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After consistently qualifying in the top half of the field over the last handful of events on the 2011 NHRA tour, Jason Line grabbed the top Pro Stock position during the most recent NHRA SuperNationals in Englishtown, New Jersey and all the bonuses that go with it.
Jason Line with his Summit Racing Pontiac
For NHRA Pro Stock drivers, the sand is about to run out of the hourglass on the 2011 K&N Horsepower Challenge qualifying, and thanks to his last three races, Jason Line has positioned himself with a very good chance to go into the shootout in the number one spot, which would be a first in his career.
Qualifying for the Englishtown event started off well for Line as he went right to the top of the heap when he posted a 6.533, just edging out Ron Krisher's 6.536.
"It was very fast there," Line pointed out. "The correction there was like two percent [HP Correction] or one-hundred and two percent. It was really nice weather and probably about as nice of racing weather as you are going to have."
While Line improved during the second qualifying session on Friday, running 6.517, so did everyone else and for a short time the number one spot belonged to Shane Gray and his 6.510 pass, which was also a track record Pro Stock ET. After the second session, there was just a mere seven thousandths of a second separating the top six in the field.
As the numbers clearly show, NHRA Pro Stock is so very competitive and Line explains just how important it is to do everything just right as a driver, whether it's race day or qualifying. "Staging is extremely important. My goal is to have the bottom bulb blinking and to be as shallow [staged] as possible because you need every single thousandths of a second that you can get. You have to stage perfect, shift perfect and try to make the perfect run every time. Although none of us have probably ever felt that we have made a perfect run, for example the difference between getting the K&N check and not at this event was only two-thousandths of a second."
Line and his Summit Racing Pontiac weren't out of the top spot for long. During the first session on Saturday, Line edged out Gray by two-thousands of a second with his 6.508 and right back to the top where he never looked back. With the run, Line grabbed his second pole of the 2011 NHRA season, the max points in the K&N Horsepower Challenge plus the cool $3,000 bonus provided to number one Pro Stock Qualifiers from K&N Engineering.
Seemingly on top of the world in Pro Stock, Line is not only currently number one in the NHRA points chase, but a full sixty points ahead of number two, Allen Johnson, in the K&N Horsepower Challenge going into the Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tennessee and final event to acquire qualifying points.
"I think I have to at least qualify number nine or better [at Bristol] and I can hold onto number one going into the Horsepower Challenge shootout in Norwalk," smiled Line. "I feel like we have a pretty good shot a clinching it for sure. I've been number two a couple of times and as time is drawing near, I'm pretty excited about being number one. It was definitely one of my goals this year."
"I really want to win that thing," he continued about the shootout itself. "I want that trophy, that's a really cool thing. And Allen Johnson running around showing off his ring every week, you know I want one of my own. [chuckles] You know, it really is a cool thing and something to be very proud of and I want to do whatever it takes to get one of my own."
Line points out that he likes the way the Challenge is run, starting points for each year mid-season. "It's really nice to have something as big as this is, in the middle of the season," he says of the shootout. "We are very lucky in Pro Stock to have this type of opportunity for a huge $50,000 payday thanks to K&N. No other class in NHRA has anything like it with such an incentive to win. It's a really nice opportunity to not only showcase our class but K&N products as well. Plus it's way cool that K&N gets the fans involved the way they do. I would love to not only win it for our team, but help whatever fan I get paired up with win big, too."
Once the teams roll into Summit Racing Motorsports Park, just outside of Norwalk, Ohio, June 23-26 for the NHRA National Event and the running of the 2011 K&N Horsepower Challenge, Line is very excited for both events to be held so close to his sponsor, Summit Racing Equipment. "It's a little added pressure for our team being there, and we really want to do well not only in the race, but to get that K&N championship money. But it is a great facility, we always look forward to going to Norwalk and who can beat the dollar per pound ice cream?" he added.
