Line makes semifinals in Camaro Pro Stock debut.  (Ron Lewis photo)

Having only made eight test runs with their new Chevrolet Camaro prior to coming to Bristol Dragway, Jason Line and the Summit Racing Pro Stock team knew they would face a steep learning curve during this weekend’s Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tennessee.  As expected, the team responded to challenge, posting some of the quickest times throughout qualifying and securing the fourth starting position.

Line was equally solid on race day, using a 6.682-second, 205.69 mph pass to defeat Warren Johnson in the opening stanza. After eliminating V. Gaines in the second round, he then squared off against hometown favorite and No. 1 qualifier Allen Johnson in the semifinals. 

Although Line was able to make his best run of eliminations at 6.677 seconds with a top speed of 206.54 mph, it was not enough to hold off his opponent’s 6.659-second charge, putting a premature end to his day. Even so, the reigning Full Throttle champion was pleased with how quickly his team was able to adapt to their new ride.

“I am very pleased with the progress we made this weekend with this new car,” said Line.  “I think this Summit Racing Camaro is a good piece and it’s only going to get better.  I could have done a better job of tuning and driving it, and we’re only completely satisfied when we win, but all in all, I’m really happy with our performance, especially considering how few runs we have on it. 

“I made notes of areas I wanted to address throughout the weekend, which we’ll do between now and the next race in Chicago, building on what we learned here.  I’m really looking forward to what we can do with this car.”

Jeg Coughlin Jr.  (Ron Lewis photo)

Teammate Greg Anderson, who won at Englishtown in the debut of his Camaro, was eliminated in the first round at Bristol by Jeg Coughlin Jr.’s, 6.684/206.23 to 6.671/205.91.

In drag racing, there is a fine line between success and failure, and lately, Vincent Nobile has been on the wrong side of it. With most NHRA Pro Stock races decided by just a few thousandths of a second, starting line reaction time is critical for success, but the quest for a perfect light can also lead to a foul-start; something that Mountain View Racing driver Vincent Nobile is painfully aware of. Nobile’s chance to win ended when he fouled out against round one opponent Kurt Johnson.

“I made a mistake, plain and simple,” said Nobile. “On the starting line, I rolled into the staging lights a little further than I wanted to and when I let the clutch out, I knew I had red-lighted. I was afraid that might happen and it did. I feel horrible for the whole Mountain View team because they gave me a car that absolutely could have won this race and I threw it away.”

Like the Funny Cars, the Ford contingent in Pro Stock didn’t have much luck either. JR Carr’s Mustang (shown) ran 6.697/204.20 to lose in the first round to Ronnie Humphrey’s Pontiac GXP that turned a 6.711/205.13. Larry Morgan in the only other PS Ford lost to Edwards in a GXP.  (Ron Lewis photo)