[coverattach=1]Sunday’s final eliminations of the United Association Route 66 Nationals in Joliet, IL proved to be an all-day marathon, as racers and fans had to endure a five-hour rain delay between the second round and semifinals, with the race concluding late in the evening. In the end, it was a tremendous day for Pro Stock standout Jason Line and his Summit Racing team, as they powered to a runner-up finish at Route 66 Raceway.
“Today was a good day for our Summit Racing team,” said Line. “I drove well all day, and after struggling for so long, our car ran with the best in the class, getting better with every round. Obviously we wanted to win and tried very hard to do so, but just came up short in the final. Still, we’re going to leave Route 66 Raceway happy with our performance.”
Starting from the eleventh position, Line quickly established his intentions using the second-quickest pass of the round at 6.615-seconds with a top speed of 209.01 mph to upset No. 6 qualifier Kurt Johnson in the opening stanza. After carding another quick 6.61-second elapsed time in defeating No. 3 qualifier Allen Johnson in the second round, Line was forced to wait until the early evening for his semifinal encounter with rookie Shane Gray. Despite the delay, Line was extremely sharp, using a .026 reaction time to gain the advantage at the starting line and never looked back, with his 6.601-second, 208.46 mph pass more than enough to secure the 46th career final round appearance of his career.
The final obstacle between the KB Racing driver and his fourth career win at Route 66 Raceway was current points leader Mike Edwards. In the tightest race of the day, Line left the line first with a stellar .006 reaction time, powering through in the quarter-mile in a very strong 6.599-seconds with a top speed of 209.30 mph. Unfortunately, Edwards responded with an equally strong .007 light and a slightly quicker 6.594-second elapsed time to edge Line by an immeasurable four-thousandths of a second.
“There’s really nothing to say other than to say we lost a good, close drag race,” said Line. “I thought we had a really good shot at beating Mike in the final, and we did but missed by four thousandths. Still, we were right there with him for the entire run, which is a tremendous accomplishment by everyone on this Summit Racing team.”
Despite his impressive showing, Line was quick to admit that his team still had work to do, as they looked to establish the competitive consistency that has been their hallmark.
“We’re pleased to have run as well as we did today, but won’t be truly satisfied until we’re able to do it consistently like Mike does,” said Line. “That’s why we’ll be here tomorrow testing. After all, Summit Racing, Ken, Judy and Kenny Black and all the people who support us deserve better, and we are determined to give it to them. I’m certainly proud of our performance this weekend, but we need to do this every week, and I’m confident we will be very soon.”
Established in 1968, Summit Racing Equipment is the leading high performance parts and accessories company. Summit Racing offers the largest selection, lowest prices, and best customer service in the high performance industry via catalogs, Internet, and Retail Super Stores. The company is headquartered in Tallmadge, Ohio with retail locations in Tallmadge, Ohio; Sparks, Nevada; and McDonough, Georgia.
“Today was a good day for our Summit Racing team,” said Line. “I drove well all day, and after struggling for so long, our car ran with the best in the class, getting better with every round. Obviously we wanted to win and tried very hard to do so, but just came up short in the final. Still, we’re going to leave Route 66 Raceway happy with our performance.”
Starting from the eleventh position, Line quickly established his intentions using the second-quickest pass of the round at 6.615-seconds with a top speed of 209.01 mph to upset No. 6 qualifier Kurt Johnson in the opening stanza. After carding another quick 6.61-second elapsed time in defeating No. 3 qualifier Allen Johnson in the second round, Line was forced to wait until the early evening for his semifinal encounter with rookie Shane Gray. Despite the delay, Line was extremely sharp, using a .026 reaction time to gain the advantage at the starting line and never looked back, with his 6.601-second, 208.46 mph pass more than enough to secure the 46th career final round appearance of his career.
The final obstacle between the KB Racing driver and his fourth career win at Route 66 Raceway was current points leader Mike Edwards. In the tightest race of the day, Line left the line first with a stellar .006 reaction time, powering through in the quarter-mile in a very strong 6.599-seconds with a top speed of 209.30 mph. Unfortunately, Edwards responded with an equally strong .007 light and a slightly quicker 6.594-second elapsed time to edge Line by an immeasurable four-thousandths of a second.
“There’s really nothing to say other than to say we lost a good, close drag race,” said Line. “I thought we had a really good shot at beating Mike in the final, and we did but missed by four thousandths. Still, we were right there with him for the entire run, which is a tremendous accomplishment by everyone on this Summit Racing team.”
Despite his impressive showing, Line was quick to admit that his team still had work to do, as they looked to establish the competitive consistency that has been their hallmark.
“We’re pleased to have run as well as we did today, but won’t be truly satisfied until we’re able to do it consistently like Mike does,” said Line. “That’s why we’ll be here tomorrow testing. After all, Summit Racing, Ken, Judy and Kenny Black and all the people who support us deserve better, and we are determined to give it to them. I’m certainly proud of our performance this weekend, but we need to do this every week, and I’m confident we will be very soon.”
Established in 1968, Summit Racing Equipment is the leading high performance parts and accessories company. Summit Racing offers the largest selection, lowest prices, and best customer service in the high performance industry via catalogs, Internet, and Retail Super Stores. The company is headquartered in Tallmadge, Ohio with retail locations in Tallmadge, Ohio; Sparks, Nevada; and McDonough, Georgia.
