Line Earns First No. 1 of the Season at zMAX Dragway
Mooresville, N.C., September 14, 2013 – Summit Racing Pro Stock driver Jason Line effectively preserved his position at the top of the pack at the sixth annual Carlyle Tools NHRA Carolina Nationals and will start from the No. 1 position on raceday for the first time this season. Line, of Mooresville, N.C., powered the silver Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro to a qualifying-best time of 6.541 at 211.86 mph on Friday night to score his first low qualifier award since the final race of the season in 2012.
Line had a true hot rod throughout qualifying and kept his Summit Racing Camaro at the top with a series of carefully executed 6.5-second runs that were consistently among the three quickest in each session. Line earned critical bonus qualifying points for his outstanding performances in every round and will add a total of nine extra marks to the pile in his run for the season title in NHRA’s 2013 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship.
“We’re really happy that we got those bonus points every run, and I think we got more points this weekend than I did all year,” laughed Line. “This weekend has already been a big confidence booster, and I’ve got a good car for sure. You have to be steady every run, though, so we just have to keep at it. I’m certainly not going to trade cars with anybody else right now.”
The No. 1 qualifier award is his first of the season, but it is also the 34th of Line’s career as a Pro Stock driver. It is the fifth time that the Summit Racing driver has started from the top spot at Charlotte’s venerable zMAX Dragway, and as the race at his home track signifies the start of the Countdown, Line notes that turning his early weekend success into a victory would contribute to a strong fight for the coveted championship.
“If we want to contend for that big trophy, we have to win here,” said Line. “It’s a must-win deal for Team Summit. I looked at my side of the ladder, and there are definitely a few tough customers there. It’s going to be a hard day.”
Line will race against veteran driver Warren Johnson in the first round of eliminations, a driver he last met in the second round at the fall race in Las Vegas in 2012; Line took the upper hand in their most recent meeting. Another potential match of note would be in the second round when Line could square off with Buddy Perkinson, the diver of the third KB Racing Chevrolet Camaro this weekend in Charlotte.
“It’s good that my teammate Greg Anderson is on the other side of the ladder, but there aren’t going to be any breaks on the way to the final,” said Line. “Buddy is a great driver, and we know what these KB Racing cars are capable of. We’ll just have to see what happens tomorrow, but I’m very happy to have a Summit Racing Camaro at the top.”