NHRA: Line, Savoie cap season with Pro Stock, Pro Stock Motorcycle titles

Jason Line capped off a dominant season by the KB Racing team by driving his Summit Camaro to the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Pro Stock championship on Sunday at the Auto Club NHRA Finals in Pomona. Line, who previously won Pro Stock titles in 2006 and 2011, as well as a Stock eliminator national championship in 1993, clinched the title when he defeated reigning champ Erica Enders in the semifinals.

After qualifying in the No. 1 spot with a 6.545, Line entered final eliminations with a 23-point advantage over his teammate, Greg Anderson, who he will race in the final round. With 20 points available per round win, Anderson can't catch Line, even if he should win the all-KB team final.

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"I don't like pressure; I'm a boring guy and to have it come down to the end like this is hard on my heart," joked Line. "It's been an incredible dream season. I can't believe I didn't mess it up. You think about it, but you don't want to overthink it because it's not about thinking; it's about letting your foot out, and I struggle with that sometimes. It's such an honor to be here; you have no idea.

"It was a great year. I want to thank all of our competitors; they get us honest and made us work had to the end. I also want to thank all of the Summit folks and Ken and Judy Black. I also want to thank Greg for being a great competitor and a great boss."

The 2016 season represented a dramatic change in the NHRA Pro Stock class with a variety of sweeping rules changes including the introduction of electronic fuel injection and a mandatory 10,500 rpm rev-limit. Line and Anderson were quick to adapt to the new regulations and combined to win the first 13 events of the season. Collectively, Anderson and Line have appeared in 28 finals during the 2016 and they will finish the season with 16 wins in 24 events.

Line, who previously worked as an engine builder for Joe Gibbs' NASCAR Sprint Cup team, has won eight times this season in 13 final rounds. Line was never ranked lower than second at any point during the 2016 season. Line entered the Countdown to the Championship as the top seed in Pro Stock and never relinquished the lead. During the six-race playoff, Line has compiled an 11-4 round win record.

"After I won in Charlotte [to open the Countdown], I started to think that maybe I had a shot, Greg and have had probably the two best car all year. It's been a fun year and if it had ended any other way I'd have been disappointed. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't," he added.

Savoie claims dramatic Pro Stock Motorcycle title

Likeable Louisiana alligator farmer Jerry Savoie completed one of the most improbable championship runs in history on Sunday at the Auto Club NHRA Finals in Pomona when he clinched the NHRA Mello Yello Pro Stock Motorcycle title. Savoie, on his White Alligator Suzuki, held off the factory-backed Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson V-Rods of Eddie Krawiec and Andrew Hines to win the championship.

"I can't believe it," said a very emotional Savoie. "I didn't want to cry, but to only dream of winning one race and to come out here and put a deal together and the support of Vance & Hines and my crew – Tim and Steve and Jeremy – and to win the championship, man. I went to church this morning and the message was encouragement and to get encouraged, and people inspire you. There is a God, and he is watching, and I want to thank everybody: NHRA, Mello Yello, the [Safety] Safari crew, everybody. I don't know what to say, but especially thank you to the fans. Without you guys, this would not be possible. You make our dreams come true, and you guys are my family.

"We knew going into Dallas that we had a good package put together. We sent our engines to Vance & Hines, and they freshened 'Goober' up, and we stuck with 'Goober' all season. We had some misfortune in Dallas, which would have been really good to help us this weekend, and go to Vegas and do what we did. Look man, I'm just a Cajun country boy doing my thing. I've got the best guys in the world. I love them all."

Entering the Auto Club NHRA Finals, Savoie, Hines and Krawiec were separated by just three points making it the closest multi-racer points battle in NHRA history. Coming off a win two weeks earlier in Las Vegas, Savoie qualified in the No. 1 spot to take over the points lead. Ironically, it was the first time this season that Savoie had led the points. He entered the Countdown to the Championship as the No. 4 seed and dropped to sixth after a round one loss in Charlotte. Savoie battled back with wins in St. Louis and Las Vegas and a runner-up finish in Dallas. Savoie's Tim Kulungian-tuned bike was also the low qualifier in Dallas and Las Vegas.

The battle that many had expected to go all the way to the final round was decided in the second round when Hines and Krawiec both lost and Savoie won. Savoie did his part with a narrow holeshot win over Steve Johnson and became an interested spectator minutes later. Hines was the first to go when he lost to three-time champion Angelle Sampey 6.87 to 6.91, ending his bid for a record-tying sixth championship. The title was decided in another stunning upset when Matt Smith rode his Victory Gunner to a 6.90 to 6.87 holeshot win over Krawiec. It was just the fourth time in 16 races that Krawiec did not reach the semifinal round.

For Savoie, the championship provides redemption for a heartbreaking loss a year ago at the 2015 Auto Club Finals where his championship hopes were dashed when his bike spun the tire in the second round. Savoie, who has two wins in six final rounds this season, becomes the first Suzuki rider to win the NHRA Mello Yello Pro Stock Motorcycle title since his new teammate, LE Tonglet in 2010.