Las Vegas in the Books for Line, Championship Battle Carries on to Pomona
Las Vegas, Nev., Nov. 2, 2014 – The 2014 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series championship battle ignited in Las Vegas at the 14th annual NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend, and Summit Racing Pro Stock driver Jason Line leaves Sin City just 17 points away from securing a third career world title. The Mooresville, N.C., resident qualified in the No. 5 position and took matters into his own hands as he knocked one of his challengers out of contention en route to a semifinals finish.
The battle for the championship narrowed down to three drivers as the tour hit Las Vegas for the second-to-last race of the season – Line led the points and Erica Enders-Stevens was 35 points back and No. 2, while Dave Connolly was 51 points behind in third. The first round of eliminations at The Strip set up a meeting with Matt Hartford, the same driver Line beat in the first round of the season opener in Pomona on the way to his first win of the year. Line again got the nod, crossing the finish line with a 6.609-second pass at 208.71 mph to Hartford’s 6.647, 209.04, and the win brought about an ideal scenario.
All eyes were on Pro Stock as Line brought his blue Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro up for a second-round match with Connolly. The two left almost simultaneously, but Connolly soon got into trouble on the racing surface. His loss was Line’s gain, and Team Summit checked a big one off the to-do list as Line sailed ahead for a 6.629, 208.36 win over his challenger’s slowing 11.228, 79.50.
Yet another thrilling round was at hand in the semifinals as Line and Enders-Stevens squared off. With the points lead on the line, both drivers were fully charged but Line jumped a bit too soon and illuminated a .003-second red light. The foul start came with a 6.629 at 208.42, and Enders-Stevens 6.593, 209.20 would have been impossible to beat.
“I never take a shot at the tree,” said Line. “But I definitely learned something coming out here and testing that helped me be a little bit quicker. I never do this, but I felt like we didn’t have the performance that they have, and I was trying to be .00 [at the starting line]. I was .00, I was just on the wrong side of it. I was shocked that it was red because I felt like I nailed it. I did what I felt I had to do.”
Enders-Stevens went on to win the event and did manage to take the points lead from Line, who has been at the top since winning the Brainerd Nationals. The deficit is a slim and completely rectifiable 17 points.
“This was not a horrible day for us,” said Line. “It was actually a pretty good day, and you know it’s not over. It is absolutely not over. The racetrack in Pomona has been pretty good for KB Racing over the years, and I’m excited to get there.”