Jordan Lazic Wins Debut at FuelTech NHRA Pro Mod Series Race in St. Louis powered by Jerry Bickel Race Cars

NHRA Midwest Nationals Arch (678)

ST. LOUIS, MO – October 2, 2023 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – In his first career race in the FuelTech NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, Jordan Lazic earned the victory on Sunday, making a spectacular debut this weekend as part of the NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway.

The event, which was powered by Jerry Bickel Race Cars and M&M Transmission, was the ninth of 10 races during the 2023 season in the FuelTech NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Type A Motorsports. It was also the third of four races in the category’s Road to the Championship, as fans were treated to a wild day of eliminations on Sunday from St. Louis.

After qualifying second, Lazic impressed in eliminations and picked up the win at his first career race when Jason Scruggs was unable to make the call in the championship round. That handed the victory to Lazic in his debut, capping off an incredible weekend in his Bahrain 1 Racing Camaro that included round wins against Mike Thielen, Stan Shelton and Mike Castellana, going as quick as 5.757-seconds at 247.20 mph during eliminations.

“I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Justin Bond, Khalid AlBalooshi, and Bahrain 1 Racing,” Lazic said. “I’m just lucky to be here. I was thinking if I didn’t win this race, I wouldn’t have a job in Las Vegas, so hopefully he’s going to bring me there.”

Scruggs, who qualified No. 1 for the second time this season after going 5.749 at 2502.27 in qualifying, reached his fourth career round and third in four races thanks to victories against Doug Winters, defending world champion Kris Thorne and Khalid AlBalooshi. Scruggs went as quick as 5.702 at 251.91 during eliminations, making the quickest run of the weekend in the class in his second-round win.

In the points standings, Thorne was able to stay on top, with his lead now at 31 points over Justin Bond, 50 points over Castellana and 69 against Jason Lee heading into the last race of the Road to the Championship. Thorne is seeking his second straight world title in the category.

The FuelTech NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Type A Motorsports closes out its season on Oct. 26-29 as part of the NHRA Nevada Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

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MADISON, IL — Final finish order (1-16) at the 12th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway. The race is the ninth of 10 events in the FuelTech NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Type A Motorsports.

PRO MODIFIED:

1. Jordan Lazic; 2. Jason Scruggs; 3. Mike Castellana; 4. Khalid alBalooshi; 5. Kris Thorne; 6. JR Gray; 7. Stan Shelton; 8. Dmitry Samorukov; 9. Justin Bond; 10. Billy Banaka; 11. Ken Quartuccio; 12. Mike Thielen; 13. Mason Wright; 14. Doug Winters; 15. Jason Lee; 16. Kevin Rivenbark.

MADISON, IL — Sunday’s final results from the 12th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway. The race is the ninth of 10 events in the FuelTech NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Type A Motorsports.

Pro Modified — Jordan Lazic, Chevy Camaro, No Time Recorded def. Jason Scruggs, Camaro, Broke – No Show.

MADISON, IL — Final round-by-round results from the 12th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway, the ninth of 10 events in the FuelTech NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Type A Motorsports.

PRO MODIFIED:

ROUND ONE — Kris Thorne, Chevy Camaro, 5.767, 248.84 def. Ken Quartuccio, Camaro, 5.812, 246.21; Mike Castellana, Camaro, 5.749, 251.58 def. Mason Wright, Camaro, 5.889, 244.83; Jordan Lazic, Camaro, 5.757, 247.20 def. Mike Thielen, Camaro, 5.817, 245.36; Jason Scruggs, Camaro, 5.722, 251.30 def. Doug Winters, Chevy Chevelle, 5.917, 240.38; Khalid alBalooshi, Camaro, 6.301, 220.37 def. Kevin Rivenbark, Ford Mustang, 8.762, 109.10; Stan Shelton, Mustang, 5.789, 246.84 def. Jason Lee, Camaro, 6.596, 169.93; JR Gray, Camaro, 5.762, 249.63 def. Justin Bond, Camaro, 5.756, 249.76; Dmitry Samorukov, Camaro, 5.755, 246.93 def. Billy Banaka, Camaro, Foul – Red Light;

QUARTERFINALS — Lazic, 5.781, 246.39 def. Shelton, 5.788, 248.29; Castellana, No Time Recorded def. Samorukov, Broke; alBalooshi, 5.735, 252.24 def. Gray, 5.776, 249.35; Scruggs, 5.702, 251.91 def. Thorne, 5.769, 247.43;

SEMIFINALS — Lazic, 5.937, 202.30 def. Castellana, Foul – Red Light; Scruggs, 6.048, 189.98 def. alBalooshi, 8.809, 91.53;

FINAL — Lazic, No Time Recorded def. Scruggs, Broke – No Show.

MADISON, IL — Point standings (top 10) following the 12th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway, the ninth of 10 events in the FuelTech NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Type A Motorsports.

Pro Modified

1. Kris Thorne, 1,019; 2. Justin Bond, 988; 3. Mike Castellana, 969; 4. Jason Lee, 949; 5. Stan Shelton, 928; 6. Dmitry Samorukov, 908; 7. Khalid alBalooshi, 897; 8. JR Gray, 855; 9. Sidnei Frigo, 837; 10. (tie) Manny Buginga, 809, Mason Wright, 809.

About Jerry Bickel Race Cars

Jerry Bickel Race Cars are synonymous with quality built, fast door cars around the world. Established in 1985, Jerry created a new generation of innovative techniques and procedures that would continue WINNING races for over 35 years. In 2000, JBRC built a state-of-the-art building designed to engineer, fabricate, paint, and complete his race cars from start to finish. JBRC also carries a full line of racing components to make Jerry Bickel Race Cars a “one stop chassis shop”. For more information visit www.jerrybickel.com

About NHRA

Headquartered in San Dimas, Calif., NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 21 national events featuring the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series, NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, FuelTech NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Type A Motorsports, Flexjet NHRA Factory Stock Showdown™ and Top Fuel Harley Series. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street Legal™. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street® program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League® for youth ages 5 to 17. With 120 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services® (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv®, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

Source: National Hot Rod Association

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