NHRA Pro Mod: four drivers within 67 points before Las Vegas

The NHRA Pro Mod title will be decided in Las Vegas. The finale, the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals, runs from 29 October to 1 November at The Strip, Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Going into this last round, four drivers are within 67 points, with Justin Bond leading the standings.

The standings before the finale

• Justin Bond: leader;
• Mike Stavrinos: 17 points behind Bond;
• Derek Menholt: 54 points behind;
• J.R. Gray: 67 points behind, the reigning world champion.

In fifth, Billy Banaka is 100 points behind Bond. The finale is the eleventh and last race of the Pro Mod season, and the final stop of the "Road to the Championship".

A format that can reshuffle everything

The finale uses a "points-and-a-half" format: each elimination round is worth 30 points. Menholt must therefore stay within 60 points, or two rounds, to remain in the fight; Gray also needs to get under that mark to become a real threat.

The four contenders

• Bond has reached four finals this season, won in Phoenix and was runner-up in Indianapolis and Rockingham during the playoffs. He is chasing his first world title.
• Stavrinos lost the points lead by going out in the first round at St. Louis. He won at Rockingham and the 4-Wide race in Charlotte, and was runner-up in Bristol.
• Menholt led the championship for five of the first seven races. Winner of the season opener at Gainesville and of a race in Chicago, he also lost in the first round at St. Louis.
• Gray is the only one of the group with a title. He won the race and the championship in Las Vegas in 2025, beating Banaka in the final with a 5.749s pass at 250.04 mph. This season he won the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis for the first time.

The Las Vegas schedule

Qualifying is on Friday at 12:15 and 17:45, then on Saturday at 11:15 and 16:15 (Pacific time). The first elimination round is set for Sunday at 9 a.m. One qualifying session each day and one elimination round will stream free on NHRA's YouTube channel.