SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT DOUBLES-UP AT NHRA FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS
Concord, NC (April 24, 2016) – Summit Racing Equipment put two drivers in the Winner’s Circle at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals presented by Lowes Foods. Jason Line won his third race in the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series this year and the fifth race in a row for KB Racing in Pro Stock. Tim Wilkerson drove his Nitro Funny Car to his second win this season.
JASON LINE Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro SS
Sunday’s victory marks the 40th career Pro Stock win for Line. This was also the fifth straight final round this season for the two-time Pro Stock world champion. Line came into race day the No.3 qualifier with a 6.584 E.T. at 211.10 mph. This is the first time Anderson has won the Four-Wide Nationals.
“It’s really a big deal and exciting to win here at home. It is tough to win the four-wide and I have never won the four-wide. I won’t say that I don’t like it, but I have never been very successful at this race,” said Line. “We are taking a lot of pride in this win because we probably had more changes to make engine-wise, than everybody else did. So it feels very good and it is special and as you get older; you realize how difficult it is to win these races and it becomes more and more special.”
In the final round quad, Line posted a winning time of 6.565/211.33 in his Summit Racing Equipment Chevy Camaro and finished in front of teammate Bo Butner, who trailed with a 6.591/210.77 in his Jim Butner Auto Camaro. Drew Skillman and Chris McGaha, also driving Camaros, were third and fourth in the quad final.
Line made his way to the final by beating Kenny Delco, Vincent Nobile and V. Gaines in the opening quad and then held off Skillman, Delco and defending world champ Erica Enders in the round two quad.
Line leaves the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals No. 1 in points in the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Standings.
GREG ANDERSON Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro SS
Greg Anderson came into race day as the No. 1 qualifier for the second time this season with a 6.576 E.T. at 210.41 mph.
In the first round quad Anderson ran 6.562/211.99 defeating Chris McGaha, Allen Johnson and Shane Tucker. In the second round quad Anderson was defeated by Chris McGaha, Bo Butner and Deric Kramer.
“We had a problem on the race track and we had to be first pair and we haven’t been anywhere near the first pair all weekend,” said Anderson. “The track is just not the same for first pair and we just overestimated it and we just got too aggressive.”
This is the only race of the year where four cars race instead of two and this presents many unique obstacles for drivers. One of the biggest hurdles is having two Christmas Trees and four staging lights, which can cause some confusion.
“Well, the problem was the guy in the left lane staged and then he rolled right through the light or something. You are sitting there staging and all you know is that the stage lights are all on and then they were all off and then the tree went on. So you are confused, but all you can do is stay on the limiter and wait and see if the tree comes on,” confessed Anderson.
With this race, Anderson has now surpassed Warren Johnson for the most consecutive starts without a DNQ at 304 races. He is only second to John Force with 395 consecutive races. Anderson has not had a DNQ since 2002.
Anderson leaves the Four-Wide Nationals No. 2 in points in the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Standings.
TIM WILKERSON Ford Shelby Mustang Nitro Funny Car
The victory on Sunday marked Wilkerson’s second win of the 2016 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series and his 20th career win. He came into race day qualified No. 8 with a 3.970 E.T. at 319.07 mph. This is Wilkerson’s first Four-Wide Nationals win.
“I got this off my bucket list,” Wilkerson said. “I’ve been in the finals twice here, so I am really happy to get it done,” said Wilkerson. “The whole year has really been exciting; especially with the new TV package and the way everything has been going for us. The Four-Wide is really a neat deal, especially since I won.”
Wilkerson powered past the competition in the final round with a performance of 3.967/315.56 in his Levi Ray & Shoup Ford Mustang. He was followed across the finish line by Cruz Pedregon with a 3.995/313.37 and then Ron Capps and Matt Hagan coming in third and fourth.
Wilkerson’s machine was the top Funny Car on race day, finishing first in all three quads he raced. He opened with a win against Jeff Diehl, top qualifier Alexis DeJoria and series points leader Robert Hight. In the round two quad, he outran Pedregon, Courtney Force and Jeff Diehl.
This is the best start to a season Wilkerson has experienced and he credits his crew and their hard work ethic.
“We work hard. I have a great bunch of kids on my crew. The other teams may out-spend us, but they will never out work us,” said Wilkerson. “My guys really do try hard and have a lot of heart.”
Wilkerson leaves the Four-Wide Nationals No. 4 in points in the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Standings.