Pro Stock driver Jason Line’s luck seems to be changing at Topeka
Jason Line may be warming up to the track at Heartland Park Topeka.
Or maybe the track is warming up to him?
Line had nothing but bad luck here entering this weekend’s NHRA Kansas Nationals, but he posted the fastest time and speed both days of Pro Stock qualifying and enters Sunday’s eliminations as the No. 1 seed.
“I’ve always liked the track, it just hasn’t liked me. There’s a big difference,” Line joked. “I just haven’t done well here. I couldn’t tell you why. This is the first good thing I’ve done at Topeka, so I feel really good about that. My car is great right now. We have a great shot to win the race. I’m not going to trade positions with anyone else right now, that’s for sure.”
Line, who leads the season standings, had a run of 6.595 seconds Saturday after recording a 6.578 Friday and is the only Pro Stock driver to surpass 210 mph.
“It would be a big deal to win here,” Line said. “It’s always nice to do well at some place that’s been a problem for you in the past. My goal is to win, and it’s really up to me. If I do my job, we’re going to have a heck of a shot at winning this.”
Following Friday’s monumental sessions in which national and track records fell continually, Saturday’s sessions could only be described as somewhat anticlimactic. Few drivers improved their times or speed, but Doug Kalitta did break the Top Fuel track speed record he set a day earlier.
Kalitta's speed of 331.85 mph marks the eighth-fastest in Top Fuel history.
Brittany Force, who set the Top Fuel national elapsed time record Friday with a blazing run of 3.676, heads into Sunday as the No. 1 seed. Kalitta, the standings leader, recorded the quickest time Saturday and will be the No. 2 seed.
“We’re definitely anxious for (Sunday),” Force said. “This track is always a good one for us. And we seem to do pretty decent here. I’m excited to see what we can do.”
In the Funny Car class, Matt Hagan’s national record-setting elapsed time from Friday of 3.862 easily held through Saturday, and he enters Sunday’s elimination round as the top seed. Jack Beckman is the No. 2 seed.
“It’s anybody’s ballgame Sunday,” Hagan said. “These Funny Cars are so strong and everybody’s running so good and so consistent that you just have to go out there and have your game plan together and hopefully things go your way.”
In Pro Stock, Bo Butner enters Sunday with the second-fastest time behind Line, who will gladly take his solid qualifying performance heading into eliminations.
“A lot of people don’t want to qualify No. 1, they say that’s a jinx,” Line said. “I say that’s (inaccurate). How can it be bad to qualify No. 1? It’s a great thing and I’m excited about it.”
Sunday’s elimination round, where drivers are seeded 1 through 16 and race head to head, starts at 11 a.m.
This story was originally published May 21, 2016 at 7:55 PM with the headline "Pro Stock driver Jason Line’s luck seems to be changing at Topeka."