Jason Line and the Summit Racing team came within three-thousandths of a second of completing a near perfect weekend during Sunday’s final eliminations of the O’Reilly NHRA Nationals in Concord, NC. Starting from the No. 1 position, Line was clearly the class of the Pro Stock field throughout the day, with his consistent 6.52-second elapsed times the quickest in all four rounds of competition.
After defeating No. 16 qualifier V. Gaines in the opening stanza with a 6.524-second, 212.43 mph pass, Line was the beneficiary of Erica Enders’ red-light start in the second round, automatically advancing him to the semifinals against Steve Kent. Although Kent would gain a slight advantage at the start, the 2006 champion was able to run him down with another stellar 6.521-second, 211.63 mph run, sending him to his 54th career final round and sixth of 2011, where he would face off against veteran Kurt Johnson.
However, between rounds, the KB Racing team had to scramble to change engines, having damaged their engine during the semifinal run. Completing the job with no time to spare, they rushed to the starting line for their encounter with Johnson. Unfortunately, the race was over before it began, as Line left the starting line three-thousandths of a second early, awarding the win to his opponent.
Naturally disappointed to have come so close to his 26th career victory, Line took little consolation in that his performance had allowed him to reclaim the points lead in the championship standings, preferring instead to focus on gaining retribution at next weekend’s race in Dallas.
“I bumped in a little too deep in the final, which, combined with the extra adrenaline from changing the motor, probably contributed to my leaving the line early,” said Line. “Still, we had the best car on the grounds, and I was unable to close the deal, which is extremely frustrating. This team works extremely hard to give us this type of performance, and I hated to come back to the pits knowing that I let them down.
“I realize there are plenty of positives we can take from this weekend. For example, both Greg and I had great Summit Racing Pontiacs again, as we showed in qualifying, and even though we didn’t have exactly the kind of day we wanted, we’ll still leave here 1-2 in the points. Things could certainly have gone worse. Those are all good, and I’ll think about and appreciate those tomorrow.
“But for now, I want to concentrate on what happened here today, so I can make sure and do a better job next weekend in Dallas. Fortunately, there’s only a few days before we’re back on the track, and I’m determined to get this team in the winner’s circle.”
After defeating No. 16 qualifier V. Gaines in the opening stanza with a 6.524-second, 212.43 mph pass, Line was the beneficiary of Erica Enders’ red-light start in the second round, automatically advancing him to the semifinals against Steve Kent. Although Kent would gain a slight advantage at the start, the 2006 champion was able to run him down with another stellar 6.521-second, 211.63 mph run, sending him to his 54th career final round and sixth of 2011, where he would face off against veteran Kurt Johnson.
However, between rounds, the KB Racing team had to scramble to change engines, having damaged their engine during the semifinal run. Completing the job with no time to spare, they rushed to the starting line for their encounter with Johnson. Unfortunately, the race was over before it began, as Line left the starting line three-thousandths of a second early, awarding the win to his opponent.
Naturally disappointed to have come so close to his 26th career victory, Line took little consolation in that his performance had allowed him to reclaim the points lead in the championship standings, preferring instead to focus on gaining retribution at next weekend’s race in Dallas.
“I bumped in a little too deep in the final, which, combined with the extra adrenaline from changing the motor, probably contributed to my leaving the line early,” said Line. “Still, we had the best car on the grounds, and I was unable to close the deal, which is extremely frustrating. This team works extremely hard to give us this type of performance, and I hated to come back to the pits knowing that I let them down.
“I realize there are plenty of positives we can take from this weekend. For example, both Greg and I had great Summit Racing Pontiacs again, as we showed in qualifying, and even though we didn’t have exactly the kind of day we wanted, we’ll still leave here 1-2 in the points. Things could certainly have gone worse. Those are all good, and I’ll think about and appreciate those tomorrow.
“But for now, I want to concentrate on what happened here today, so I can make sure and do a better job next weekend in Dallas. Fortunately, there’s only a few days before we’re back on the track, and I’m determined to get this team in the winner’s circle.”
