Line carefully planning for exceptional Sunday at Summit Racing Nationals

NORWALK, Ohio (July 5, 2014) – Jason Line’s Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro was consistent during qualifying for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, and the 2009 winner of the event plans to use the consistent and reliable approach to his advantage on Sunday. Line, the No. 8 qualifier, will race Jonathan Gray in the first round of eliminations.

For Line, qualifying position was critical. As the weekend developed and the racing surface reacted to on-track action, one lane began to show as the more favorable of the two. The Pro Stock competitors again and again tried their hand in the left lane and were challenged. Line, however, was one of the drivers whose crew chiefs had the right combination.

Qualifying started with Line clicking off a 6.599 at 210.60 mph on Friday afternoon, and he followed up with an improved and qualifying best 6.564 at 211.13 that moved him into the No. 8 position. Saturday brought about a 6.567, 211.20 followed by a 6.586, 210.93.

“I think it really says a lot about the Summit Racing team that we were able to get down that tricky lane each time we had to with my car, but we certainly don’t take anything for granted,” said Line. “We knew we needed to qualify in the top half in order to get lane choice because it was very important for Sunday, and we did that. But now we need to get lane choice in each round to have a good shot at getting to the final. It will be tough, but it is something that we know we can accomplish.”

Line has qualified in the top half of the field in each race this year but one – the event in Epping last month. Notably, the first-round match with Gray will be the fourth time in six races that the two have met up on Sunday. Line beat Gray in their first head-to-head raceday rendezvous and Gray got the nod in their most recent two meetings.

“I’d say it’s time to even the score,” said Line, who entered the race in Norwalk No. 4 in the points with a move up heavy on his mind. “No matter how you look at it, we have a big job to do tomorrow, but the cool thing is that we get to go to work with all of these great Summit Motorsports Park fans surrounding us. It’s been a great crowd all weekend long, and we love racing here. We’ve got a challenge ahead of us, but I think it’s going to be a good day for the Summit Racing team.”