Line qualifies No. 2, set to defend Winternationals title
POMONA, Calif., February 7, 2015 – Jason Line had hoped to retain the No. 1 qualifier position he had in his possession on Friday at the 55th annual Circle K NHRA Winternationals, but losing hold of the top spot wasn’t a complete heartache for the 38 time low qualifier. Starting from the No. 2 position in his Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro has proven effective over the course of the last 12 months; Line was second quickest in the qualifying field for two of his four wins last season.
Qualifying for the 2015 NHRA season-opener at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona started with a bang as Line powered his way to a 6.539-second pass at 212.46 mph, but it got even better as he blasted to a 6.523 at 212.76 that sent him to the top of the pack. The provisional low qualifier came to the table on Saturday with his eye on the prize, and an identical 6.523 at a big speed of 212.93 mph was good, but it wasn’t quite as satisfying as the hungry team would have liked.
“We didn’t make the run we had hoped for today, but we still ended up second in the qualifying order. If you can make a run that isn’t your best and still end up No. 2, racing life isn’t bad,” said Mooresville, N.C.-based Line. “We definitely left some out there. The car went a little to the left, but I have made worse runs, and I feel like we should really have a good car for tomorrow. Overall, qualifying was good for us, and the KB Racing team is in a good position heading into raceday.”
After the first pass on Saturday, clouds moved in and the track cooled, and quicker times were on the mind of every crew chief in the pits. However, with the clouds came a smattering of rain that dampened the track just enough to necessitate a halt in the action. Ultimately, a storm cell settled in the area and racing was canceled for the day.
“It stinks that we didn’t get that last run, because we definitely could have used it,” said Line, who earned two bonus points for his Saturday pass and a total of six throughout qualifying. “We needed it more for my teammate Greg Anderson’s car than mine – there were a couple of things we had hoped to address on this last pass, and it would have been nice to have that run – but listen, I think we are in good shape with our Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaros.”
For the first time on Sunday, Line will race Joey Grose in the first round of eliminations. It will be the 261st race of Line’s Pro Stock career, and he will be looking for his 36th Pro Stock trophy. Line heads into raceday at the Winternationals with confidence in his program.
“We have good hot rods,” said the three-time Winternationals winner and defending event champion. “Team Summit should have a good day tomorrow.”