LAS VEGAS, NV – November 4, 2024 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – In a winner-take-all semifinal matchup in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+, Jordan Lazic defeated Kris Thorne on Sunday Strip at Theat Las Vegas Motor Speedway to clinch his first world championship in the category as part of the Ford Performance NHRA Nationals.
The event was the final of 10 races in NHRA Pro Mod and the last of the category’s four-race “Road to the Championship” playoffs was powered by JBS Equipment. The final round of the event will be completed on Monday.
The championship was decided when Lazic, who debuted in the class last year, met up with former world champion Kris Thorne. Thorne left the starting line first but ran into trouble and Lazic cruised to the round win – and the championship – with a run of 5.759-seconds at 247.57 mph in his supercharged Bahrain 1 Racing Camaro.
Lazic made a hard charge to the championship this season, as the Canadian missed the first two races of the season. He was the runner-up in Epping and then was consistent in the playoffs, advancing to the semifinals at the previous race in St. Louis to stay in contention for the championship.
Khalid AlBalooshi, who entered the weekend as the points leader, fell in the opening round and Justin Bond, who was second in points, lost a round later, opening the door for Lazic and Thorne. Lazic took advantage and ended up with his first world championship in the process.
“It’s crazy and I’m so excited,” Lazic said. “I have family and friends here and watching back home,” said a thrilled Lazic. “We’re lucky to be here after missing the first two races. If I have a whole season next year with 10, maybe I can be even more dangerous.”
About Ford Performance
Ford Performance is based in Dearborn, Mich. It is responsible for Ford’s performance vehicle development and major racing operations globally, including NASCAR, IMSA, SRO British GT, FIA World Rally Championship, Supercars Championship, World of Outlaws, Ultra4, SCORE-International, FIA Rally-Raid, Formula Drift, NHRA, Rebelle Rally, Thailand Super Series and our latest commitment in Formula 1 with RedBull Ford Powertrains. Ford Performance also maintains a constantly evolving fleet of electric performance demonstrators to showcase the limits of electrification technology. In addition, the organization also oversees the development of Ford’s racing engines, as well as the outreach programs with all Ford Clubs and Ford enthusiasts. For more information regarding Ford racing’s activities, please visit Performance.Ford.com or follow @FordPerformance on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube.
About NHRA
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
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