Eric Dillard Cruises to Win in Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series in Chicago

240520 Eric Dillard cruises to win in Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Series in Chicago [678]

CHICAGO, IL – May 20, 2024 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – Filling in for former world champion Jose Gonzalez, Eric Dillard picked up the victory in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+ on Sunday as part of this weekend’s 24th annual Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK Performance at Route 66 Raceway.

It was the third of 10 races during the 2024 season and this weekend’s event was powered by PGT Trucking, Inc. Facing off with Khalid AlBalooshi in the final round, Dillard went 5.766-seconds at 249.95 mph in the Q80 Chevrolet Camaro, picking up his second career win in the category.

After qualifying second with a 5.732 at 246.62, Dillard was impressively consistent throughout eliminations, going either 5.75 or 5.76 in every round, defeating Stan Shelton, Justin Bond and Billy Banaka to reach the final round. He left with AlBalooshi and then drove off for the victory to finish off a stellar weekend.

“It’s crazy I even get to come out here and do this,” Dillard said. “I’ve got to thank Jose and this team. They carried me today and I’m just blessed to be able to come out here and race. I can’t thank everybody enough for supporting what we do. This is awesome and I appreciate everyone on this team. It’s all the people behind me. This thing was on point all day. At the end of the day, that’s what teamwork is all about. I got carried today and it felt pretty good.”

To reach his first final round this season and the ninth in his career, AlBalooshi, a former world champion, knocked off Jason Lee, Ken Quartuccio and Kris Thorne.

The Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+ returns to action May 31-June 2 with the 14th annual NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway in Epping, N.H.

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JOLIET, IL — Final finish order (1-16) at the 24th annual Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK Performance at Route 66 Raceway. The race is the third of 10 events in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+.

PRO MODIFIED:

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

JOLIET, IL — Sunday’s final results from the 24th annual Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK Performance at Route 66 Raceway. The race is the third of 10 events in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+.

Pro Modified — Eric Dillard, Chevy Camaro, 5.766, 249.95 def. Khalid alBalooshi, Camaro, 11.656, 70.29.

JOLIET, IL — Final round-by-round results from the 24th annual Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK Performance at Route 66 Raceway, the third of 10 events in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+.

PRO MODIFIED:

ROUND ONE — Khalid alBalooshi, Chevy Camaro, 5.725, 248.75 def. Jason Lee, Camaro, 5.840, 237.63; Justin Bond, Camaro, 5.700, 249.16 def. Mason Wright, Camaro, Foul – Red Light; Jordan Lazic, Camaro, 5.687, 253.04 def. Mike Thielen, Camaro, 5.752, 251.11; Ken Quartuccio, Camaro, 5.716, 166.11 def. Dwayne Wolfe, Camaro, 8.492, 109.10; Eric Dillard, Camaro, 5.769, 250.69 def. Stan Shelton, Ford Mustang, 6.943, 146.18; Billy Banaka, Camaro, 5.741, 249.67 def. Dmitry Samorukov, Camaro, 5.772, 245.32; Kris Thorne, Camaro, 5.777, 248.52 def. JR Gray, Camaro, 7.704, 130.62; Lyle Barnett, Camaro, 5.759, 249.49 def. Kevin Rivenbark, Mustang, 7.463, 126.03;

QUARTERFINALS — Banaka, 6.019, 193.68 def. Barnett, 8.866, 101.71; alBalooshi, 8.086, 111.07 def. Quartuccio, Foul – Red Light; Dillard, 5.758, 250.09 def. Bond, 5.850, 249.49; Thorne, 5.762, 250.64 def. Lazic, 7.829, 118.66;

SEMIFINALS — alBalooshi, 5.788, 248.80 def. Thorne, Foul – Red Light; Dillard, 5.765, 249.67 def. Banaka, 5.824, 246.62;

FINAL — Dillard, 5.766, 249.95 def. alBalooshi, 11.656, 70.29.

JOLIET, IL — Point standings (top 10) following the 24th annual Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK Performance at Route 66 Raceway, the third of 10 events in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+.

Pro Modified

1. Jose Gonzalez, 286; 2. Ken Quartuccio, 211; 3. Billy Banaka, 177; 4. Kevin Rivenbark, 170; 5. (tie) Justin Bond, 169; Kris Thorne, 169; 7. Mason Wright, 166; 8. Mike Thielen, 145; 9. Lyle Barnett, 139; 10. Khalid alBalooshi, 131.

About PGT Trucking, Inc.

PGT Trucking, Inc., founded in 1981, is a multi-service transportation firm offering flatbed, dedicated, international and specialized services. Headquartered in Aliquippa, PA, PGT Trucking, named a 2023 and 2024 Best Fleets to Drive For®, has company, lease purchase, and owner-operator positions available. PGT knows what matters: pay, home time, equipment, respect, and family. Join PGT Trucking. Driven by the best. Fueled by our promise. Visit pgttrucking.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 20 national events featuring the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+, NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown™, NHRA Holley EFI Factory X and Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock at select national events. 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 110 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

Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Series logo

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