Line on an Upswing, Headed Home to Win Brainerd Nationals
Mooresville, N.C., August 13, 2014 – There is no time like the present for NHRA Pro Stock racer Jason Line. The Mooresville, N.C.-based driver of the blue Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro has blasted past the competition to score back-to-back victories at the last two races on the 2014 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour, and now, he will be looking to break a personal record at this weekend’s 33rd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd.
“I’ve never won three in a row before,” said Line. “If things go as planned, this will be a weekend of firsts for me.”
Surprisingly, winning Pro Stock at Brainerd Int’l Raceway – Line’s home track – would also be a first. A 34-time national event winner in the elite Pro Stock category, Line has thus far been vexed by the racetrack that was his playground while growing up in Wright, Minn. As a successful sportsman racer, he brought home Brainerd trophies in Stock Eliminator in 1992 and 1997, and since launching his Pro Stock career in 2003 he has visited the final round there twice (2006 and 2009). Notably, the 1992 Stock victory was his first win at a national event.
Entering the event No. 3 in the series standings and on a serious wave of momentum with just two races to go before the Countdown to the Championship playoffs begin, Line is in prime position to get what he’s been after for so long.
“I haven’t hidden my thoughts on wanting to win that race,” said Line. “It’s very high on my list of things to do, and this is probably the best chance I’ve ever had to win Brainerd. My Summit Racing Camaro has been great lately, and it’s good that with two races left before the Countdown starts, we have a little momentum. It’s always exciting to go to Brainerd and see my friends and family, but this time it’s even more exciting because of the opportunity that we have. Hopefully, we can capitalize on it.”
Last season at BIR, Line qualified No. 7 and fell to Summit Racing teammate Greg Anderson in the second round. Admittedly, Line’s toughest competition for the Brainerd win could be within his own camp, but the KB Racing crew is of sound mind in regard to the potential outcome.
“Greg has actually beat me at this race before,” said Line, who fell by just .002-second to Anderson in the 2009 final. “Maybe that’s a little bit of a sore subject, but at this point in the season to get two KB Racing cars to the final round is something really big – and it’s important that we continue to see progress with both mine and Greg’s Summit Racing Camaros. It was tough for a while there, but things have been looking up lately. I think there is a very real possibility that we could see another all-Summit Racing final in Brainerd.”