Interview: Jason Line

Slide Show

2006 NHRA Pro Stock Champion Jason Line Prepares to Defend his Title

Midway through Jason Line's first professional elimination pass at the 2003 Pontiac Performance Nationals presented by Summit Racing, his Pontiac Grand Am spun, flipped over, and came to rest on its top. Three-and-a-half years after his memorable debut, Jason and his Pro Stock Pontiac are once again resting on top-top of the NHRA Pro Stock class, that is.

Jason captured his first NHRA Pro Stock World Championship in 2006 behind the wheel of the Summit Racing Pontiac GTO. He earned four wins, captured seven number one qualifying positions, and reset the Pro Stock national speed and ET records twice on his way to the championship. We caught up with Jason at the KB Racing shop near Charlotte, North Carolina as he prepared to defend his championship.

Summit Racing Equipment: Has the off-season felt any different as NHRA Pro Stock champion?

Jason Line: I'm really focusing on next year. 2006 was great and we definitely enjoyed it. Instead of enjoying the moment so much, we tried to enjoy the ride. And it was fun-it really was a lot of fun. But right now, our focus is on next year and trying to finish 1 and 2 again.

SRE: Do you feel any added pressure going into the year as the champ?

Line: There's a little less pressure, actually. I managed to win a championship and now I'm approaching (the season) like it's going to be a lot of fun.

SRE: The KB Racing team now has four straight championships. What does it say about the entire team?

Line: I think it speaks volumes about everybody that works here at KB Racing. Obviously, it's a group effort and without everybody pulling their weight and doing their job, it's not going to happen.

SRE: The team once again captured NHRA's Full Throttle Pit Crew award. How proud are you of that accomplishment?

Line: Greg's car won the award. If you look at the amount of runs we aborted, we missed very few runs, and our goal is to not abort any runs all year. That's one of our goals for next year-to make it down the race track every single time. It really says a lot about the professionalism of the guys working on the team.

SRE: How is the DRCE3 engine development coming along from your perspective?

Line: It's coming pretty good. It's time. Our deal was we weren't going to start on the engine in terms of development until we got it to make as much power as our DRCE2 engine. So, basically it took us until this fall before it was really a raceable piece. Now that it is, our goal is to make it better than our GM DRCE2 engine. We're going to make some gains on it and they're probably going to come reasonably fast in the first three or four months of the season.

SRE: You have many duties on this team. What's your favorite part of your job?

Line: I enjoy the engine part of it. The driving is fun, but there's more pressure involved. I get a bigger kick out of watching the big number flash on the scoreboard. I can't see that when I'm driving. I'm starting to enjoy the driving part more, though, and it's really just a good deal for me all around.

SRE: How much faster can the NHRA Pro Stock class go?

Line: We picked up a lot of power toward the end of the season, and it showed. There is no limit, but the gains become incrementally smaller and it gets more difficult. But we will go faster every year-I can assure you of that.

SRE: What does it mean to you to own both ends of the Pro Stock national record?

Line: We picked up a lot of power toward the end of the season, and it showed. There is no limit, but the gains become incrementally smaller and it gets more difficult. But we will go faster every year-I can assure you of that.

SRE: What approach are you taking to the new NHRA Countdown to the Championship points format?

Line: Our goal is to win every race. From that standpoint, we didn't have the greatest year last year. We should have done a better job, but I think our goal will continue to be to win every race. From there, the points will take care of themselves.