KB Racing LLC: Line starts from second slot at Memphis
*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE KB RACING LLC NHRA POWERADE DRAG RACING SERIES KB RACING LLC/SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT PRO STOCK PONTIAC GTO JASON LINE -- DRIVER ROB DOWNING -- CREW CHIEF MEDIA CONTACT: MICKEY SCHULTZ PHONE: 920-733-2330 E-MAIL: PR4KBRacingLLC@earthlink.net * *2**0TH ANNUAL NHRA O'REILLY MID-SOUTH NATIONALS MEMPHIS MOTORSPORTS PARK SEPT. 14-16, 2007 Qualifying: Session 1 Friday: No Time Session 2 Friday: 6.729 seconds at 205.44 mph (#11) Session 3 Saturday: 6.596 seconds at 208.68 mph (#2) Session 4 Saturday: 6.631 seconds at 208.65 mph (#2) * *Line starts from second slot at Memphis * MEMPHIS, Tenn. (September 15, 2007) -- Jason Line overcame a poor opening round of qualifying on Friday, when he blazed the Memphis Motorsports Park (MMP) quarter-mile in his KB Racing LLC, Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac in 6.596 seconds during the third of four qualifying sessions. This places the reigning NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Champion second on the final qualifying ladder for the 20th annual NHRA O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals. The first time out on Friday yielded no time for Line. He did his burnout, but was then shut down when it appeared that he had a leak underneath his Summit Racing Pontiac. Returning on Friday evening, Line, one-half of the first pair on the track in session two, recorded a run of 6.729 seconds at 205.44 mph. He finished the day in the No. 11 slot with two more qualifying sessions tomorrow. In Saturday's first session, the third overall, Line rebounded all the way to the top of the field when he ran a pass of 6.596 seconds at 208.68 mph. When the session ended Line was in the No. 2 spot, two thousandths of a second behind Max Naylor, who moved into the No. 1 spot. Line ended qualifying with a pass of 6.631 seconds at 208.65 mph and will start from the No. 2 position. In the opening round of tomorrow's eliminations, he will face Warren Johnson, who qualified No. 15 by running a 6.654-second elapsed time. "I said we had these Summit Racing Pontiac ready for Memphis," said Line following qualifying. "This was certainly a lot better than Indy. Now we need to have a good out tomorrow and if we do things should look good for KB Racing." This year will mark the fourth time Line has competed at Memphis Motorsports Park. He won here in 2004 when he defeated Dave Connolly in the final round. Last year, Line was runner-up to Kurt Johnson. When qualifying begins tomorrow, Line will begin his quest for his 14th career win. In 2007, he has one win (at Houston over Allen Johnson) in four final rounds. *ELIMINATIONS:* Final eliminations for the NHRA O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals begin for all teams at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 16. *Eliminations time is local Memphis time (CT) and subject to change.* *TELEVISION:* Qualifying highlights for the 20th annual NHRA O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals can be seen on ESPN2 / ESPN2 HD late Saturday night/early Sunday morning (Sept. 16) beginning at 12 midnight and concluding at 2 a.m. ESPN2 / ESPN2 HD will also air same-day coverage of eliminations on Sunday (Sept. 16) from 7-10 p.m. The elimination show repeats early Thursday morning, Sept. 20, from 4-6 a.m. Also, be sure to tune into NHRA Race Day, the show which provides the drag racing fan with the latest information about the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. The O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals installment of NHRA Race Day can be seen on Sunday (Sept. 16) on ESPN2 / ESPN2 HD from 11-11:30 a.m. *Television times are ET and subject to change without notice. Check your local listing.* *COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP: *The four races that comprise the second segment (Countdown to 4) of the Countdown to the Championship included the Labor Day weekend race in Indy, with Memphis (Sept. 14-16), Dallas (Sept. 20-23), and Richmond (Oct. 5-7) still remaining. The top four drivers in points (of the eight drivers that remain in contention for the Countdown to the Champion) at the end of those four races will advance to the third and final segment (Countdown to 1) of the Countdown at which time the points will once be reset in 10-point increments, from 3,030 to 3,000. Those four drivers will compete for the championship over the final two races of the season, the ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals (Oct.25-28) and the Auto Club Finals in Pomona, Calif. (Nov. 1-4). *KB RACING LLC* is owned by Las Vegas businessmen Ken Black and his son Kenny Black. In the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, KB Racing LLC fields two Summit Racing Equipment Pro Stock Pontiac GTOs, one driven by Greg Anderson, a native of Duluth, Minn. who now lives in the Charlotte, N. C. area, and the other by Jason Line, a native of Wright, Minn. who now lives in the Charlotte, N. C. area, and a Top Fuel dragster, managed by Kalitta Motorsports, and driven by Hillary Will, a native of Fortuna, Calif. who now resides in Ypsilanti, Mich. Anderson won three consecutive POWERade Pro Stock Championships (2003-2005) and finished second in the point standings in 2006. Line, who finished second in points in his rookie season in 2004 and third in 2005, is the reigning 2006 POWERade Pro Stock Champion. Line was honored with the 2004 Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award, presented to the outstanding rookie in a professional category. Will finished No. 10 in her rookie season in Top Fuel in 2006 and was nominated for the Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award. The Pro Stock shop of Anderson and Line is in Mooresville, N. C. and the Kalitta Motorsports racing operation is in Ypsilanti, Mich. *SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT:* Since 1968 Summit Racing Equipment (www.summitracing.com), headquartered in Tallmadge, Ohio, has been the leader in high performance, offering a huge selection of parts for virtually everyone from racers to street rodders, muscle car enthusiasts, off-roaders, and sport compact fans. Summit does business based on a simple formula: give our customers the parts they want, at a fair price, ship those parts fast, and back them with the best customer service on the planet. Summit Racing Equipment services its customers from three warehouses in Tallmadge, Ohio, Sparks, Nev., and McDonough, Ga. Summit Racing Equipment is the primary marketing partner of KB Racing LLC, which fields the Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac GTOs driven by three-time NHRA POWERade Pro Stock champion Greg Anderson and reigning NHRA POWERade Pro Stock champion Jason Line. Summit Racing Equipment is also an associate sponsor on the KB Racing LLC-owned, Kalitta Motorsports-managed Top Fuel Dragster of Hillary Will. ####