CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
NHRA CAROLINA NATIONALS
ZMAX DRAGWAY IN CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA
SUNDAY, OCT. 14, 2018
Chevrolet Scores 300th Victory in Pro Stock Category
• Jason Line’s 50th career win supplies Chevy milestone
• No. 1 qualifier Brittany Force is runner-up in Top Fuel
• Robert Hight retains Funny Car points lead
CONCORD, N.C. (Oct. 14, 2018) – A personal milepost for Jason Line supplied Chevrolet with a National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) milestone in the NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway.
Line, driving the Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro SS, ended the elimination-round winning streak of Pro Stock points leader Tanner Gray at 11 with a final-round victory in the fourth of six races in the NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship to mark his 50th career victory (48 in Pro Stock, two in Stock Eliminator).
Line’s victory was the 300th in Pro Stock competition for Chevrolet. The Bowtie brand entered the season with 278 wins since the NHRA officially recognized Pro Stock as a professional eliminator class in 1970.
Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins registered the inaugural victory, driving his 1968 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to a 9.98-second win over Ronny Sox’s Plymouth Barracuda in the season-opening Winternationals in Pomona, California. Line was 5 months old at the time.
“I’m not an emotional guy, but this is really cool,” said Line, who is the 10th different Chevrolet winner in the class this season. “I want to thank all the folks at Summit for sticking with me. The 50th Wally goes to them, for sure. I want to thank (team owners) Ken and Judy (Black) who stuck with me and the few fans I have left. I’m as excited as I get.”
Reigning Top Fuel champion and No. 1 qualifier Brittany Force advanced to her second final of the season before falling to points leader Steve Torrence (3.703 seconds). Force’s Advance Auto Parts Monster Energy Chevrolet dragster was consistently quick all day, with runs of 3.717, 3.702, 3.708, and 3.708 in the final,
Sixteen-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force increased his elimination round career victory total to 1,310 by reaching the semifinals in the PEAK Coolant & Motor Oil Chevrolet Camaro SS.
Reigning Funny Car champion and class points leader Robert Hight, who won the event in 2017 among his three victories at the track, lost in the second round. Hight, the No. 7 qualifier, had won the previous two races in the Countdown in the Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS. Courtney Force, the No. 12 qualifier in the Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS, fell in the first round.
Line, competing in his 99th Pro Stock final and 895th career elimination round, had a .020-second reaction time and 6.531-second pass at 211.89 mph to stop the Gray Motorsports/Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro SS (6.534) that had won the past two races in the Countdown and won the event at zMAX Dragway last fall.
Line, a two-time Pro Stock champion, ran his streak to 15 seasons with at least one victory and provided KB Racing with its 149th.
Gray dispatched No. 2 qualifier Erica Enders, who had set low elapsed time of the event (6.493 seconds) in the first round in her Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro SS, in one semifinal. Line ousted Drew Skillman (Ray Skillman Auto Group Chevrolet Camaro SS), who earned the No. 1 qualifier honor in both races this season at zMAX Dragway, in the other semifinal.
First-round winners included Jeg Coughlin Jr. (JEGS.com/Elite Performance Chevrolet Camaro SS), Alex Laughlin (Havoline Chevrolet Camaro SS), and Vincent Nobile (Mountain View Tire Chevrolet Camaro SS). Greg Anderson, competing in his 20th Pro Stock season, marked his 450th career start with a first-round loss. The four-time Pro Stock champion, driver of the Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro SS, will seek to become the fourth pro driver with 800 round wins in the next race at Las Vegas.
Jeff Warren of Clinton, North Carolina, drove his Chevrolet COPO Camaro to two round wins in Super Stock.
The NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship continues Oct. 26-28 with the NHRA Toyota Nationals at the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. FS1 will telecast live qualifications at 6 p.m. ET Oct. 26, and FS2 will telecast live qualifications at 5 p.m. ET Oct. 27. FS1 will telecast taped eliminations and finals at 7:30 p.m. ET Oct. 28.
Anderson led the Chevy Racing charge in 2017 by claiming his seventh Pro Stock win at the racetrack in his Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro SS. Brittany Force in Top Fuel and Courtney Force in Funny Car were runners-up in their respective classes in their Chevrolet-powered race cars.
An interview with Pro Stock winner JASON LINE, KB RACING, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 5 qualifier; 48th career Pro Stock win and 50th overall; competed in 99th career Pro Stock final and 895th career round; has won a race in 15 Pro Stock seasons in a row; 149th win for KB Racing; 10th different winner in class for Chevrolet this season; ties Andrew Hines for 13th on all-time pro win list):
HOW MEANGFUL IS THAT WIN?
“I’m not an emotional guy, but this is really cool. I want to thank all the folks at Summit for sticking with me. The 50th Wally goes to them, for sure. None of this could happen without them. I want to thank (team owners) Ken and Judy (Black) who stuck with me and the few fans I have left. I’m as excited as I get.”
YOU NOW HAVE A VICTORY IN 15 CONSECUTIVE SEASONS, WHICH IS AN NHRA RECORD. WAS IT WEIGHING ON YOU THAT YOU HAD NOT GOTTEN A VICTORY?
“Streaks a cool but nobody really cares about streaks them in the end and certainly Summit and Ken are not paying me to keep the streak alive. They’re paying me to win races and do a good job and I haven’t done a good job this year. It’s been a struggle, so I guess the good part of that is when you do finally win you appreciate it.”
THE SEASON HAS BEEN A STRUGGLE BUT THE LAST COUPLE OF RACES IT SEEMS LIKE YOU’VE HAD THE HORSEPOWER. THAT’S GOT TO HELP YOU CONFIDENCE.
“We struggled this year; we haven’t had the greatest year by an stretch of the imagination. Today I managed to put it all together. I had been getting a lot of heat from a lot of people; my dad won’t even talk to me anymore, so this is a big deal to win today.”
WHAT’S GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND WHEN YOU SEE TWO CARS IN FRONT OF YOU ROUND THE TIRES IN THE FIRST ROUND?
“I was wondering if I was going to shake or (first-round opponent) Bo (Butner) is going to shake. Fortunately, neither one of us did. We actually had a very good race. Bo has struggled this year as well and we both did a good job on the starting line and we had a good race. I was fortunate enough to come on the right side of it.”
HOW ABOUT THAT FINAL ROUND WHERE YOU LOOK OVER AND IT’S THE POINTS LEADER ON A HOT STREAK. WHAT WAS YOUR MINDSET?
“It’s not like you look forward to racing Tanner (Gray). He’s tough. He’s been wearing us out. I was just trying to be calm and cut the best light that I was capable of cutting. When I left I said ‘Well, I got it as good as I could get it.’ I looked over in high gear and didn’t see him and was pleasantly surprised. Great run and our team did a great job with my race car today. I was fortunate to do a good enough job with my left foot to get it done.”
YOU LIVE NEARBY AND HAD A WHOLE GROUP – KEN BLACK, SUMMIT PEOPLE, OTHERS HERE – TO CHEER YOU ON. DID THAT HELP?
“I think so. Unfortunately, some of our other cars losing early probably helps me as well, which is both good and bad. It’s tough. We have a lot of cars, a lot of things to take care of and I need to figure out a better way of balancing all that and still be able to drive good. This year has not been a good example of how to do it. But we’re getting off to a good finish.”
TWO RACES LEFT IN THE SEASON. THINK YOU MIGHT SNEAK ANOTHER ONE IN?
“Who knows. It took me a while to get this one, so why not.”