LAS VEGAS — A thrilling season and championship race in the JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Elite Motorsports is now down to one race.
With all eyes on Las Vegas for the finale, an incredible showdown awaits between an impressive group of standout contenders as part of the MOPAR NHRA Las Vegas Nationals powered by Dodge at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Oct. 29-Nov. 1.
It is the final event of the 11-race season and the Road to the Championship playoffs, and it’s a duel that could very well come down to the final pass of the year, especially with the points-and-a-half format in place at the finale.
The top four in points – leader Justin Bond, Mike Stavrinos, Derek Menholt and reigning world champ J.R. Gray – are separated by just 67 points and with 30 points on the line during each round during eliminations, this could be a finale for the ages.
To add to the moment, Gray is the only one in the group to have won an NHRA Pro Mod world championship, which only adds to the magnitude of the moment and what’s on the line in Vegas.
Bond heads west as the points leader thanks to four appearances in the final round this year. He won in Phoenix and has been solid in the postseason thanks to finals appearances in Indy and Rockingham. Another runner-up doesn’t guarantee a world title, but a victory to close out the season and clinch his first world title is his sole focus.
“We’ve fought hard all season to put ourselves in this position,” Bond said. “Seventeen points isn’t much in Pro Mod, so nothing is guaranteed. We’re heading to Vegas with one goal — win the race and bring home the championship.”
Of course, several other drivers have different ideas. Should he qualify well and not find the lead grow to more than 30 points entering eliminations, Stavrinos, who is currently 17 points behind Bond, can have his own winner-take-all weekend in Vegas.
A first-round loss in St. Louis bumped him out of the points lead, but he’s performed well down the stretch otherwise, winning in Rockingham. He also won the 4-Wide race in Charlotte, along with a runner-up in Bristol in the loaded field. That’s given Stavrinos confidence he’ll be able to rise to the occasion with everything on the line in Las Vegas.
“We’ve proven we have a championship-caliber car and we’re only one good round away from changing everything,” Stavrinos said. “The team knows what’s at stake. We’re going to Vegas ready to fight for every point and finish what we started.”
Menholt trails Bond by 54 points, which means keeping it under 60 points (or two rounds) will be vitally important. He’s also proven championship-worthy all season long, leading the points for five of the first seven races. Along the way, he won the season-opener in Gainesville and added a Chicago victory during his impressive 2026 campaign.
The playoffs haven’t been quite as kind, including a first-round loss in St. Louis, but Menholt did have an incredible blast of 5.603-seconds at the event, which means the performance – and confidence – is there.
“We’ve had the car to beat anybody all year and we’re not going to Vegas to settle for third,” Menholt said. “There’s still plenty of racing left and anything can happen in Pro Mod. We’re going after every round and letting the championship take care of itself.”
That leaves the only driver in the top four with a championship in Gray, who has already enjoyed a magical Vegas moment, winning the race and the championship last year at the event. In a winner-take-all final round in 2025 against Billy Banaka, who is currently fifth in points and 100 points behind Bond, the reigning champ clinched the win and the title with a pass of 5.749 at 250.04 mph.
He has some work to do this year, sitting 67 points behind Bond, but if he can get it under 60, Gray will certainly be a threat to repeat. He won the world’s biggest drag race – the U.S. Nationals in Indy for the first time – so another championship would be a terrific capper to another standout season for the veteran.
“We know what it takes to win a world championship and we’re not giving up this title without a fight,” Gray said. “Vegas is where it all gets decided. We’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain, and we’re coming to race.”
