HEBRON, Ohio -- Jason Line grew up in Minnesota, and drag raced his way to a Stock Eliminator World Championship in 1993, along with a Division 5 sportsman championship. But where he wanted to ultimately land was never a question in his mind, even after working as carburetor specialist for Joe Gibbs Racing for several years on Bobby Labonte's Winston Cup team.

Line had his eye squarely fixed on a Pro Stock ride. And now, he has one.

This weekend at the 39th Pontiac Excitement Nationals at National Trail Raceway in Hebron, Ohio, Line made his Pro Stock debut as driver of a second Pontiac Grand Am which will be fielded by the defending event champion, Greg Anderson, and team owner, Ken Black. In a category where veteran drivers such as Bruce Allen, Mike Edwards, Troy Coughlin, and Mark Pawuk missed the cut during qualifying, Line ran a 6.91/199 on Saturday, quick enough to put him into eliminations on Sunday in the No. 14 spot.

"That was our first goal this weekend," he said moments after learning the field had been set. "We're happy that we're in, although we would have liked to have gone a bit quicker. But to make the show the first time out feels great."

Line will not only finish out the 2003 season as Anderson's teammate, but will head into the 2004 season fulfilling a career aspiration he's nurtured for most of his adult life. "This is where I've always wanted to be. Driving a Pro Stock car is all I've ever thought about doing and that's never changed."

For Anderson, the risks involved in bringing out a second car and perhaps diminishing the focus on his own car are far outweighed by the advantages of having two competitive cars working toward giving him a POWERade championship.

"I've been asked the question a thousand times this weekend," said the driver currently in a heated battle with Kurt Johnson for the P/S points lead. "Truthfully, there are so many reasons to put Jason in a car at this point that it's a no-brainer. It will definitely give us an edge that we couldn't have enjoyed with only one car. I think the wisdom of this decision will be obvious in no time."

Anderson has been behind the wheel of the class's most dominant car this year. Although Kurt Johnson leads the points, Anderson's performance has been unmatched in '03 having set new elapsed time and top speed national records in Englishtown, N.J., three races ago and qualifying No. 1 at the last five events. Line came aboard the Anderson team at the beginning of this season and his tuning skills have been a major factor in his teammate's performance upsurge.

"I'm in a great situation," Anderson said. "I"ve got a guy who can help us win the championship in two extremely important areas. There are good drivers and good mechanics. Jason is both, and that's something not too many teams bring to the table."

Bill Stephens covers the NHRA for ESPN and ESPN.com.