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CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
LUCAS OIL NHRA NATIONALS
BRAINERD INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY IN BRAINERD, MINNESOTA
POST-RACE RECAP AND DRIVER QUOTES
AUGUST 18, 2019

Chevrolet picks up Pro Stock victory at Brainerd

Jason Line wins at home track for 49th Pro Stock win
Robert Hight takes Funny Car points lead into the U.S. Nationals
Brittany Force is No. 1 Top Fuel qualifier for fifth time this season
BRAINERD, Minn. (August 18, 2019) – Jason Line claimed his first National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) national event victory at Brainerd International Raceway in 1992 and picked up another Sportsman win at the venerable Minnesota racetrack in ’97.

But nothing beats standing on the winner’s stage after securing his first Pro Stock victory at his “home track.” The native of Wright, Minnesota, defeated No. 2 qualifier Erica Enders, driving the Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro SS, in the final of the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals.

“I’m elated. I’m elated for the folk at Summit and everybody on our team. It’s been a tough go,” said Line, who drove the Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro SS to his 49th career Pro Stock victory.

Technically, Line has a Lucas Oil Nationals win on his scorecard. But because of inclement weather, the 2014 final round was delayed two weeks and run during qualifying for the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. He was runner-up to Enders in 2015.

Line, the No. 1 qualifier for the 55th time in his career, has won at least one race for 16 seasons, which is an NHRA record streak among active drivers. Chevrolet Funny Car driver Robert Hight has a 15-year streak, including five wins this season.

Line is the sixth Pro Stock winner in 11 races, all by a Chevrolet Camaro SS, in the hotly contested professional category.

Austin Prock, who picked up his first career Top Fuel victory two weeks earlier at Seattle, advanced to the semifinals in the Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster. He was the No. 8 qualifier.

Prock defeated teammate and No. 1 qualifier Brittany Force in the quarterfinals on a holeshot. Prock cut a .053-second light to Force’s .117 to overcome the elapsed time difference (3.766 for Prock top 3.730). Force, driving the

Carquest Filters Chevrolet dragster, earned her fifth No. 1 qualifier honor of the season and 15th in her 161-race career. She moved from fourth to second in points.

Hight, the Funny Car championship points leader, fell in the second round. Hight was the No. 4 qualifier in the Automobile Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS.

John Force, who produced the best average elapsed time in four rounds of qualifications and was the No. 3 qualifier, fell in the first round when the PEAK Coolant & Motor Oil/Lighting Chevrolet Camaro SS lost traction at the start. It was only the second first-round loss in 17 races for the 16-time Funny Car champion.

Al Corda of Elk Mound, Wisconsin, driving a Chevrolet COPO Camaro, fell in the quarterfinals of Stock Eliminator competition.

The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing regular season culminates in the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals on August 31-September 2 in Indianapolis. The 65th event at Lucas Oil Raceway will send drivers who have qualified in the top 10 in their respective pro categories into the six-race Countdown to the Championship. FOX will telecast eliminations and finals live at 1 p.m. ET September 2.

An interview with Pro Stock winner JASON LINE, KB RACING, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 1 qualifier; 49th career Pro Stock victory in 103rd final round; 16th consecutive year with at least one win):

FINALLY, A WIN AT HOME. HOW DOES IT FEEL?
“I’m elated. I’m elated for the folk at Summit and everybody on our team. It’s been a tough go. This Wally goes to (Chevrolet NHRA program manager) Roger Allen for all the stuff he does for us. This is very cool. As we get older, we realize these moments are going to be fewer and far between and less chances of them happening. It’s very special and later on its going to feel even more special. So, I am super excited, or at least as excited as I get anyway. It was a great weekend and a fun day for sure.”

ITS YOUR 49TH WIN BUT FIRST SINCE CHARLOTTE LAST YEAR. YOU ARE EXORCISING MANY DEMONS WITH THIS VICTORY
“It’s a big deal. My dad makes a big deal out of things like this because he is a numbers guy and he likes streaks. He makes a big deal of the fact that I have won a race every year that I have raced Pro Stock. He puts a lot of pressure on me to make sure that continues. To do it here in front of him is pretty cool. I am sure he is proud. Again, just a great day.”

