The NHRA's Countdown to One championship playoff will reach its midpoint this weekend with the
running of the 22nd annual O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals in Memphis, TN. As such, competitors know
they must take advantage of every points-earning opportunity to stay in contention, as the number
of those having a realistic chance at the title drops with every race. Therefore, after an
uncharacteristically premature exit in Dallas a few days ago, Jason Line and his Summit Racing
Equipment team know they have their work cut out for them in the Volunteer State.
"In the Countdown format, any misstep is magnified," said Line. "After making it to the semis in
Charlotte, we dug ourselves a hole in Dallas, so we're going to Memphis looking for a way to get
back on track. It's a long process trying to be good at every race, with everyone in the class
working as hard as we are. The competition in Pro Stock has never been tougher, with a lot of
teams out there capable of winning races, and the one who makes the least mistakes is going to come
out on top.
"It all starts with attitude. One of the toughest aspects about doing this is staying positive,
especially when you work on all parts of the car. Fortunately, even though we're not running as
well as we'd like right now, this Summit Racing team knows we can still win, as we saw with Greg
(teammate Anderson) last week. Even so, you always want to do better, and that is why we continue
to put in some long hours at our shop in Mooresville."
This weekend, the Full Throttle Drag Racing Series will head to the southwest corner of Tennessee
and a city best known for the blues and barbecue. Although innumerable crew members from
throughout the pit area will most likely include a trip to legendary Beale Street as part of their
weekend experience, once qualifying starts on Friday, the focus will turn to mastering a different
stretch of asphalt - the quarter-mile at Memphis Motorsports Park. With the combination of past
successes and a favorable forecast, Line and his KB Racing crew are cautiously optimistic about
their return to winning form.
CWe have a few things working in our favor heading into these last four races," said Line. "For
one thing, we're going to tracks where our Summit Racing team has done well in the past. In
addition, we're starting to see weather conditions which historically have suited our set-ups.
Although this certainly doesn't guarantee you're going to do well this time around, it does give
you a little extra confidence going into the event, which certainly doesn't hurt.
"As for this weekend, the surface at Memphis Motorsports Park can be tricky, although it seemed a
little better after they ground it last year. It's been a good track for KB Racing, with one of
our cars making it to the final there every year since 2003, with Greg and I combining to win three
times. That's a streak we need to continue this year so we can climb back into this championship
fight. It's time to put up or shut up, and we're not done talking."
Jason Line Memphis Motorsports Park Stats -
Fast Facts on Jason Line & the Summit Racing Pontiac crew at the O'Reilly NHRA Mid-South
Nationals:
Jason in Memphis: This will be Jason's sixth appearance at Memphis Motorsports Park, where he has
one win in 2004 in three final round appearances, with his most recent final round there coming one
year ago.
One year ago: Jason qualified 12th and defeated Kurt Johnson, Steve Spiess and Allen Johnson en
route to a runner-up finish against Mike Edwards.
Jason's Memphis Qualifying Stats: Jason has qual ified in the top half of the field positions in
four of his five previous starts at Memphis Motorsports Park, highlighted by his starting second in
2007.
Event Schedule:
Friday, October 2: Two qualifying sessions at 2:15 & 4:45 p.m.
Saturday, October 3: Two qualifying sessions at 11:15 a.m. & 2:15 p.m.
Sunday, October 4: Final eliminations starting at 11:00 a.m.
Television Coverage (all coverage on ESPN2):
Qualifying: Saturday, October 3 - 10:30 p.m. - 12:30 a.m.
Eliminations: Sunday, October 4 - 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.
RaceDay: Sunday, October 4 - 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.
