Jason Line is a man on the move. With a win and runner-up finish in his last two races, the Summit
Racing Pontiac racer has not only gained ground on the two cars ahead of him in the Full Throttle
points standings, he has also all but clinched his spot in the NHRA's version of the playoffs, the
Countdown to One. Far from satisfied, however, he seeks to build on this positive momentum at this
weekend's NHRA Northwest Nationals in Seattle, WA, an event he won one year ago.
"This Summit Racing team has been on a bit of a roll, and we're going to Seattle trying to keep it
going," said Line. "If you feel good about how the car is running and how you're driving, it makes
it a lot more fun, which I believe plays a big part with how you perform on the track.
"In the same way, it definitely gives you confidence to go to a place where you've won in the past,
and we're going back to Pacific Raceways as the defending champions after beating AJ (Allen
Johnson) in the final last year. We've already shown we can win there, so now it's just a matter
of doing it again."
One aspect working in Line's favor is that the atmospheric conditions at Pacific Raceways, site of
this weekend's event, will be closer to those found at other tracks on the circuit, and much more
to the liking of the carbureted "factory hot rods", who will enjoy an additional 400 horsepower
over what they had at their disposal in Denver.
"It will be good to get back to racing with somewhat of a familiar baseline, although the forecast
is calling for it to be a little warmer than usual for Friday," said Line. "Racing at sea level,
where we make more power and run faster is obviously a lot of fun, although you have to readjust
your rhythm after running in Denver. The racing surface was pretty nice after they repaved it a
couple years ago, but we'll have to check it when we get there to see what the winter did to it.
Still, it's a good place to go, and I feel like our Summit Racing Pontiacs have a decent shot at
winning there."
Line will also have some interest in the competition outside the Pro Stock ranks this weekend, as
he will be reunited with an old friend - the 1970 Buick Grand National with which he won the Stock
Eliminator championship in 1993. Still the car's registered owner, the KB Racing driver will let
someone else handle the driving duties this weekend, drawing his enjoyment from simply watching it
race, while focusing his talents on the task at hand.
"It's always fun to race in Seattle," stated Line. "It's a pretty part of the country, and I have
some friends in the area that I'll get to see. Besides, Al Wiebe will be racing my old Stocker
that I won the championship with, so I'll get to watch my own car run, which should be pretty neat.
"But my primary focus will be on my Summit Racing Pontiac. We should clinch our spot in the
playoffs this weekend, and I believe we could still move up a couple spots before the Countdown to
One starts after Indy. No matter what, we still want to win every race, and Seattle is the next
one on the list."
Fast Facts on Jason Line & the Summit Racing Pontiac crew at the Northwest Nationals:
Jason at Pacific Raceways: This will be Jason's sixth appearance at Pacific Raceways, where he has
one win, which came at last year's Northwest Nationals.
Trying for a Triple: With his win in Norwalk and runner-up finish in Denver, Jason comes to Seattle
looking to advance to the final round in three consecutive races for the fourth time in his career.
Jason last went to three consecutive finals during the last three races of the 2006 season,
encompassing events in Richmond, VA, Las Vegas, NV and Pomona, CA.
Defending Champion: Jason comes into this event as the defending champion, having qualified third
and defeated Warren Johnson, Kurt Johnson, Rickie Jones and Allen Johnson en route to the 15th win
of his career.
Going ba ck-to-back: So far in his career, Jason has won an event in consecutive years twice,
winning the spring race in Joliet, IL in 2004 & 2005, as well as the Englishtown, NJ race three
years in a row from 2004-2006.
Event Schedule:
Friday, July 17: Two qualifying sessions at 3:00 & 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 18: Two qualifying sessions at 12:00 noon & 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 19: Final eliminations starting at 11:00 a.m.
Television Coverage (all coverage on ESPN2):
Qualifying: Saturday, July 18 - 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Eliminations: Sunday, July 19 - 9:00 p.m. - 12:00 midnight
RaceDay: Sunday, July 19 - 11:00 - 11:30 a.m.
(All times Eastern)
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. For more information, please visit http://www.summitracing.com
