Line Remains a Key Player on First Day of NHRA Northwest Nationals
KENT, Wash., August 1, 2014 – Continuing his streak of powerful qualifying efforts in the Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro, NHRA Pro Stock driver Jason Line rocketed to the No. 3 spot on the first day of the NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways. Line, of Mooresville, N.C., carried the momentum from his win last week in Sonoma to make the third quickest run of the opening round at the Seattle-area racetrack, and he effectively protected the high position to end the day on a positive note.
“My Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro is really good right now,” said Line. “I have a great car, and we’re definitely getting better. We weren’t very aggressive that first session, but I was really pleased with how we ran, not just with my car, but also with my teammate Greg Anderson’s Summit Camaro. To come out here and have both of us make decent runs was satisfying.”
On a hot and humid day in Seattle that brought a brief and fleeting scattering of rain, Line raced to a quick 6.549 at 211.00 mph in the first session in his blue Summit Racing Chevrolet. In the second session he slowed a bit to a 6.550, 211.36 but was still third quickest for the round, earning an additional bonus qualifying point. Third quickest, however, was not enough for the driver who expects the best from his own self and the KB Racing team.
“That was not a good run,” said Line. “It went left and just shook at the top of low gear and going into second. It slowed down a lot, and if it hadn’t done that we probably would have run as good as the other guys. It was on a really fast run actually, until that point, so it ran well considering. But I’d say that in the last two races and for about 15 runs that is the first bad run I’ve made, and we still qualified pretty well.”
Activities will continue on Saturday with two sessions of qualifying before the field is set. The 12:30 start time is hours earlier than it has been in recent weeks, allowing for completely different conditions.
“I think there is the potential to improve for sure,” said Line. “Both Greg and I are going to do better, but the question is if we can improve more than the other guys. There is a lot of room tomorrow to get even better, and I’m feeling good about that.”