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Jason Line

When Jason Line ran into fellow Minnesotan Randy Hopkins at a recent NHRA national event, he had no idea that their chance meeting would lead to the opportunity to drive an original 1968 Hemi-powered Dodge Dart at the upcoming Mac Tools U.S. Nationals.

In addition to his KB Framers Pro Stock car, Line will also be competing in the Super Stock ranks behind the wheel of Hopkins' SS/AA Dart. Line will be driving in the Mopar Performance Parts Super Stock Hemi Challenge Friday and during eliminations for the SS/AA class in Super Stock throughout the weekend.

"It's an original factory car and it's one of only 50 that were made," Line said of the Dart. "I've always had a thing for those cars. When I saw (Hopkins) at Brainerd, he said 'Why don't you drive it at Indy?' and I was joking around and said, 'I'd look good behind the wheel of that car.' "

As the two men talked, the idea of Line driving Hopkins' Dart began to look like a good idea. Hopkins could not enter the car himself at the U.S. Nationals because he did not have enough grade points to qualify. As the 1993 NHRA Division 5 champion in Stock Eliminator, Line is able to enter the Sportsman divisions at national events without needing grade points.

"With this being the 50th anniversary of Indy, this is going to be fun," Line said of driving in the Super Stock division. "I've never driven a door-car that fast in Sportsman before. I went right from a 10-second car to a six-second car." Hopkins' Dart runs in the SS/AA class that carries an index of 9.90 seconds.

When asked to predict what it will be like to drive a Pro Stock and a Super Stock car during the same race weekend, Line laughed and said "We'll find out. Hopefully, I won't make a fool of myself." In addition, Line said, he hopes he does not harm such a rare and valuable muscle car. "If I do any damage to it, I can't afford to buy it," he said.

The Rookie of the Year candidate said the combination of going to Indianapolis for the 50th anniversary race, driving Hopkins' Dart, and coming off a Pro Stock win at the NHRA national event in Memphis would make it an exciting weekend. "It's going to be a lot of fun," he said.

"This is a great opportunity for Jason to race a rare classic car," said Jeff Winters, Summit Racing Equipment marketing manager and a sponsor of Line's Pro Stock team. "He has done a fantastic job representing Summit Racing this year. He has made quite a name for himself in the short time he has been racing in Pro Stock and it's not a surprise that he was asked to drive such a car. We hope he has a good time and a great run in the Dart."