ROCKINGHAM, N.C. — Michael Stavrinos jumped into the points lead in the JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Elite Motorsports on Sunday at Rockingham Dragway, defeating Justin Bond on a holeshot in the final round as part of this weekend’s NHRA Nationals at The Rock.
It was the ninth of 11 races in the category and the key Road to the Championship race was powered Culp Lumber this weekend.
In a thrilling final round, Stavrinos’ run of 5.664 seconds at 254.09 mph held up thanks to a .039 reaction time, which was enough to hold off Bond’s 5.656 at 257.29. It gave Stavrinos his second victory this season and fifth in his career, also moving the standout into the points lead.
His lead stands at just nine points over Bond, but the victory over Bond handed Stavrinos the points lead for the first time this season. He defeated Kevin Rivenbark, reigning world champion J.R. Gray and Rickie Smith to reach the final round, turning in another brilliant performance in the final round.
“I was focused as I could be. What a day at Rockingham,” Stavrinos said. “This place is awesome and to get the first win here, that’s just great. I love it here and my team is amazing.”
Bond reached the championship round for the fourth time this year by defeating Mike Castellana, Tony Wilson and Derek Menholt.
With two races remaining in the Road to the Championship, Menholt is third at 43 points out of first, while Billy Banaka is 84 points behind in fourth.
