Summit Racing driver Jason Line is in the midst of another outstanding year. In the first 15 races of the 2012 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing season, the reigning Pro Stock champion has logged one win in four final round appearances, along with five No. 1 qualifying positions. In addition, he has earned valuable bonus qualifying points in all but one race, a showing that has allowed him to not only remain solidly in the top three positions in the championship standings, but also claim one of the coveted positions in the Countdown to the Championship playoff.
Lost in the midst of this solid performance is that after ten races Line parked the car which carried him to the championship one year ago in favor of his all-new Summit Racing Camaro, requiring that both he and the KB Racing crew adapt on the fly to their new mount’s tuning envelope. Rising to the challenge, they come into this weekend’s NHRA Northwest Nationals in Seattle, Wash. with one final round appearance already under their belt, as well as five starts in the top five positions. However, as Line is quick to point out, the learning process has just begun.
“The good news is that we continue to make progress with our Summit Racing Camaro, making it better with every race,” said Line. “But even though we are headed in the right direction, we still have a long way to go before we get it to the level of consistent performance that we need to contend for wins on a weekly basis. Naturally, we would prefer to spend a little time testing, but that’s not an option during the Western Swing.
“As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention, so at the moment we’re forced to do things a little differently than we might like, but as long as it’s effective, it really doesn’t matter how we get the job done. Therefore, we will take everything we’ve learned over the past few weeks and look to keep moving forward this weekend in Seattle. It all comes down to doing a better job of adapting our car to the conditions, and doing whatever it takes to successfully defend our win from a year ago.”
Ironically, Line has experienced his own learning curve at Pacific Raceways, site of this weekend’s event. After struggling to advance in his first four starts at the Kent quarter-mile, Line turned his fortunes completely around in his next four appearances, with two wins (including one year ago) in three final round appearances. As such, it is easy to see why he is looking forward to this year’s edition.
“I like racing in Seattle,” said Line. “It’s a great area, and we’re going to a high-horsepower track with a decent racing surface, which under the right conditions allows you to run really fast. We’ve had our share of success there in recent years, and we’d like to continue that trend this weekend. To do that, we’ll need to have our Summit Racing Camaro dialed in from the first qualifying pass and build on it from there.
“Our primary goal for this weekend will be to figure out how to step things up and do everything just a little better than we have been lately. I know that’s easier said than done, but I believe this Summit Racing team is capable of doing just that. It has been way too long since I won in Phoenix, and I believe everyone on this team is more than ready to get back in the winner’s circle. It’s just up to us to get it done.”
Jason Line & the Summit Racing Camaro crew
By the Numbers – Pacific Raceways edition:
2 – Pacific Raceway wins by Line, including one year ago, when he defeated teammate Greg Anderson in the final.
3 – Final round appearances by Jason on the Kent quarter-mile.
4.75 - Average starting position for Jason in eight previous Seattle starts.
6.531 – Pacific Raceways P/S elapsed time record, set by Line one year ago.
11 – Elimination round wins by Jason in eight Seattle starts, versus 6 losses for a .647 win percentage.
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