Mike Stavrinos performing a burnout at the NHRA Arizona Nationals
Courtesy NHRA
BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 6, 2024) – Racing in the heart of Pro Mod country, the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+ continues its busy stretch as part of this weekend’s 23rd annual Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.
It is the third consecutive race for the NHRA Pro Mod category and the fifth of 10 races during the 2024 season. This weekend’s event in Thunder Valley is powered by Cardinal Insurance and also is the penultimate race of the regular season in the thrilling category. Action from the race will be featured on Sunday’s FS1 broadcast as well, as all the top names will look for success in Bristol.
“Thunder Valley is a special place for drag racing, particularly NHRA Pro Mod,” said Mike McKinney, Agency Manager of Cardinal Insurance. “We believe that NHRA supports our business model when it comes to business development, relationship building and networking – all the elements of Cardinal Insurance’s customer service goals! We are family owned and pride ourselves in providing first class services by highly experienced staff.”
Cardinal Insurance also works with Pro Mod driver Stan Shelton.
In a matchup of the two most recent world champions, Kris Thorne knocked off Mike Castellana a year ago in the final round at Bristol Dragway and Thorne will look for a repeat victory in the loaded category.
It won’t be easy with a lineup featuring 24 cars, as another huge group of drivers look for a win in Bristol. Mason Wright won on Sunday in Epping, picking up his first career victory in the category. There’s now been a different winner at each of the first four races in the class, another sign of NHRA Pro Mod’s impressive depth and parity.
Former world champion Jose Gonzalez still has the points lead heading into Bristol, but there will be a host of challengers, including legendary Pro Mod driver Rickie Smith, reigning world champ Castellana, Epping runner-up Jordan Lazic, Justin Bond, Kevin Rivenbark, who won earlier this year, former world champion Khalid AlBalooshi and Lyle Barnett.
Featuring the world’s fastest doorslammer race cars, the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+ offers something unique and exciting for every drag racing fan. The class continues to grow in popularity and is highlighted by historic muscle cars and a variety of late-model American muscle cars, as well as a number of different power adders.
The Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+ will kick off with two qualifying rounds on Friday at 1:30 PM and 3:45 PM ET, with the final two qualifying rounds set for 12 and 5:30 PM on Saturday. The first round of eliminations is slated for 1:40 PM ET on Sunday.
To purchase tickets to the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, fans can visit www.NHRA.com/tickets. For more information on NHRA, please visit www.NHRA.com.
