Line Continues to Make Progress, Moves up in Series Standings after Epping
EPPING, N.H. (June 23, 2013) – The Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro driven by Jason Line at the Inaugural NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway is picking up steam in the middle of a strenuous four in a row stretch. Line made a move up one position, from fifth to fourth, in the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro Stock standings following a respectable qualifying performance and a round win earned on raceday.
During qualifying, Line made a series of good passes to earn a start from the No. 5 position and a first-round meeting with veteran driver Larry Morgan. Coming off of a very fast final qualifying pass (Line’s 211.86 mph was the quickest of the factory hot rods in the last act before the field was set for Sunday’s race), the Mooresville, N.C.-based driver was optimistic about his chances on raceday – however, he knew he would have his work cut out for him.
What he didn’t anticipate was that he and Morgan would light the pre-stage bulbs simultaneously.
“It caught both of us off guard,” admitted Line, who was uncharacteristically late with a .143-second reaction time as he left the starting line next to his also late opponent. “Neither one of us were exactly stellar, but the Summit Racing Camaro got us to the other end of the racetrack first and we were able to survive and move on to the next round.”
Line cleared the finish line with a 6.610 at 210.28 mph for the win light over Morgan’s 6.688, and the victory was a ticket to the second round and a meeting with Shane Gray, a driver Line had already gotten the best of in three elimination rounds this season – including the final round in Houston.
Line didn’t have lane choice for their meeting but was good and ready for their mid-day meeting. He launched ahead of Gray but soon got into trouble. His blue Summit Racing Chevy Camaro made a hard move to the right and he was forced to give up the run.
“We struggled pretty hard with the left lane, we weren’t able to negotiate it, and ultimately that’s what bit us today,” said Line. “We made some progress, but we still have room to go. Our biggest problem is that we’re not as good as we need to be on raceday – but this is a process, and we’ve got to keep after it.
“Overall, we certainly enjoyed our trip to New England. The fans are great, and hats off to the folks who run the racetrack. They certainly put a lot of effort into it. The facility is going to be extremely nice.”
