This weekend, the NHRA's Full Throttle Drag Racing Series will travel to the heart of NASCAR
country, heading to the magnificent zMAX Dragway in Concord, NC for the Carolinas Nationals. As
such, it will be a home race for Terrell resident Jason Line and the Summit Racing team, whose shop
is a short half-hour drive from the strip in Mooresville. A sportsman drag racer in his native
Minnesota, in a somewhat ironic twist it was Line's decision to move to the Charlotte area and work
for a top NASCAR team that ultimately earned him the ride with which he won the 2006 NHRA Pro Stock
championship.
"I moved to Charlotte in 1998 to work for Joe Gibbs Racing in their dyno room," recalled Line.
"One of the places I would hang out in my spare time was Jericho Transmissions in Concord, which is
owned by a fellow Minnesotan who builds drag racing transmissions. That's where I met Greg (Summit
teammate Anderson), who was just getting the team started and leasing a shop next door.
"At first, a few of us from Gibbs would go over after work and offer to help out just because we
thought Pro Stock was cool. As things progressed, Greg and I started talking. One thing led to
another to where I went to work for KB Racing, eventually getting to drive the team's second car.
Six years later, our20Summit Racing team is one of the best in the business, and Charlotte is home
to arguably the best track in drag racing.
"I got to work with some great people at Gibbs, from whom I learned a lot that I use in my current
job. We've remained friends, and keep track of what the other's team is doing. In fact, I'm sure a
few of them will be out at the track this weekend. Best of all, my NASCAR experience helped me
land a job driving a Pro Stock Car. It just couldn't have worked out any better."
However, there will be little time for reminiscing once the team arrives at the self-described
"Bellagio of Drag Racing". This weekend's race marks the start of the NHRA's six-race champio
nship playoff season known as the Countdown to One. Over the next two months, the top ten teams in
each of the four professional divisions will battle to determine this year's champions. The points
for the qualifying racers were reset after the last race in Indianapolis, with the entire field now
separated by only 110 points. As if this were not enough, bonus points will now be awarded
following each qualifying session, further increasing the pressure to perform on every pass. Even
so, a quietly confident Line is taking it all in stride.
"Although this race is certainly important as the first one in the Countdown, I can't say we're
going to treat it any differently than the previous 18," said Line. "After all, we go into every
race to win, and if we do that, the points and the championship will take care of themselves. As
with every other stop on the circuit, we'll be racing the racetrack as much as we are the
competition, so it will be u p to us to adapt better than anyone else. Fortunately, we have a
great Summit Racing crew who consistently give us great Pontiacs to drive, so I know we are up to
the challenge.
"However, I can't discount the benefits of being able to stay at home and see my kids every night.
At this point in the season, we don't need to be perfect, but we need to be pretty darn close, and
every little bit helps. It will be nice to be home, but it will be even better for us to put one
of our Summit Pontiacs in the winner's circle on Sunday night."
Fast Facts on Jason Line & the Summit Racing Pontiac crew at the Carolinas NHRA
Nationals:
Jason is just getting started at zMAX: Jason is looking to make his second career start at zMAX
Dragway this weekend. In last year's inaugural event, he qualified 7th and advanced to the
quarterfinals.
Aiming to add zMAX to his resume: Should Jason win this weekend, it will be his first Pro Stock win
at zMAX Dragway at Concord, making it the 14th different track where he has won in his Pro Stock
career.
Most recent win: Jason's most recent win came in July at another Bruton Smith owned-facility,
Infineon Raceway, where he qualified # 2 and defeated V. Gaines, Johnny Gray, Jeg Coughlin and his
teammate Greg Anderson for his 19th NHRA national event win.
Event Schedule:
Friday, September 18: Two qualifying sessions at 2:30 & 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 19: Two qualifying sessions at 11:00 a.m. & 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, September 20: First round of final eliminations starts at 11:00 a.m.
Television Coverage (all coverage on ESPN2):
Qualifying: Saturday, September 19 - 11:30 p.m. - 1:30 a.m.
Eliminations: Sunday, September 20 - 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.
RaceDay: Sunday, September 20 - 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
