There is an old adage that declares that “timing is everything”, a statement that especially holds true in the world of sports. Whether in a traditional stick-and-ball arena or the world of NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing, teams hope to be at their best during the playoffs, when time and opportunities are short. Coming into this weekend’s O’Reilly Nationals in Charlotte, NC, the second stop in the Countdown to One championship playoff, Pro Stock standout Jason Line believes his Summit Racing team is on such an upswing, and comes into the event cautiously optimistic about his chances for success.
“My Summit Racing Pontiac is running really well right now, and if I buckle down and do my job behind the wheel, I believe we can beat anybody,” said Line. “We’ve been working hard all season, and those efforts are starting to pay off. We continue to make progress, improving our program with every race, as evidenced by our qualifying performance in Indy, where we started third and scored more bonus points than we had at any other race.
“We had a productive test session last week at zMAX Dragway, which has me feeling pretty good about my chances. We spent two days there with both Greg’s (teammate Anderson) and my cars, and feel like we learned the things we needed to help us run well there. It’s information that we’ll look to put to good use this weekend.”
One aspect of this race working in the 2006 champion’s favor is the location. Fully deserving of its “Bellagio of drag racing” nickname, the state-of-the-art zMAX Dragway is less than a half-hour’s drive from the Summit Racing team’s shop in Mooresville. However, the primary benefit Line sees from competing at the Tar Heel state quarter-mile lie not in the facilities’ many amenities, but in his ability to spend added time with his wife Cindy, son Jack and daughter Emma. Armed with his own personal cheering section, the soft-spoken Troutman resident is more than ready to return to the winner’s circle.
“It’s always good to have a race at home, and here in the Charlotte area we’re fortunate enough to have two races at zMAX Dragway,” said Line. “It’s a tremendous facility, with a racing surface that can prove to be quite challenging, which is exactly why we tested there last week. It’s also good to be close to our shop, just in case we need to work on something we can’t take care of at the track. But, as a definite homebody, I’m just excited that I don’t have to travel.
“On top of that, not only will I get to stay at home every night, but I’ll also have my family with me at the track, which is always a big benefit. With all those things working in our favor, there’s certainly no reason why we can’t win this race. I feel this Summit Racing team is on the edge of being very good, so hopefully we can follow through and make it happen. With only five races left in the Countdown, it’s time for us to start making our move. All things considered, I couldn’t think of a better place for us to score our second win of the season than at our home track with our families and friends.”
Notes for Jason Line & the Summit Racing Pontiac crew at zMAX Dragway:
The Line on Jason in Concord: In his three prior starts at zMAX Dragway, Jason has one final round appearance at this year’s 4-Wide Nationals, and two quarterfinal finishes.
A zMAX Win is on Jason’s To-do list: Jason comes into the weekend looking to score his first national event win at zMAX Dragway. Should he do so, it will be the 14th different track at which he will have won in his career.
Line’s zMAX Dragway Qualifying Stats: Jason has started in the top half of the field in each of his three prior zMAX Dragway starts, highlighted by his third-place qualifying performance from earlier this year.
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