NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Racing on drag racing’s biggest stage, the drivers in the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service will look for a career-defining win competing as part of this weekend’s 67th annual Dodge//SRT NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis.
 
Back-to-back world champ Stevie “Fast” Jackson knows full well what performing at a high level at the Big Go can mean, winning at Indy two of the past three years. He’ll look to add another Indy victory in his blown Bahrain 1 Racing Camaro, and would be a much-needed win for the popular driver if he wants to attempt a run at a third straight world title. He’s currently chasing red-hot Jose Gonzalez, the man he beat in the final round at Indy in 2018, but the historic race has seemed to bring out the best in him.
 
“I'm looking forward to the US Nationals,” said Jackson, who has 12 career wins in the class. “Indy has always been special to us and it's time to let this car eat.”
The race, which is presented by ProCharger, is the seventh of 11 races during the 2021 E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series season and will be shown on Fox Sports 2 (FS2). Gonzalez has won the past three races in the class as he looks to win for the first time in Indy and get a step closer to winning his first world championship in the class.

A victory in Indy would be a big moment in Gonzalez’s standout career and he certainly has to be the odds-on favorite after an incredible run driving his ProCharger-powered Q80 Camaro. Gonzalez already has four victories this season, leaning on a strong team that has his car running ahead of the pack no matter the setting or weather conditions.

He won both races where the NHRA Pro Mod class was making its first-ever appearance (Denver and Brainerd), and he’ll try to extend his unbeaten streak to a fourth straight race spanning more than two months. Remarkably, Gonzalez hasn’t qualified worse than third this season, showing the impressive consistency of his car.

“When you have guys like Brandon Snider, Jackson and Justin Bond, and everybody who races in this class, you have to be on your game,” Gonzalez said after his victory in Brainerd. “They’re not going to cut you any (breaks), so as much as I can do, I try to do it for the team. But it’s not me — it’s this team. (Tuner) Steve Petty has had this car on rails since day one and it’s just been amazing.”

Gonzalez, though, won’t have it easy in Indy, as every driver will be after a prestigious victory at the Big Go. Along with Jackson, the NHRA Pro Mod points leader will also have to deal with the likes of Snider, who advanced to the final round in Brainerd, Bond, Doug Winters, Khalid alBalooshi, Jeffrey Barker, rookie J.R Gray, 2019 winner Mike Castellana, Rickie Smith, and Chad Green.

Featuring the world’s fastest doorslammer race cars, the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service offers something for every kind of hot-rodding enthusiast. The class is highlighted by historic muscle cars, as well as a variety of late-model American muscle cars.

The race is sponsored by ProCharger, which is an industry-leading aftermarket supercharger manufacturer. For more than 25 years, ProCharger has been designing, engineering, and building some of the most powerful, reliable, and advanced centrifugal superchargers on the market. A number of top drivers in the class utilize ProCharger’s powerful supercharger power adder, including Gonzalez, Bond, rookie Lyle Barnett, alBalooshi, and Top Fuel driver Mike Salinas, who will be making his second career appearance in the NHRA Pro Mod class this weekend in Indy.

The first qualifying session for the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service takes place at 5:00 p.m. ET on Friday with the final two rounds scheduled for 12:15 and 4:10 p.m. on Saturday. The first round of Pro Mod eliminations are slated for 11:40 a.m. on Sunday.

To purchase general-admission or reserved seats to the Dodge//SRT U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis, call 800-884-NHRA or purchase online at www.nhra.com. Kids 12 and under are free in general admission areas with a paid adult.