A Family Victory for Line on First Day at Brainerd Nationals
Brainerd, Minn., August 15, 2014 – Jason Line came to Brainerd International Raceway with two wins at the most recent two events freshly penned onto his scorecard, and he is already laying the foundation for what he hopes will be a third consecutive victory. On the first day at the 33rd annual NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, the driver of the blue Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro vaulted up to the top of the pack in the first round of qualifying and ended the day No. 4 with two remaining sessions to climb. Line wasn’t alone in his early success as he watched a very important family member earn a trophy in Stock Eliminator.
Line was determined when he hit the racetrack where he grew up successfully making a name for himself in the sportsman ranks, and he blasted to a 6.637-second pass at 208.10 mph in his Summit Racing steed that outshined every one of his competitors. The second session wasn’t quite as successful, but the groundwork was laid.
“We didn’t make the run we needed to in the second session, but we’re in the ballpark,” said Line, who improved to a 6.333 at 208.39 but moved into fourth in the line-up. “We’re on the edge of being good, and we’ve struggled to get some of the little things worked out, but we’re definitely getting better – and that makes it fun to go to the racetrack.”
In addition to Line’s own success on Friday in Brainerd, his father, Lawrence Line, won the K/SA class trophy driving his Chevrolet Monte Carlo in the Stock Eliminator category. The Line family has several entries this weekend in the sportsman ranks, including cars driven by Line’s two brothers, Lance and Ben, and their mother Maxine. Although Lawrence advanced to earn the class trophy, the rest of the family bowed out earlier than hoped for in their respective races.
“I was a little disappointed in my brothers and my mother, but now I know how they feel on a weekly basis,” joked Line. “But it was fun to come and see everybody. I had a chance to watch my dad and Lance run, but I didn’t get a chance to see the rest of my family. It’s always fun to come back here to Brainerd.
“As for the two Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaros, we will absolutely be better tomorrow. There is no question. Greg out-qualified me, and that hasn’t happened in a long time. I think he and I both want to win right now. We always want to win, but there are certainly times where you feel beat down by things and don’t have as much fight in you. Right now, we both have some fight in us. This is good, and it’s fun to be here. It’s fun to be part of this.”