Line leaving Las Vegas with vision set on a strong finish to 2015 season
LAS VEGAS, Nev., November 1, 2015 – Jason Line came to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the 15th annual NHRA Nationals intent on capitalizing on previous success at one of the Summit Racing team’s most favored facilities. During qualifying, the driver of the blue Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro stayed focused and ramped up the power to qualify in the No. 4 position, but on Sunday a single round win was well below expectations. For Line, this only means that it’s time to get back up, shake off the dust, and prepare for another round of battle as the 2015 season draws to a conclusion.
Line drew Kenny Delco as a first-round opponent, and he clocked the third-quickest pass of the round in the defeat of his opponent, 6.600 at 208.78 to 7.108, 155.65. In the second round, Line had lane choice over Drew Skillman, but at the top end it was his challenger crossing the finish line first, 6.605, 209.04 to 6.622, 208.55.
“Unfortunately, we did not run as well today as we had planned,” said Line, No. 7 in the Pro Stock points. “We slowed down, and that certainly was not what we wanted to happen. But to be honest, it’s just kind of a reflection of how our season has been – It didn’t go the way we would have hoped. We’re just going to move on. We’ve got one more race left, and we’re going to go to Pomona for the Finals and do a better job.”
The highlight of the weekend for Line was seeing a KB Racing-powered Chevrolet Camaro make it to the final round. Teammate Bo Butner, who is concluding his first season as an NHRA Pro Stock driver, wheeled his way to the final round in his Jim Butner Auto Sales/Speed Dawg Shift Knobs Camaro. Butner earned a place in the history books as the 100th different NHRA Pro Stock driver to advance to a final round at a national event, and he did so with power generated at the KB Racing headquarters in Mooresville, N.C.
“I was happy for Bo today,” said Line. “He did a nice job, and he certainly had a car that was capable of winning, he just came out on the wrong side of it. All in all, this was not the day the Summit Racing team was looking for – but that’s racing. That’s life. You have to move on, and we’re ready to do that.”