Now that she is getting more familiar with her new car Herbage says running out front has become much more comfortable.
In Stephanie Herbage, and with every race she runs, we are witnessing firsthand the evolution of an exceptionally promising racing future. One has to believe that the most excruciating times for the 19-year-old driver are the stretches between races, because clearly, the world makes total sense to her on the track.
Stephanie Herbage proudly represents and rocks in her new K&N driving suit - Photo by: Adam Stadler.
Herbage recently earned a very hard fought second place at Perris Speedway, it was her second podium in only three races. The K&N sponsored racer started in the second row, and in what was every bit an experienced driver's move, she split the two leaders in turn four, and jumped out in front. Herbage maintained the lead for 15 laps of the 20-lap race, but was passed by the number 11 car of, Keith Woods, when she got held up by lapped traffic.
After getting around the slower cars, Herbage caught back up to Woods and hounded him across the finish line for 2nd place. We suspect Woods may have been putting in some extra redemption effort, as the veteran racer rolled in behind Herbage only two races earlier, after she earned her first ever win in American Factory Stock Cars series at Perris.
Herbage also drives the Pace Car for the USAC/CRA races at Perris Auto Speedway.
In the race between the win and second place, Herbage finished in 7th place, resulting from a flat tire. The Herbage Family Flying Circus team performed a near Herculean effort in getting the tire changed, and her back out on the track, but with the short amount of time remaining she was unable to catch back up to the leaders.
K&N Race News asked Herbage if she was feeling more comfortable running in the front?
"It is actually a lot more comfortable. I still get nervous, mainly because I can't see who, or what is going on behind me, but now that I have gotten used to this new car, it is much more comfortable for me."
"When I get behind a slower car, if they have raced here before, I know their line on the track and use that to my advantage," Herbage continues. "However, there are some new drivers out there who don't have a line just yet, so I'll wait until they make a mistake. I refuse to bump someone out of my way."
We wondered if with the increased comfort level and confidence she's gaining with each race, if she found her original race goals and dreams were also redefining themselves?
Said Herbage, "My goals for each race are still the same, my main goal is to just finish safely and in one piece, and it doesn't matter what place I come in. A good friend and mentor, Bobby Kimbrough, told me 'sometimes it's just a 5th place night,' and I agree."
It is precisely that sort of clear and humble thinking that goes into making Herbage such a potentially complete racing package. Herbage also drives the Pace Car for the USAC/CRA races at Perris Auto Speedway, adding to her rapidly growing popularly with fans at the Perris, California track.
Dalton Millican wins the 450A class at Spring Creek Motocross
Eighteen-year-old, Dalton Millican, appears to be on a roll, and has hopes of walking away with the AMA ATV National Championship under his belt at the season's end. Dalton recently had an impressive performance during their sixth stop on the AMA ATV Motocross Series in Delmont Pennsylvania, at Steel City Raceway. Riding in the 450A class, Millican experienced his first overall victory in Production A of his young career.
AMA ATV Motocross Series Racer Dalton Millican
Most recently, Dalton Millican earned his fourth win of the season in the 450A class at Spring Creek Motocross, located in Millville Minnesota.
Exceeding Tyler Hamrick by 46 points, Millican appears to be in the driver's seat. If he continues to stay focused and perform well for the four final races of the season, Dalton is likely to be in the running for the AMA ATV National Championship, a goal he and his fellow competitors have been shooting for throughout the year.
While in Pennsylvania and Minnesota, Dalton managed to pull every holeshot in the races in which he competed. When asked to share the strong points that have put him in the running for the Championship, Dalton said that he thinks focus and being comfortable are important.
Dalton Millican is likely to be in the running for the AMA ATV National Championship
Dalton also stated that he prefers concentrating on the areas where improvement is needed. He said that he tries to focus on staying comfortable, and not getting worked up. Of course one's success depends a great deal on their ATV's ability to perform properly and handle the rigors of racing. When asked about K&N Filters, Dalton said, "K&N Filters have been working great for me."
