Line Prepared to Defend Brainerd Title on Raceday at Home Track
BRAINERD, Minn., August 22, 2015 – Although qualifying was cut short due to stormy weather at the 34th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, Summit Racing Pro Stock driver Jason Line feels fully prepared to take on the competition and defend the Brainerd title he earned last year. Line, starting from the No. 5 position, will begin his quest for the trophy with a race against V. Gaines in the first round on Sunday.
Line’s blue Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro was strong in early qualifying, and he launched to the No. 3 position on the basis of a 6.618-second pass at 208.55 mph that came with a bonus qualifying point. The second session on Friday did not see improved numbers on the time slip, but Line’s 6.630, 208.68 was sufficient as the team whittled away on fine-tuning the set-up.
The second day of the event at Brainerd International Raceway brought grey skies and the promise of rain, but according to Line, “You cannot control the weather, it is what it is, and you just have to deal with it and move on.”
The KB Racing team took advantage of their first run on Saturday knowing full well that they may not get another pass, and they were pleased with the results in the conditions: A 6.627 at 207.94. When the predicted rain enveloped the area later, the fourth and final session of qualifying was canceled – but Line was just fine with it.
“I have a good car for raceday with my Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro, and we can win. There is no question about it,” said Line, who has a total of three Brainerd finals on his scorecard, including last season’s victory. “We have some work to do with [Summit Racing teammate Greg Anderson’s] car – we’re a little off on that one – but I feel confident that we can make improvements. I’m looking forward to tomorrow, that’s for sure.”
In addition to his passes down the racetrack in the blue Summit Racing Camaro, Line has also been wheeling his 1970 Buick Gran Sport in Brainerd in the Stock Eliminator category amongst competitors who are friends and family – including his dad, Lawrence Line, whom he came up against in round two.
“I got whipped,” admitted Line. “I came here so we could all race together as a family, and I sure didn’t think I’d end up racing him, but it was fun. We had a good time, and we got to harass each other a little bit before we ran. I’m glad we were all able to race together. We’ll have to see what happens, but it’s already been a pretty special weekend for our family.”