Line Starting from No. 5 Position Following Rain-Halted Topeka Qualifying
TOPEKA, Kan., May 23, 2015 – Jason Line and the Summit Racing NHRA Pro Stock team were pleased to make three qualifying runs at Heartland Park Topeka, and they certainly would have liked a fourth pass to get their final tune-up for raceday, but rain moved into the area and called for a halt to the action. The field was set with Line in the No. 5 position and ready for a first-round match-up with V. Gaines on Sunday at the 27th annual NHRA Kansas Nationals.
Line clocked a clean 6.537-second pass at 210.83 mph in the first session that was fourth quickest, and he came back on Friday afternoon with a 6.535, 210.67. Saturday dawned with an unwelcoming forecast, but rain held off for much of the day. However, conditions weren’t quite as conducive to quick and fast passes as the teams had hoped, and no one improved in the third and what would be final qualifying session. Line recorded a 6.564 at 209.30 and remained No. 5.
“Today’s run was a little bit off on the tune-up, but it was better than the first two runs here this weekend and it’s going the right way. We’re just continuing to chisel away at it. We made quite a few changes that we intended to try out in the final qualifying round, so it would have been nice to get one more in, that’s for sure,” said Line. “But really, it’s okay. My Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro is still a really good car, and we’re going to keep the car the way it is right now and see what happens in the first round of eliminations.”
Although No. 5 is a respectable starting position, Line and Team Summit have come to have quite high expectations. Entering the Topeka race, the Mooresville, N.C.-based driver earned three consecutive No. 1 qualifier awards and had qualified one or better at all but one event so far this year. Overall in Topeka, Line has now started from the top half in 10 of his 12 appearances at Heartland Park.
He and the KB Racing crew are hopeful that the weather will hold out on Sunday and provide the 37-time NHRA Pro Stock winner with the opportunity to score his first Topeka title. First-round opponent V. Gaines is a driver that Line hasn’t raced since Seattle of 2014.
“We’re really looking forward to Sunday, and hopefully we’ll have the opportunity to put a Summit Racing Camaro in the winner’s circle tomorrow,” said Line. “We’ll have to see what we can do, but if Mother Nature cooperates, we should have a good chance.”