With High Stakes, JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Series set to Close Out Season in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS, NV – October 30, 2026 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – It all comes down to Las Vegas for the JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Elite Motorsports, as the series closes out a thrilling 2026 campaign and crowns a world championship as part of this weekend’s MOPAR NHRA Las Vegas Nationals powered by Dodge at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

It is the final event of the 11-race season and the Road to the Championship playoffs, and this weekend’s race is powered by Penske Racing Shocks and presented by Precision Racing Suspension.

Last year came down to a winner-take-all scenario, with J.R. Gray winning the race in Las Vegas and his first world championship.

Gray is again one of the marquee contenders, but he’ll have some work to do in a loaded field. With a points-and-a-half scenario in Las Vegas, things could get wild and it will undoubtedly be memorable.

“NHRA Pro Mod represents exactly the type of racing Penske Racing Shocks wants to be involved with — incredibly competitive teams pushing their equipment to the absolute limit. We’re proud to support the Pro Mod community and to put our technology alongside some of the quickest and most innovative race cars in the world,” Penske Racing Shocks Owner Aaron Lambert said.

Leading the way heading to Vegas is Justin Bond, who leads Mike Stavrinos by just 17 points. Derek Menholt is 54 points behind in third, as the top three in the points standings are all after their first world championship in NHRA Pro Mod.

Gray is fourth at 67 points behind Bond, while Billy Banaka, who fell to Gray in the final round in Las Vegas last year, is fifth. With another loaded field in Las Vegas to close out an epic 2026 season, there’s no lack of drama as the championship hunt goes down to the wire.

The JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Elite Motorsports features two qualifying rounds at 12 and 5:55 p.m. PT on Friday and the final two rounds of qualifying at 11:15 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. on Saturday. The first round of eliminations is slated for 9:10 a.m. PT on Sunday.

A qualifying session on both Friday and Saturday, and a round of eliminations will be broadcast for free on NHRA’s YouTube page. Fans can subscribe to the channel to be notified when the class goes live on NHRA’s YouTube page.

To purchase tickets to the MOPAR NHRA Las Vegas Nationals powered by Dodge at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, call 800-644-4444 or visit LVMS.com. Children 12 and under are admitted free in general admission areas with a paid adult. For more information about NHRA, visit NHRA.com.

About Penske Racing Shocks

• Penske Racing Shocks brings American-made performance and proven motorsports technology to the JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Elite Motorsports.
• Penske Racing Shocks has joined the JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Elite Motorsports as an event sponsor, strengthening the group of industry-leading companies supporting one of the quickest and most competitive doorslammer categories in drag racing.
• Recognized throughout professional motorsports for high-performance suspension technology, Penske Racing Shocks designs and manufactures custom racing shocks for automotive, motorcycle and off-road applications.
• Every Penske Racing Shock is billet-machined and hand-built in America, with no assembly-line production, stamped components or offshore manufacturing. That hands-on approach allows Penske to deliver products focused on the reliability, consistency and performance demanded at the highest levels of competition.
• Working directly with leading professional race teams also provides Penske Racing Shocks with a constant development environment. Technology and knowledge gained at the top levels of motorsports ultimately flows throughout the company’s product range, giving racers access to continually evolving suspension technology.
• For NHRA Pro Mod competitors, where immense horsepower, changing track conditions and thousandths of a second can determine the outcome of a race, that level of consistency and control is particularly important.
• The partnership also continues the NHRA Pro Mod Series’ focus on connecting competitors and fans with manufacturers that understand the demands of professional drag racing and actively invest in advancing racing technology.
• Penske Racing Shocks is proudly American and has built its reputation on understanding racers’ individual requirements. Every shock is custom-built for its specific application and backed by a commitment to certifiable quality and performance.
• Whether competing in NHRA Pro Mod, other forms of automotive motorsports, motorcycle racing, or off-road competition, Penske Racing Shocks continues to develop suspension solutions designed for racers who demand performance without compromise.
• For PRS/Penske, the Las Vegas partnership is also an opportunity to reinforce its position within some of drag racing’s highest-horsepower categories and connect directly with racers and fans at NHRA’s most prestigious event.

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 JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Elite Motorsports and NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown™ 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 more than 100 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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