Summit Racing Pro Stock driver Jason Line wrapped up a very impressive qualifying effort on Saturday, with his 6.581-second, 209.26 mph pass in the morning session claiming the No. 1 starting position for Sunday’s NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minnesota. In a testament to his Summit Racing Pontiac’s performance, Line posted the quickest elapsed time in three of the four sessions, and was the only driver to break into the 6.581-second range during qualifying, resetting the BIR elapsed time record for the Pro Stock class. It was the 20th No. 1 position of his career, third of the season and second at his home state track.
Most important for Line, however, was that he was able to run so well in front of the many friends and family in attendance, and that his performance put him in a good position to score his first win at Brainerd International Raceway.
“The Summit Racing team has gotten off to a great start so far this weekend,” said Line. “It’s how you envision it in your mind, but it usually doesn’t work out that way, but it did this weekend, which has me pretty stoked heading into Sunday.
“Racetracks usually suffer during the Minnesota winter, but the surface here in Brainerd has held up really well. We also can’t complain about the weather, which has been as nice as it gets for here.
“Most of all, I’m really happy to do it for all the people of Wright. They’ll be really excited, which is a neat deal, because coming from such a small area, they take a lot of pride in how we do. Most of them are here, including the people who don’t know much about drag racing, coming out just to watch us run. They think it’s cool and I’m proud to be from there.
“My car is really good right now, which has me pretty excited, and the fact that my teammate Greg Anderson is right behind me makes it even better. The team is gelling right now, allowing us to focus and make the right moves, which we haven’t been able to do consistently for a while. Throughout the two days the track changed a bit, but it was still good, and we were able to adapt to it. The speed is still out there, you just have to adjust your tune-up to find it.
“This is the one race I want to win more than any other, and we’re going in with a lot of confidence. If we are able to pull it off, it would go right to the top of my list, and I’m sure we’d have a heck of a celebration on Monday in Wright – hopefully we can make it happen.”
Most important for Line, however, was that he was able to run so well in front of the many friends and family in attendance, and that his performance put him in a good position to score his first win at Brainerd International Raceway.
“The Summit Racing team has gotten off to a great start so far this weekend,” said Line. “It’s how you envision it in your mind, but it usually doesn’t work out that way, but it did this weekend, which has me pretty stoked heading into Sunday.
“Racetracks usually suffer during the Minnesota winter, but the surface here in Brainerd has held up really well. We also can’t complain about the weather, which has been as nice as it gets for here.
“Most of all, I’m really happy to do it for all the people of Wright. They’ll be really excited, which is a neat deal, because coming from such a small area, they take a lot of pride in how we do. Most of them are here, including the people who don’t know much about drag racing, coming out just to watch us run. They think it’s cool and I’m proud to be from there.
“My car is really good right now, which has me pretty excited, and the fact that my teammate Greg Anderson is right behind me makes it even better. The team is gelling right now, allowing us to focus and make the right moves, which we haven’t been able to do consistently for a while. Throughout the two days the track changed a bit, but it was still good, and we were able to adapt to it. The speed is still out there, you just have to adjust your tune-up to find it.
“This is the one race I want to win more than any other, and we’re going in with a lot of confidence. If we are able to pull it off, it would go right to the top of my list, and I’m sure we’d have a heck of a celebration on Monday in Wright – hopefully we can make it happen.”
