CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
NHRA CAROLINA NATIONALS
ZMAX DRAGWAY, CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA
PRESS CONFERENCE DRIVER QUOTES – JASON LINE
SEPTEMBER 16, 2016

JASON LINE, KB RACING SUMMIT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS PRO STOCK DRIVER, met with members of the media at zMax Dragway and discussed his Countdown chances, what it’s going to take to beat the competition, testing at races, and reset of points:

You had eight final round appearances to start the year with five wins in that span. You have seven wins to this point and only one first round loss. That is pretty impressive. You guys have been going rounds, has that been a key to your success?

“Well, for sure. We got off to a really great start and obviously we have been doing a lot of testing since the Western Swing. Now it’s time to not test, and time to race again. So hopefully we have our ducks in a row and are ready for the Countdown.”

When you say testing – is that going out to the track, working on the dyno, or a combination of both?

“We did a lot of testing at the races which is certainly…..we were in a situation where we were afforded the opportunity to do that. It was a little bit unusual, but that is what we did. We certainly learned some things…..some good, some not so good. But that is all part of going forward.”

You knew the rules coming in and that the points were going to be reset, but does that make it any easier to give up over 600 points to your closest non-KB Racing teammate?

“Yeah, we knew it was going to happen at the start of the year. So hey, it is what it is and that is the format and they aren’t going to change it for me. So that is just part of it.”

Was that also a factor in why you guys started testing during the races?

“Yeah, obviously you still want to win races and you give up some of that opportunity possibly. But again, it’s still a good opportunity to test under race conditions.”

Talk a little bit about the fact that now everyone has caught back up to you and that the points have been reset

“You know, they caught up really before that. And with the rules package you know we are all going to get to a certain point, we are going to run about the same like we used to. The fact that we were lucky enough to get there before everybody else was a great thing. It allowed us to win 14 races between the two of us. But we said from the start that it was going to happen and to be honest, was surprised that it took as long as it did.”

How difficult was it to not get complacent with that big of a lead?

“I am not sure that we didn’t (laughs). But yeah, you probably do get a little complacent a little bit. Again, it’s a unique situation and it’s a situation that I have never been in for sure. To be that many points ahead and knowing that no matter what you did……you could even not show up and still finish one or two. That was a little bit of a strange thing. So obviously, again, it made us think about things in a different way. Hopefully we have a little something left, we can do the right things, and still come out on top.”

When you guys were testing the way you were, was there a risk of kind of losing the combination that got you there and not get that back?

“Well yes, that is certainly a possibility for sure. But you know, other things have changed throughout the year as well. There are other factors that are out of our control and that have definitely changed a few things about the race tracks themselves. So there are things that are different at this time of year or at the beginning of the year that are not going to go back that way. So we have to adapt to that as well. There is a possibility, but it may be a less of a possibility with the EFI because you save all the files and you can plug that back in. So for somebody that is not very organized, like myself, it’s probably a good thing.”

Now that the field has been reset, did you save something for the championship?

“Ask me that again after the end of the weekend (laughs). We’ll see. Hopefully we have a little something left, but it’s hard to say. I think that everybody has got the capability of being very fast right now and hopefully we are still a little faster, but time will tell.”

We saw one of your counterparts Bo Butner have a lot of success with No. 1 qualifiers, but he is still searching for that first win. Do you guys want that to come at the sake of you not winning or is it just fighting tooth and nail every time you guys line up?

“Well, we want to see him win for sure. We had hoped he would win just like he would have hoped he would have won a race by now as well. But it hasn’t happened. I hope that if Greg or I can’t win the first race of the Countdown, then I hope it’s him. He has been a great asset to have as a teammate and fun to have around. He is definitely entertainment that you can’t buy. We want to see him win for sure.”

Lastly, what is it like to finally have what is a home race for you guys? Is it nice to kind of be able to get away from it at night a little bit?

“Yes, for me it is. I like sleeping in my own bed, it’s a great thing. If we could race here every weekend I would be happy with