In Pro Stock, The Apprentice trumped the
mentor—twice.
Greg
Anderson wasn’t the star of the class
at Chicago, although he advanced to the finals
of the King Demon Crown bonus race for Pro
Stock’s elite eight qualifiers. (Weather
problems in Chicago forced his $50,000 showdown
with Dave Connolly to Saturday’s qualifying
at Topeka.)
Jason Line, Rookie of the Year candidate
and Anderson’s teammate and crew member
on the Vegas General Construction team, led
the Pro Stock field with a quick time of 6.802
seconds at 202.33 mph in his Pontiac Grand
Am.
But Line and Pro Stock Motorcycle’s
flashy Gen-Xer Shawn Gann won because their
final-round opponents jumped the light.
Gann earned $7,500 for his 7.242-second run
at 185.26 mph on his Suzuki against Andrew
Hines.
Gann was unaware he had leaped from seventh
to second place in the points. “I did?
I didn’t know that. That’ll work,”
he said. “My season starts are never
strong. Anything I get, I get on the back
end of the year.”
Hines, the No. 1 qualifier for the third
time in four events and winner of the bike
season-opener at Gainesville, Fla., in March,
maintained his points lead. He also set a
track record e.t. of 7.093 seconds on his
Screaming Eagle Harley-Davidson in a semifinal
victory over Craig Treble.
Hines said that he captured the No. 1 spot
by following advice from brother Matt, who
won three NHRA bike titles: “Keep your
head cool and act like you’re Dale Earnhardt
Jr.” But even Little E makes mistakes,
and so did Hines. He was 35-hundredths early
on the tree against Gann, who cut an .016
light.
Line doubles as dyno specialist on the Grand
Am that has carried Anderson to victory in
five of the first seven races this year and
eight of the previous 10. He also brought
to Anderson’s NASCAR shop experience
from Joe Gibbs’ operation.
Line earned his first victory in this third
final-round meeting with the boss in four
races.
Anderson, 42-hundredths of a second too quick
off the starting line this time, had said
on several occasions, “I don’t know
how long I can hold him off.”
Line said of his $25,000 win, “I didn’t
think I was ever going to beat him.”
He did, with a pass of 6.840 seconds at 202.48
mph.
Ron Lewis Photo
