PRO STOCK

Jason Line recorded his eighth victory of the season and 45th of his career by defeating KB Racing teammate Greg Anderson in the Pro Stock final.

Thirty-nine times Anderson and Line have qualified 1-2 in an NHRA Mello Yello Pro Stock event, and 32 times one of the champion drivers has gone on to win. Line, who entered the Countdown as the No. 1 seed, picked up the Wally with a pass of 6.621 seconds to No. 1 qualifier Anderson’s 6.639.

It was the ninth time that Anderson and Line, who combined to win 14 of the 18 regular-season Pro Stock races, met in the final round this season.

Line and Anderson retain the Nos. 1 and 2 spots heading to Gateway Motorsports Park in St. Louis, which hosts the second round of the Countdown to the Championship on Sept. 23-25 with the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals.

“A good day for KB Racing and for Chevrolet,” said Anderson, who recorded the 86th No. 1 qualifier spot of his career. “We will move on to St. Louis with a 1-2 points start and I have said it before, you cannot win this championship in the first race of the Countdown. But you can lose it. We didn’t lose it today and that is the good news and a relief on our mind. We can go to St. Louis guns blazing and hopefully open up that lead.”

Reigning Pro Stock champion Erica Enders began her march to a second straight world title last year with a convincing victory at the NHRA Carolina Nationals. This year, she hit a season low, failing to qualify for the first time since the World Finals in 2010.

"That's all the way back to when I drove for the late Jim Cunningham," Enders said. "It's no secret, this year has been a struggle for us.

“It’s just growing pains,” Enders added. “We’ll get this thing figured out and we’ll be back on top.”