STEVE FAST ROLLS TO JBS EQUIPMENT NHRA PRO MOD SERIES WIN DURING RECORD-SETTING WEEKEND IN ST. LOUIS

Pro Mod Winner: Steve Jackson (Photo Courtesy NHRA)

By: NHRA

MADISON, Ill. (Oct. 4, 2026) – Two-time world champion Stevie “Fast” Jackson picked up his first win in the JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Series presented by Elite Motorsports since the 2022 season on Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway, defeating Stan Shelton in the final round as part of this weekend’s NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals.

It was the 10th of 11 races in the category and this weekend’s event was powered by M&M Transmission and Jerry Bickel Race Cars.

The race was also the fourth of five races in the Road to the Championship playoffs and featured some of the biggest performances in NHRA Pro Mod history.

The quickest run in series history happened over each of the final three qualifying sessions, capped off by a historic run from No. 1 qualifier Chip King, who became the first NHRA Pro Mod driver to reach the 5.50s with a titanic blast of 5.596-seconds at 257.24 during the final qualifying session on Saturday.

Sunday, though, belonged to the two-time champ, who got the win when Shelton went red in the final round. Jackson, who qualified fourth, would have been tough to beat with a reaction time of .019 and an impressive run of 5.634 at 255.48.

It handed Jackson his 14th career victory and first in four years, finishing off a day that also included round wins against Kevin Rivenbark, Mike Thielen and reigning world champion J.R. Gray.

“It’s really awesome when you go through adversity and get to come out the other side,” Jackson said. “This is a really hard place to win. Seeing these fans out in the grandstands, that’s what gets us fired up and it was awesome this weekend. We’ve had a really good car and have a good handle on it.”

Shelton reached the final round for the first time this season after taking down Billy Banaka, Justin Bond and Jason Collins.

The wild weekend also threw the points race into chaos, as Mike Stavrinos, who was the points leader heading into the weekend, fell in the first round. Bond is now the points leader with one race remaining, leading Stavrinos by 17 points (or less than one round). Derek Menholt is third at 54 points behind and Gray is 67 points back in fourth.

The JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Elite Motorsports closes out its 2026 season on Oct. 29-Nov. 1 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway as part of the MOPAR NHRA Las Vegas Nationals powered by Dodge.

Final round-by-round results from the 15th annual NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway, the tenth of 11 events in the JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Elite Motorsports.

PRO MODIFIED:
ROUND ONE — Justin Bond, Chevy Camaro, 5.633, 255.43 def. Jimmy Widener, Chevy Corvette, 5.692, 251.86; JR Gray, Camaro, 5.610, 255.19 def. Lyle Barnett, Camaro, 5.715, 251.81; Mike Castellana, Camaro, 5.659, 252.57 def. Derek Menholt, Corvette, 5.927, 174.48; Steve Jackson, Camaro, 5.612, 255.92 def. Kevin Rivenbark, Ford Mustang, 5.682, 252.90; Jason Collins, Camaro, 5.632, 255.39 def. Mike Stavrinos, Camaro, 8.205, 112.21; Stan Shelton, Mustang, 5.639, 256.36 def. Billy Banaka, Camaro, 5.678, 253.75; Mike Thielen, Mustang, 5.666, 249.81 def. Nick Januik, Camaro, 6.968, 119.34; Chip King, Dodge Charger, 5.618, 255.43 def. Shane Gray, Camaro, 5.694, 250.55;
QUARTERFINALS — J. Gray, 5.655, 253.66 def. King, 5.736, 245.76; Shelton, 5.670, 255.34 def. Bond, 5.638, 255.73; Jackson, 5.645, 254.86 def. Thielen, 5.699, 250.13; Collins, 5.678, 253.80 def. Castellana, 5.684, 247.75;
SEMIFINALS — Shelton, 5.671, 254.95 def. Collins, Broke; Jackson, 5.632, 256.02 def. J. Gray, 15.112, 54.16;
FINAL — Jackson, 5.634, 255.48 def. Shelton, Foul – Red Light.