When asked if he was on a roll or in a groove, Dalton said, "I'm trying to be. I want to be in that groove in front of everybody. I don't want to be second, I want to be up front." When the key to staying in his groove was mentioned, Dalton, continued, have fun, don't get stressed out, and stay after it. That's what I try to do every day.. work out and ride.
As do most competitors, Dalton Millican has a great appreciation for his fans and sponsors. When asked if they were important to him, Dalton replied, "I'm going to continue to do the best I can and show them that I'm thankful for all of their support. I'm going to keep after it until they are happy with what I'm doing."
After a three-week layoff, Dalton is scheduled to compete in four more races prior to the season's end. When asked how he would prepare for the final races of the season, Dalton explained that the next three weeks would be spent, "Doing a lot of riding, training, and getting ready for the final four races. I'm leading the points in one class and second in the other. I'd like to be leading in both classes and finish on top at the end of the year.
That's my main goal."
Matt DiBenedetto wins NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at Bowman Gray Stadium
Matt DiBenedetto didn't put too much thought into a strategy en route to winning the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at Bowman Gray Stadium in North Carolina. On the tiny, quarter-mile bull ring, staying out front and out of trouble was the only strategy he needed.
Matt DiBenedetto leads the pack at Bowman Gray Stadium
"It was kind of what I expected, but a little more wrecks than I thought it would be," said the 19-year-old DiBenedetto. "It's just so tight to try and put a 3,300-pound stock car on a quarter-mile bull ring. It was a blast for sure. All the bumping and banging, it was just old school."
DiBenedetto won his first K&N Pro Series East race of the season and moved into second place in the East Series standings after five races. The K&N Pro Series East was making its first visit to Bowman Gray Stadium, one of the first tracks NASCAR raced at in the 1940s. The track was the site of a number of historic NASCAR races, including Richard Petty's 100th career win.
"It was wild for sure," DiBenedetto. "The fans got a heck of a show. It was a blessing getting out there in front right at the beginning and lead from the start. That's what I wanted to do, but I didn't think it would work getting around the outside."
NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at Bowman Gray Stadium in North Carolina
DiBenedetto led all 156 laps of the Army Strong 150. He started on the front row and took the lead from pole winner Coleman Pressley on the first lap.
"We just got out front, stayed out of trouble a little bit," DiBenedetto said. "It was a wild night for sure. It was just a race for survival. It was finally our turn, good points day, it was a blast."
The tiny track produced a record number of wrecks. There were 15 cautions for 87 laps, a season high. DiBenedetto held off Corey Lajoie to win the race on a green-white-checkered flag finish.
"I was focused on treating every restart like it was a green-white-checkered," DiBenedetto said. "If I would have lost that position and gone back to second, I felt like that would have been the race, no matter if it was early or late in the race. It just showed we could get out front and just stay there."
Lajoie posted his best finish of the season in second place. It was his second top-five finish of the season.
"Second place is our best run of the year," Lajoie said. "Hopefully we can continue on. We need to put a couple strings of good runs together to get back in the points table."
Ben Kennedy, the grandson of Bill France Jr., finished third, the best result of his career in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.
"I definitely had a ton of fun out there," Kennedy said. "A bunch of bumping and banging definitely – patience is the key and a lot of fun."
Darrell Wallace Jr. finished sixth and took over the lead in the K&N Pro Series East standings. He is 17 points ahead of DiBenedetto.
"I can't take all the credit on my side, because there's a lot of luck involved. It was wild," DiBenedetto said. "I was just praying for the luck to continue. That was about it. I had no real strategy other than staying out front and however the cautions fell."
The Army Strong 150 will be televised on Speed on Thursday at 6 p.m. ET.
The next K&N Pro Series East race is Saturday at Gresham Motorsports Park in Jefferson, Ga.
