Drag racing teammates set to duke it out for NHRA Pro Stock title

Published Nov. 15, 2016 1:55 p.m. ET

Samuel Reiman

KB Racing teammates Jason Line and Greg Anderson are getting set to duke it out for the championship this weekend at the Auto Club NHRA Finals in Pomona, California.

The two drivers virtually dominated the NHRA Pro Stock class earlier this season, winning the opening 13 races of the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series between them.

While its been five races since one of them - Jason Line - took home a Wally, they both have a healthy lead in the points over Shane Gray back in third.

While Line’s 19-point lead over Anderson heading into the weekend gives him an advantage, if the gap between them remains less than 20 points following the qualifying sessions, one round win could make a different when it comes to final eliminations on Sunday.

“If we can make our way through competition on Sunday, qualify well and, on opposite sides of the ladder, make our way through the rounds and match up in the final round for all the marbles, that would be a dream come true just to have that opportunity,” said Anderson. “If it were to happen, that would be the best scenario ever and may the best man win. (We’re) looking forward to this weekend, and hopefully we can execute and make it a dream race.”

Knowing the pressure will be on to win, Line actually has a cause for concern. He’s won at Pomona before - four times in fact - but none of those have came in the Fall.

“You go through some of these moments and these high-pressure situations and hopefully everything you learned prepares you for this moment,” said Line. “It comes down to doing the best we can and enjoying the fact that we’re in this situation. I want to go win the race. If I do that, I’ll feel good. We’ve never won there in the Fall. It’s always eluded me and it would be nice to do it this year.”

In contrast, Anderson has won 11 times in Pomona, with five of those coming in the Fall.

“It's a great racetrack for me,” Anderson said. “It's a feel-good racetrack for me. I love come Sunday and trying to make your way through the rounds and, come final round when that sun goes down and its dusk and you've got lights shining and the grandstand packed, I love it. It's where drag racing started and it's just got so much history.”

The duo has six world champions between them, but the last of those was in 2011, when Jason Line took the title. Anderson’s last was in 2010.

The Pro Stock title isn’t the only one up for grabs this weekend. While the Top Fuel crown was awarded to Antron Brown last time out in Las Vegas, the 2016 Funny Car and Pro Stock Motorcycle championships are still on the line. In Funny Car, it looks like the spoils will finally go to Ron Capps, while three riders sit just three points apart over in the Pro Stock Motorcycle category.

Final eliminations coverage kicks off at 4 p.m. ET Sunday on FS1.