Summit Racing Pro Stock racer Jason Line earned his first No. 1 qualifying position at the prestigious Mac Tools U.S. NHRA Nationals in Clermont, Ind. on Sunday, and did so in dramatic fashion. Although Line had consistently been among the best in the category through the three-day procedure at Lucas Oil Raceway, he rolled to the line for his final attempt in the fourth position. Paired against teammate Greg Anderson, who had paced the field through the first four sessions, Line streaked down the quarter-mile in 6.603-seconds with a top speed of 209.01 mph to claim the pole, edging Anderson by seven-thousandths of a second. It was the 21st No. 1 qualifier of Line’s career, fourth of the 2011 season and first at drag racing’s biggest race.
It also marks the 28th time the KB Racing teammates have captured the top two qualifying positions in their collective careers (with Line being #1 ten times), fifth time this season, and first at the Labor Day classic.
“I was actually somewhat surprised when they told me at the top end that I was the No. 1 qualifier,” said Line. “It’s not that my Summit Racing Pontiac wasn’t capable – it has actually been flawless all weekend, with the team making it better with every session. It’s just that I felt like I could have done a couple things better on that particular run, which, as well as Greg had been running, could have cost us the No. 1 spot. Needless to say, it feels pretty great to be the No. 1 qualifier at the U.S. Nationals.
“Having gotten around Greg to do it just makes it even better, because he is one of the very best, and we always push ourselves to be better. Any way you look at it, it was a great day for the Summit Racing team, and this performance is a boost to the confidence of the entire team.
“The best news is that I think we could run even better tomorrow. The weather is supposed to continue getting better, and I believe we learned a good bit today that we can apply for race day. I know this place has given me some trouble in the past, but we have all the right pieces in place, and if I do my job behind the wheel, we have a good chance of leaving here with the trophy. The way I see it, the hard part is over – now it’s time to have fun and take care of business.”
It also marks the 28th time the KB Racing teammates have captured the top two qualifying positions in their collective careers (with Line being #1 ten times), fifth time this season, and first at the Labor Day classic.
“I was actually somewhat surprised when they told me at the top end that I was the No. 1 qualifier,” said Line. “It’s not that my Summit Racing Pontiac wasn’t capable – it has actually been flawless all weekend, with the team making it better with every session. It’s just that I felt like I could have done a couple things better on that particular run, which, as well as Greg had been running, could have cost us the No. 1 spot. Needless to say, it feels pretty great to be the No. 1 qualifier at the U.S. Nationals.
“Having gotten around Greg to do it just makes it even better, because he is one of the very best, and we always push ourselves to be better. Any way you look at it, it was a great day for the Summit Racing team, and this performance is a boost to the confidence of the entire team.
“The best news is that I think we could run even better tomorrow. The weather is supposed to continue getting better, and I believe we learned a good bit today that we can apply for race day. I know this place has given me some trouble in the past, but we have all the right pieces in place, and if I do my job behind the wheel, we have a good chance of leaving here with the trophy. The way I see it, the hard part is over – now it’s time to have fun and take care of business.”
