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MORRISON, Colo. (July 11, 2007) – Denver is where it all turned around last season for reigning NHRA POWERade Pro Stock champ Jason Line, driver of the KB Racing LLC Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac GTO.
A runner-up finish on the Bandimere Speedway track at last year’s NHRA Mopar Mile-High Nationals propelled Line to the No. 1 position in POWERade points, a position he never relinquished fro the remainder of the 2006 season.
While Line’s driving this season, especially his reaction time at the lights, has been placed under the microscope, Line feels that he is turning the corner on that so-called problem.
“I won’t say my driving has won awards but I have been in three finals and I’m currently fourth in points,” said Line as he looked toward the Denver race. “I’ve been on both sides of perfect this season. That is to say, there are times I’ve been late and most recently times I’ve been early. But at least I have experience both and it is now my job to get my reaction time between the two extremes. I am now more comfortable in the car and see good things happening for the remainder of this season.”
Last year Line was the No. 1 qualifier here and holds both the track elapsed time record (7.062 seconds) and top speed record (195.65 mph), both run in 2006.
After 12 events, Line is fourth with 717 points, 312 behind the leader, teammate Greg Anderson. Entering the Mopar Mile-High Nationals Anderson has 1,029 points, which also puts the three-time Pro Stock champ (2003-1005) in the lead for the first segment – Countdown to Eight – of the Countdown to the Championship. Jeg Coughlin is second, just 86 points behind Anderson and Coughlin’s teammate Dave Connolly is third, 178 back. (For a brief description of the Countdown to the Championship, see below.)
QUALIFYING: Pro Stock begins qualifying for the 28th annual NHRA Mopar Mile-High Nationals on Friday, July 13, with two sessions at 4:45 and 7:15 p.m. Qualifying for Pro Stock then concludes on Saturday, July 14, with two sessions at 1:15 and 4:15 p.m. (Pro Stock Motorcycle is up first, followed by Pro Stock cars in all qualifying sessions.) Note later start time for eliminations: Final eliminations for the Mopar Mile-High Nationals begin for all teams at 12 noon on Sunday, July 15. All qualifying and eliminations times are local Denver time (MT) and subject to change.
TELEVISION: Qualifying highlights for the 28th annual NHRA Mopar Mile-High Nationals can be seen on ESPN2 / ESPN2 HD on Saturday (July 14) beginning at 10 p.m. and concluding at midnight. ESPN2 / ESPN2 HD will also air same-day coverage of eliminations on Sunday (July 15) from 9 p.m. until 12 midnight. The elimination show repeats early Wednesday morning, July 18, from 4-6 a.m. Also, be sure to tune into NHRA Race Day, the show which provides the drag racing fan with the latest information about the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. The Mopar Mile-High Nationals installment of NHRA Race Day can be seen on Sunday (July 15) on ESPN2 / ESPN2 HD from 11-11:30 a.m. Television times are ET and subject to change without notice. Check your local listing.
COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP: In its simplest form, the Countdown breaks the $50 million, 23-event NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series season up into three distinct segments: the 17-race Countdown to 8, the four-race Countdown to 4 and the two-race Countdown to 1.
After the 17 regular season races, all teams will continue vying for points, with full fields, but only the top eight drivers continue to vie for the championship in the four-race second segment. The top four drivers after the four-race playoff then move to the third and final segment that will be run over the final two races – the NHRA ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals in Las Vegas and the NHRA Auto Club Finals in Pomona. While all teams will continue vying for points, with full fields, only one of the four can be crowned the 2007 champion.
Also of special note is that after the first segment the top eight drivers in each of the four professional classes will have their points adjusted in 10-point increments with No. 1 receiving 2,000 points and No. 8 receiving 2,070 points. After the second segment the top four drivers in each of the four professional classes will have their points adjusted again in 10-point increments with No. 1 receiving 3,000 points and No. 4 receiving 3,030 points.