One mid-mountain pit area is Cove Creek, which sits at the 11,000 feet, the Spider Grips team was there from 4:15 in the morning until about 9:00, that's when the road opens to tourists, and practicing racers pack up and leave.
When Lt. Zebulon Pike first viewed the mountain that would later bear his name, he swore that this 14,110 foot mountain would never be conquered by man. He of course had no way of knowing that a little of a century later, on August 12, 1901, two Denver men named Yont and Felker would be the first to drive to the top. Their trip in a two-cylinder Locomobile Steamer took just over nine hours, and it involved as much pushing, as it did driving. For this year's 2011 race up the peak, times will need to be less than 12 minutes in order to be competitive.
Greg Tracy and Alexander Smith chat at the start line area during a private testing session on the mountain.
The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, or "Race to the Clouds," is located in the Rocky Mountains. The race course begins at above 9,300 ft. altitude and twists through more than 156 turns winding uphill over 12 miles to finish at the 14,000 ft summit of the mountain. Adding to the challenge, the race starts on pavement, transitions to dirt, then back to pavement for the finish.
First held in 1916, the event is now on the international calendar of the FIA in addition to holding seven motorcycle categories from 250-1200cc. And, in this year's event, K&N will be the official sponsor of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb 750cc motorcycle class. The 750 class has produced the top motorcycle times over the past five years at the hill climb.
At 4:15 in the morning the temperature at Cove Creek was 22 degrees at this particular morning practice session.
"We have been testing feverishly at Le Grange with Gary and Greg Trachy," said team Spider Grip owner Paul Livingston. "Gary is the most likely to win the 750 class and may still set top time for motorcycles. Greg is our Ducati rider and should win the 1200 Pro class and maybe top time if he can beat Gary. Both of them are long time K&N supporters."
K&N is the Official sponsor of the 2011 PPIHC. Custom Pit board displayed on the grid and at class start, K&N Logo will grace the 750 class trophies
"K&N has a long history at the mountain, and I can vouch for the use of the product - it is one of the most prominent products that we see used by all classes of competitors at Pikes Peak," continues Livingston. "Last year the 750 cc class produced the fastest motorcycle time on the mountain with rider Gary Trachy, and I know that he is doing everything that he can to better that time for this year."
In 2008 Spider Team riders Greg Tracy and Alexander Smith took on the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb aboard Ducati Hypermotard motorcycles, and came away with first and fourth place finishes respectively. Last year the the Spider Grips/Ducati team returned to the mountain riding Ducati's Multistrada 1200S. Once again Greg and Alexander were successful, bringing home first and third place finishes. In celebration of that famous victory, Ducati recently unveiled the special limited edition Multistrada 1200 S Pikes Peak motorcycle.
Livingston told K&N Race News, "It was such a surprise when Ducati let us know that they were going to make a race replica of our Pikes Peak Multistrada. We knew before the bike was released to the public and we were sworn to secrecy - it was a hard thing to keep quiet about! We are all quite proud of it, and I think Greg Tracy in particular feels the honor of being recognized by Ducati for his incredible win last year."
The 2011 running up Pikes Peak may will be the last year of dirt if the paving schedule goes as planned. Livingston adds, "It is a little bittersweet for us as, we are all a bit nostalgic about the 95 year tradition of racing in the dirt on the mountain. But, the sweet part is the new paved section at the top of the peak. At our practice last weekend it was really fast and the riders were excited about their speeds there. In preparation for those changes to the mountain we did make a few adjustments to the motorcycles, including changing out to competition Olines brake calipers and Galfer pads and rotors.
"For those interested," says Livingston, "The current winning bike, livery number 555, is now on display in Colorado Springs at the Carriage Museum on the grounds of the Broadmore Hotel. If anyone wants to visit it, we will have it on display for the next few weeks until it is time for it to hit the race course again in preparation for race week - June 21-27th."
