’s important because no matter what cards are dealt to us, Greg [Anderson, Summit Racing teammate] and I need to do well this weekend if we want to gain ground and start the Countdown right. Our game plan is definitely to put a Summit Racing Camaro in the winner’s circle.”

Enhancing the KB Racing stable of trusty steeds will be the addition of a third car driven by young gun Buddy Perkinson, a 21-year-old competitor who resides in Prince George, Va.
 
“Buddy may be young, but he has already proven his abilities as a driver out there,” said Line. “He got his start in the Jr. Drag Racing League and did pretty well in Comp, and when he moved up to Pro Stock a few years back, we knew he’d be a tough competitor. We’re excited to have him racing with us at what we consider our home track this weekend, and it will be interesting to see what he can do in a KB Racing Chevrolet Camaro.”

Perkinson, understandably enthusiastic about racing in Charlotte with a team that possesses a collective 104 national event wins and six world championships in the Pro Stock category, said, “We’ve been working on this for quite awhile. The KB Racing team is running up front where they belong, and that helped everything fall into place. The time was right, and I really appreciate that I get to be the guy to drive the third car this weekend.”

Line’s victory in Charlotte last season provided a great springboard toward what would have been his third world title. He ultimately finished second in the nation, but this year, the hungry driver is fired up to push even harder and finish one better.

“Once again it looks like it’s going to be a battle all the way until the end for the championship, and there are a lot of cars capable of winning the race this weekend,” said Line, whose teammate Anderson has three Charlotte victories. “The best we can hope for is to put a Summit Racing Camaro in the winner’s circle this weekend at zMAX Dragway, and we’ll take it from there. Right now, the focus is on winning this race – something we have proven we are very capable of.”