KB RACING LLC is owned by Las Vegas businessmen Ken Black and his son Kenny Black. In the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, KB Racing LLC fields two Summit Racing Equipment Pro Stock Pontiac GTOs, one driven by Greg Anderson, a native of Duluth, Minn. who now lives in the Charlotte, N. C. area, and the other by Jason Line, a native of Wright, Minn. who now lives in the Charlotte, N. C. area, and a Top Fuel dragster, managed by Kalitta Motorsports, and driven by Hillary Will, a native of Fortuna, Calif. who now resides in Ypsilanti, Mich. Anderson won three consecutive POWERade Pro Stock Championships (2003-2005) and finished second in the point standings in 2006. Line, who finished second in points in his rookie season in 2004 and third in 2005, is the reigning 2006 POWERade Pro Stock Champion. Line was honored with the 2004 Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award, presented to the outstanding rookie in a professional category. Will finished No. 10 in her rookie season in Top Fuel in 2006 and was nominated for the Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award. The Pro Stock shop of Anderson and Line is in Mooresville, N. C. and the Kalitta Motorsports racing operation is in Ypsilanti, Mich.
SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT: Since 1968 Summit Racing Equipment (Summit Racing - High Performance Car and Truck Parts | 800-230-3030), headquartered in Tallmadge, Ohio, has been the leader in high performance, offering a huge selection of parts for virtually everyone from racers to street rodders, muscle car enthusiasts, off-roaders, and sport compact fans. Summit does business based on a simple formula: give our customers the parts they want, at a fair price, ship those parts fast, and back them with the best customer service on the planet. Summit Racing Equipment services its customers from three warehouses in Tallmadge, Ohio, Sparks, Nev., and McDonough, Ga. Summit Racing Equipment is the primary marketing partner of KB Racing LLC, which fields the Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac GTOs driven by three-time NHRA POWERade Pro Stock champion Greg Anderson and reigning NHRA POWERade Pro Stock champion Jason Line. Summit Racing Equipment is also an associate sponsor on the KB Racing LLC-owned, Kalitta Motorsports-managed Top Fuel Dragster of Hillary Will.
Jason Line looks for good things to happen for remainder of season
MORRISON, Colo. (July 11, 2007) – Denver is where it all turned around last season for reigning NHRA POWERade Pro Stock champ Jason Line, driver of the KB Racing LLC Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac GTO.
A runner-up finish on the Bandimere Speedway track at last year’s NHRA Mopar Mile-High Nationals propelled Line to the No. 1 position in POWERade points, a position he never relinquished fro the remainder of the 2006 season.
While Line’s driving this season, especially his reaction time at the lights, has been placed under the microscope, Line feels that he is turning the corner on that so-called problem.
“I won’t say my driving has won awards but I have been in three finals and I’m currently fourth in points,” said Line as he looked toward the Denver race. “I’ve been on both sides of perfect this season. That is to say, there are times I’ve been late and most recently times I’ve been early. But at least I have experience both and it is now my job to get my reaction time between the two extremes. I am now more comfortable in the car and see good things happening for the remainder of this season.”
Last year Line was the No. 1 qualifier here and holds both the track elapsed time record (7.062 seconds) and top speed record (195.65 mph), both run in 2006.
After 12 events, Line is fourth with 717 points, 312 behind the leader, teammate Greg Anderson. Entering the Mopar Mile-High Nationals Anderson has 1,029 points, which also puts the three-time Pro Stock champ (2003-1005) in the lead for the first segment – Countdown to Eight – of the Countdown to the Championship. Jeg Coughlin is second, just 86 points behind Anderson and Coughlin’s teammate Dave Connolly is third, 178 back. (For a brief description of the Countdown to the Championship, see below.)
QUALIFYING: Pro Stock begins qualifying for the 28th annual NHRA Mopar Mile-High Nationals on Friday, July 13, with two sessions at 4:45 and 7:15 p.m. Qualifying for Pro Stock then concludes on Saturday, July 14, with two sessions at 1:15 and 4:15 p.m. (Pro Stock Motorcycle is up first, followed by Pro Stock cars in all qualifying sessions.) Note later start time for eliminations: Final eliminations for the Mopar Mile-High Nationals begin for all teams at 12 noon on Sunday, July 15. All qualifying and eliminations times are local Denver time (MT) and subject to change.
