Line Not Ready to Cash Out in Las Vegas, Eager to Race on Sunday
LAS VEGAS, Nev., March 29, 2014 – Jason Line is very much looking forward to Sunday at the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals and another opportunity to put the Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro in the winner’s circle. Line, who started the year with a win at the season-opener, will be gunning for the title at his sponsor’s title event from the No. 5 position. He will race fellow Minnesota native Deric Kramer in the first round of eliminations.
Line made a solid blast down the racetrack in the first session of the weekend, clocking a speedy 6.633 at 208.71 mph that was the second quickest of the round. In the second session, he came back with an improved 6.630, 208.94.
On the first day of qualifying for the event – the fourth of 24 on the 2014 Mello Yello Series schedule – Line clocked a pair of consistent 6.63 passes. Day two brought about new conditions, with the wind whipping and the air temperature fluctuating.
Saturday in Las Vegas was about more than qualifying – Line was also competing in the K&N Horsepower Challenge. The first round of the shootout style competition was also the third qualifier, and Line and his KB Racing team were optimistic and came out swinging in their first-round match with Shane Gray. Unfortunately, as one half of the first pair of Pro Stockers to take to the track, they didn’t have the advantage of noting what the track could hold.
Line launched well ahead of his competitor, but the effort was unsuccessful as he fell with a 6.664, 208.55 to Gray’s 6.635, 208.49.
“We were too aggressive in low gear and it just spun [the tires] and washed out,” said Line. “That’s the danger of being first pair out.”
In the next round and conclusion of qualifying, Line clocked an improved 6.650 at 208.84 mph that was the fourth-quickest pass of all the cars for the session.
“We know the Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro is a good car, and today wasn’t a great day – it definitely wasn’t the outcome we had hoped for – but hopefully, tomorrow will be better,” said Line. “That was a good run there [in the last session], and it just reminded us that we can and will be better. We started really good this weekend with this car, and we backtracked a bit – but tomorrow is a new day.”
