NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Yet another Pro Stock father-son duo will hit the strip when the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series returns to Virginia Motorsports Park. Fernando Cuadra Jr., son of Pro Stock veteran Fernando Cuadra, will make his Pro Stock debut at the Virginia NHRA Nationals, the fifth stop of the 18-race Pro Stock schedule.

Cuadra previously made his NHRA debut in the Top Sportsman category at the 2019 Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals and has plenty of experience running a quick door car in Mexico. That series, Pro Competition, comparable to Top Sportsman in the United States, gave Cuadra plenty of experience ahead of his Virginia debut.

He made his licensing runs during preseason testing and plans to run a Ford Mustang using Gray Motorsports engines. The engines are not the same engines run by Tanner Gray during his championship season. 

The Mustang is brand new, built by Jerry Haas and will be tuned by Fernando Sr. throughout the remainder of the Pro Stock season. Those 12 races will firmly put Fernando Jr. into the Auto Club of Southern California Road to the Future running as a rookie of the year candidate. 

His place in the Virginia NHRA Nationals field will not be guaranteed, though. There will be a bump spot when Pro Stock returns to the NHRA circuit, so it will be up to Fernando Sr.’s tuning – and Fernando Jr.’s driving – to make sure both Cuadras end up racing on Sunday.