TELEVISION: Qualifying highlights for the 28th annual NHRA Mopar Mile-High Nationals can be seen on ESPN2 / ESPN2 HD on Saturday (July 14) beginning at 10 p.m. and concluding at midnight. ESPN2 / ESPN2 HD will also air same-day coverage of eliminations on Sunday (July 15) from 9 p.m. until 12 midnight. The elimination show repeats early Wednesday morning, July 18, from 4-6 a.m. Also, be sure to tune into NHRA Race Day, the show which provides the drag racing fan with the latest information about the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. The Mopar Mile-High Nationals installment of NHRA Race Day can be seen on Sunday (July 15) on ESPN2 / ESPN2 HD from 11-11:30 a.m. Television times are ET and subject to change without notice. Check your local listing.
COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP: In its simplest form, the Countdown breaks the $50 million, 23-event NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series season up into three distinct segments: the 17-race Countdown to 8, the four-race Countdown to 4 and the two-race Countdown to 1.
After the 17 regular season races, all teams will continue vying for points, with full fields, but only the top eight drivers continue to vie for the championship in the four-race second segment. The top four drivers after the four-race playoff then move to the third and final segment that will be run over the final two races – the NHRA ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals in Las Vegas and the NHRA Auto Club Finals in Pomona. While all teams will continue vying for points, with full fields, only one of the four can be crowned the 2007 champion.
Also of special note is that after the first segment the top eight drivers in each of the four professional classes will have their points adjusted in 10-point increments with No. 1 receiving 2,000 points and No. 8 receiving 2,070 points. After the second segment the top four drivers in each of the four professional classes will have their points adjusted again in 10-point increments with No. 1 receiving 3,000 points and No. 4 receiving 3,030 points.
KB RACING LLC is owned by Las Vegas businessmen Ken Black and his son Kenny Black. In the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, KB Racing LLC fields two Summit Racing Equipment Pro Stock Pontiac GTOs, one driven by Greg Anderson, a native of Duluth, Minn. who now lives in the Charlotte, N. C. area, and the other by Jason Line, a native of Wright, Minn. who now lives in the Charlotte, N. C. area, and a Top Fuel dragster, managed by Kalitta Motorsports, and driven by Hillary Will, a native of Fortuna, Calif. who now resides in Ypsilanti, Mich. Anderson won three consecutive POWERade Pro Stock Championships (2003-2005) and finished second in the point standings in 2006. Line, who finished second in points in his rookie season in 2004 and third in 2005, is the reigning 2006 POWERade Pro Stock Champion. Line was honored with the 2004 Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award, presented to the outstanding rookie in a professional category. Will finished No. 10 in her rookie season in Top Fuel in 2006 and was nominated for the Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award. The Pro Stock shop of Anderson and Line is in Mooresville, N. C. and the Kalitta Motorsports racing operation is in Ypsilanti, Mich.
SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT: Since 1968 Summit Racing Equipment (Summit Racing - High Performance Car and Truck Parts | 800-230-3030), headquartered in Tallmadge, Ohio, has been the leader in high performance, offering a huge selection of parts for virtually everyone from racers to street rodders, muscle car enthusiasts, off-roaders, and sport compact fans. Summit does business based on a simple formula: give our customers the parts they want, at a fair price, ship those parts fast, and back them with the best customer service on the planet. Summit Racing Equipment services its customers from three warehouses in Tallmadge, Ohio, Sparks, Nev., and McDonough, Ga. Summit Racing Equipment is the primary marketing partner of KB Racing LLC, which fields the Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac GTOs driven by three-time NHRA POWERade Pro Stock champion Greg Anderson and reigning NHRA POWERade Pro Stock champion Jason Line. Summit Racing Equipment is also an associate sponsor on the KB Racing LLC-owned, Kalitta Motorsports-managed Top Fuel Dragster of Hillary Will.