A DOMINATIING DAY IN QUALIFYING IN GETTING MAX POINTS, THAT IS A RARITY. AS YOU WERE GOING THROUGH QUALIFYING AND YOU WERE DOING SO WELL, DID YOU FEEL ANYTHING SPECIAL ABOUT THIS WEEKEND?
“It is a rarity. I can’t tell you the last time that has happened to anybody. We had a great car. My car and hers (Erica Enders) were head and shoulders above anybody else. We say that and that means its just one or two hundredths more and that is really nothing. It doesn’t leave you a lot of room for error and we made just one error today, but we were fortunate to get by with it.”

WHERE DID YOU HAVE THE ERROR?
“Against Kramer in the semis. I was tardy. I just fell asleep up there. It happens. He couldn’t wait. I think everybody gets to where they know how everybody wants to stage so I think he was trying to do something to throw me off a little bit. So I tried to do the same in return and we both did a really poor job. But his was worse than mine and it turned out okay for us.”

DID THE QUESTION OF WHETHER YOU WERE GOING TO WIN THIS YEAR GET OLD?
“Yeah, it definitely got old. No offense. But yeah, absolutely. You want to win here in front of your friends and family. Because as fun as it is for me, it is probably as much fun for them. And for me to see how happy they are, it makes it super special.”

TALK ABOUT YOUR START AGAINST ERICA
“My goal is not to leave first against her, but to be close. Because she is quicker than I am. I have my moments, but she is as good as anybody ever as far as letting her left foot out. She is as good as there has ever been. My goal is to get close to her and hope we can outrun her. We managed to do that today.”

SHE GAVE YOU A BIG HUG AFTERWARDS, WHAT DID SHE SAY TO YOU?
“She is super nice. As we get older, I think we learn to have more mutual respect for everybody. You don’t want to lose, but certainly there is respect there.”

YOU TALKED ABOUT HAVING A LOT OF FIRSTS HERE, CAN YOU ELABORATE?
“Lots of firsts. I think I had my first beer here. I had my first lap here. I don’t think I had my first drag race here, I think that was at Twin Cities Dragway or else Minnesota Dragway. Certainly my first memories were coming here. My parents let us come here when we were 13 and 15. Me, my brother, my cousin….they let us come here and run wild for the weekend. It was really the start of something big for me. I made my first pass here and won my first race here. So a lot of firsts and just a great place. This place will hold fond memories for me. My dad raced in the very first event they had here back in June of 1968. He still has the same car and its pretty cool.”

WHAT AGE WERE YOU THE FIRST TIME YOU SET FOOT AT THIS TRACK?
“I was young, very young. In the early 70s. Probably around 1970 or 1971.”

DOES THE GREAT RHYTHM YOU HAD HERE CARRY OVER TO THE NEXT RACE?
“I don’t know, we can talk after Indy. I hope it does. You would like to think so, but the truth is that one little event can change everything. It’s a tough sport and right now everybody is so equal that there is no margin for error. You have to have a little luck as well. So that is what makes it special when you win.”

TELL US ABOUT THE MOMENT OF PERSONAL SATISFACTION FOR YOUR FAMILY TO WIN HERE
“This place has been a big part of all of our lives. They did a great job with the track and for us to be able to turn down on the zoo side with all the fans yelling and hollering it was really cool. A great moment that I will remember forever.”

DID YOU SEE HER WHEN YOU WERE NEAR THE FINISH?
“I did. I normally don’t look over when I am in high gear, but I did. Its been a while since I have bracket raced and I looked over and said…well, I won’t tell you what I said. Because I really thought I was a couple thousands behind. So yeah, I did. It was a super-close race. We didn’t get any data the run before. For whatever reason, the data acquisition did not work. So normally I would make some tuning changes, but we just had to take a guess at it. I probably should have made some bigger moves, but it is what it is. They actually outran us a little bit down the back. So, we were off a little bit somewhere, but it was enough. When the light came on, I was a little bit surprised.”

TALK ABOUT GOING TO INDY WITH MOMENTUM AND A WIN
“Yeah, it’s a big deal. Going into Indy with at least one win, that is a big deal. So, I am going to sleep good tonight.”

CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPIT

TOP FUEL:

BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, CARQUEST FILTERS CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (No. 1 qualifier; fell in second round to teammate Austin Prock on holeshot): “Tough weekend for the Carquest Filters team out here in Brainerd. The team is doing awesome. The car is running well; I just need to get my head back in the game. I’m a little lost but I have the best support system around me with my guys, David Grubnic and Mac Savage, and all of John Force Racing. We’ll get it figured out when we need to, and that’s heading into the Countdown, which we’re one race away from. I’m feeling confident. We’ve secured a spot in the Countdown. We’re currently sitting No. 2 and we’ll be ready to attack when we need to.”

AUSTIN PROCK, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONTANA BRAND/ROCKY MOUNTAIN TWIST CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (No. 8 qualifier; fell in semifinals): “Another good day. I had a great points day. Everyone we’re fighting with in the top 10 went out first round, we made it to a semifinal appearance. We fell short to Leah Pritchett; she made a really good run and had a good reaction time. That would have been tough to beat but we’ll get them next weekend.”

FUNNY CAR:

JOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, PEAK COOLANT & MOTOR OIL CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 3 qualifier; fell in first round): “I had a rough morning, had a clutch failure and stuff happens so I’m ready to move on. I made the Countdown in Seattle, Brittany (Force) locked it in here and (Austin) Prock still has a pretty good shot at locking it in and Robert’s in the lead. I’m going into Indy in third place. It’s not what I wanted. I have a new sponsor, Tri-Pac and you know, I wanted to do better for them, but we’ll see where it goes.”

ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 4 qualifier, fell in second round): “Jimmy Prock and Chris Cunningham are continuing to build on what this car can do and our goal is to go rounds, get this Auto Club team in the winner’s circle at Indianapolis.”

PRO STOCK:

ERICA ENDERS, ELITE MOTORSPORTS, MELLING PERFORMANCE/ELITE MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 2 qualifier, fell in final): “I think my driving has been pretty good, and I’ve got a good car, and the best crew in the business. I don’t know. I think that, especially in the Pro Stock class, things run in a cycle. We had two great years in 2014 and 2015 and it’s been a struggle ever since. It’s like driving into and out of a valley. I want to think that we’ve been to the lowest part of the valley and now I’m ready for the upswing.”

JEG COUGHLIN JR., ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JEGS.COM/ELITE PERFORMANCE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 5 qualifier; fell in second round): “We had a good run in Round 1 and really didn’t feel the need to change anything for the quarterfinals. But we just didn’t quite have it that round. The car kind of chugged through first gear and felt sluggish so I grabbed second as quickly as I could, and it ran really well from that point on. Unfortunately, that little bog at the start cost us our chance.”

MATT HARTFORD, HASRTFORD RACING, TOTAL SEAL CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 6 qualifier; fell in semifinals): “To go to four final rounds this year and win one of them, it definitely says we have a strong team and a championship-caliber team. To be able to have my team and my group of friends and family around me, and have this opportunity, it’s the most exciting part. The meaning behind all this is you’re with your closest friends and family and you’re representing your sponsors and your family. The relationships are just so strong and to have a chance to win with them, that’s the powerful meaning for me.”

ALEX LAUGHLIN, LAUGHLIN RACING, DRP CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 9 qualifier; fell in second round): “You never know what’s going to happen out there. Sometimes it’s luck, but I’ll take lucky all day. Jason (Line) ran low ET for the event out there, and though we were equal off the Tree it’s tough to drive around someone when they make a run like that.”

BO BUTNER, JIM BUTNER AUTO, JIM BUTNER AUTO SALES CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 3 qualifier; fell in second round): “We had a great day today in the Super Gas Chevy Corvette roadster, but we didn’t get as far as we wanted to in the Pro Stock car. We leave Brainerd with the points lead, and next race is Indy, so we really want to do well there. It would be really cool to go into the Countdown as the No. 1 seed. The best way to do that would be to win the race.

GREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, SUMMIT RACNG EQUIPMENT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 8 qualifier, fell in first round):
“We just didn’t really get a good run this weekend, and we never found what we were looking for with the red Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro. That’s hard, it’s a tough pill to swallow, especially here because you want to do so well in front of your family and friends and everyone here cheering for you. The good news is that we’re still No. 2 in the points, and we’ve shown these last few races that we know what this car wants. Hopefully, we’ll get back in shape at Indy in two weeks.”