Summit Racing Pontiac driver Jason Line completed a solid qualifying effort at the Auto Club NHRA Finals on Saturday, earning the third starting spot for Sunday’s final eliminations. Coming into the day in the fifth position, the 2006 champion equaled the best time of the third session at 6.587 seconds with a top speed of 209.49 mph to vault into the third spot, culminating his 2009 qualifying performance with the second quickest time in the final round. As Line explained it, it was simply a matter of coming to grips with the car that had earned him three wins in six final round appearances since he first climbed behind the wheel in Norwalk, Ohio earlier thirteen races ago.
“We’ve been struggling with this Summit Racing Pontiac over the last few races, and finally got it into a happier spot today” said Line. “Our first run on Thursday wasn’t what we were looking for, but we made some progress yesterday and came back today to make two pretty decent runs, including one of the best of the weekend in the dreaded right lane.
“It’s by no means perfect, and we have another tough field to deal with tomorrow but the way we ran today makes me a little more optimistic about our chances of ending the season on a winning note.”
| 
|