JOLIET, Ill. — Derek Menholt became the first two-time winner of the season in the JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Elite Motorsports, driving past Jason Collins in the final round on Sunday at Route 66 Raceway as part of this weekend’s Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK.
It marked the fifth of 11 races during the 2026 season and this weekend’s event was powered by ProFlow Pumping Solutions.
Menholt was one of four drivers who had won already this season, but he is now the first to win twice, thanks to a run of 5.692-seconds at 250.23 mph in the championship round. Collins left first with an incredible .004 reaction time, but ran into trouble and Menholt, who posted a strong .012 time on the starting line, drove right past with his best run of eliminations.
It was a marquee matchup between the top two qualifiers in the category this weekend, with Menholt, who qualified No. 1 with a 5.667 at 250.92, going back into the points lead. He won the opener in Gainesville and is now back on top, though he knows it’s going to be a tight championship clash the rest of the season.
“It’s going to be a battle all the way to the end,” said Menholt, who now has three career NHRA Pro Mod wins. “Jason has made a big run in the past three races and there’s going to be a lot of guys coming for us, but this one feels good.”
To reach the final round, Menholt got past Alex Laughlin, reigning world champion J.R. Gray and Justin Bond, who is now second in points. Racing for just the third time in NHRA Pro Mod, Collins, who won the previous race in Valdosta, advanced to his second straight final round with victories against Kevin Rivenbark, Mike Stavrinos and Billy Banaka.
