Sat, 20 Nov 2010, 12:02 PM Line Leads Team Summit Drivers in Germany Troop Visit

By Jon Knapp Photo copyright 2010 NHRA

MOORESVILLE, N.C. --

Jason Line

Five days after capturing his seventh consecutive Top Five finish in the NHRA's Full Throttle championship standings, Summit Racing driver Jason Line will lead a contingent of Team Summit drivers in a Thanksgiving Week visit with American troops stationed at the Kaiserslautern Military Community in Frankfurt, Germany. Joining the 2006 Pro Stock champion will be six-time champion Warren Johnson, second-generation racer Rickie Jones and Dan Runte, driver of the legendary Bigfoot monster truck.

Upon their arrival on Sunday morning, the quartet will begin a whirlwind tour led by Major (retired) Dieter Protsch and Sfc (Retired) Wayne Reed, members of the Army Special Forces Association Chapter 64 based in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. With Ramstein Air Base as their base of operations, they will spend three days visiting several units in the Kaiserslautern Military Community, including the Contingency Aero Medical Staging Facility, Ramstein Passenger Service Terminal, Kaisterslautern Military Community Center, 435th Contingency Response Group, and the 86th Vehicle Readiness Squadron, which is responsible for the maintenance of Ramstein's vehicle fleet. The group will distribute 1,500 souvenir gift bags and sign autographs during the visit before heading back home on November 25.

"I've been looking forward to this trip pretty much since it was announced," said Line. "I can't think of a better way to start the Thanksgiving holiday than to visit and thank those that make it possible for us to enjoy the lives that we do. We fly into Frankfurt on Sunday morning and hit the ground running, trying to maximize our time there.

"Having served in the Air Force, I know how much it means to have any contact from home, so we're going to do our best to put smiles on the faces of as many people as possible. I want to thank Summit, the USO and the Army Special Forces Association Chapter 64 for putting this together, and feel very honored to be chosen to make the trip. I can't wait to get there."