Line Flies to Second Final of Season at NHRA Gatornationals

GAINESVILLE, Fla., March 15, 2015 – The 46th annual Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Auto-Plus Raceway at Gainesville proved to be an excellent opportunity for the Summit Racing Pro Stock team to return to form. Jason Line, driver of the blue Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro, had one of the meanest Pro Stockers on the property and clocked low e.t. in two of the four rounds on raceday en route to the final. In the other lane was Summit Racing teammate Greg Anderson, who earned his 75th national event win in a thrilling and close race that was the 23rd Team Summit final in the history of the team.

Line, of Mooresville, N.C., was competing in the 76th Pro Stock final of his career and his sixth at Auto-Plus Raceway at Gainesville. It was also his second of the season – he won the season-opening NHRA Winternationals in Pomona in February.

The path to the final round included a start from the No. 2 position and a first round victory over Pro Stock newcomer Alan Prusiensky before he recorded low e.t. of the second round with a 6.528-second pass at 212.46 mph to put KB Racing-powered Jimmy Alund on the trailer. Alund was 6.571, 209.30 at the finish line stripe.

In the semifinals, it was Line vs. points leader Rodger Brogdon. Line was out of the gate first and never trailed, blazing to the quickest pass of the round, a 6.535 at 213.40 to send his opponent home on a 6.540, 213.47.

Meanwhile, Anderson was making his way up on the other side of the ladder. It had been 60 races since Anderson had earned a trophy of his own, and he was frustratingly stuck at win No. 74 for nearly three years. Line, however – a true racer at heart – had no sympathy for his teammate, friend and boss when they got to the staging lanes.

“I wasn’t really thinking about Greg, to be honest with you,” admitted Line. “It’s hard to win these races, and that’s what makes it special. I feel like out of all the finals I’ve lost, he’s been on the winning end of quite a few. He’s just tough to beat in the final. I wasn’t going to cut him any slack, but that just wasn’t enough today. Nonetheless, it was a great day for the KB Racing team and for Summit Racing, and in the big picture, that’s what really matters.”

Line’s Summit Racing Camaro stumbled just once in qualifying, and it didn’t truly stumble again until the worst possible moment – in the final. Line was out of the gate first but Anderson surged ahead for a 6.538, 213.43 win over a 6.554, 212.96.

“The blue car is almost always good; it’s a good car,” said Line, now No. 2 in NHRA’s Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro Stock points. “But we definitely damaged something that run, and we’re not yet sure what. Still, we learned a lot, and it was a fun day. It was great to see that the red car is going to be a good racecar, for sure.

“I want to thank Mike Edwards. He has helped us for sure, and he’s a ball to have around. I’ve been enjoying his company a lot, and no question, he is certainly a big part of this. We’re happy to have him on board. This was a great day for our whole team.”