Line Leaves Houston No. 3 in NHRA’s Pro Stock Standings
HOUSTON, Texas, April 27, 2014 – Summit Racing Pro Stock driver Jason Line had hoped to defend the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA SpringNationals title that he earned at Royal Purple Raceway last season, but the 32-time NHRA Pro Stock winner fell a bit short of fulfilling the goal. He did, however, gather enough points to maintain a position near the very top of the Pro Stock standings as NHRA’s 2014 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour departs Houston.
Line, who won the event in 2007 and in 2013, experienced challenges during qualifying that went beyond simply missing the setup in the hot and humid conditions in the area surrounding the racetrack. Mechanical issues resulted in a painfully slow 7.305 at 142.16 mph that placed him in unfamiliar territory – at the bottom of the pack. He came back for the second session and recovered nicely with a 6.605 at 210.70 mph, though, and in the first session on Saturday, Line improved to a 6.594 at 210.80 and moved into the top half of the field. He rounded out qualifying with a 6.636, 210.93.
In the first round, the Mooresville, N.C.-based Line took a sizable starting line advantage in his Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro and put it to good use, beating Chris McGaha on a holeshot, 6.626, 209.69 to 6.611, 210.60. The second round became Line’s final round of the day when No. 2 qualifier and eventual event winner Erica Enders-Stevens was first to the finish line, 6.577, 211.26 to 6.639, 209.75.
Despite leaving Houston far earlier than anticipated, Line is pleasingly situated No. 3 in the Pro Stock points.
“Today was certainly not the day that we hoped for, and it was a tough weekend,” said Line. “But I’d like to say that we learned some things with our Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaros. I’m certainly not happy with the way that we ran, but there were positives, too. It was a great race with a really good turnout, and there were so many fans here this weekend. From that perspective, it was really a lot of fun.
“It was great to have my teammate Greg Anderson back after missing the first five races of the season, and it was neat that Jimmy Alund, who did a really good job filling in for him while he was gone, was here, too. It was a good weekend in a lot of ways, and the Summit Racing team is definitely looking forward to racing in Atlanta at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals in a few weeks. We’ll be ready.”
Line wished to note that the race in Houston also marked the final event for an eight-year veteran of the KB Racing team. Engine Specialist Pat Topolinski will begin a fresh chapter as he transitions into a new career in Franklin, Tenn., the week following the race.
“I want to thank Pat for eight faithful years of service,” said Line. “I appreciate the fact that he dedicated so many years of his life to us, and I wish him luck in his adventures.”
