In E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series action at NGK NTK NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, points leader Justin Bond earned his second Number One qualifying position in his last three races. Bond posted a run of 5.631 ET at 253.75 mph in his ProCharger-powered Bahrain 1 Racing Camaro on Friday and the time held up. Khalid alBalooshi qualified second overall in Pro Mod with a 5.658 ET at 253.61 mph and set the fastest speed of the event in Round One at 254.57 mph. Jose Gonzalez, the Pro Mod winner at the 52nd annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals in the season opener, placed third in qualifying after going 5.678 at 252.80.
After leaving the tree late with a .119 reaction time, veteran pro mod driver Jose Gonzalez got into a whole lot of trouble during first round eliminations. As Gonzalez approached the 330-foot mark, something broke on his El General Racing (EGR) ProCharger-powered Camaro that threw the car into left outside wall. Gonzalez ricocheted off the wall, which sent the EGR Camaro diagonally across the centerline into the right wall before his vehicle came to a stop. The driver thanked his crew and car builder Jerry Bickel for having built a good car with all of the right safety equipment. A lucky Gonzalez leaves Charlotte with a banged up racecar but remains third in the Pro Mod points sixty eight behind leader Justin Bond.
After losing on a holeshot in the final round of the previous event at Atlanta Dragway, two-time defending world champion in the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, Stevie “Fast” Jackson claimed victory in the final-round quad at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte. Jackson picked up the 11th win in his standout career at the third race of the 2021 E3 Spark Plugs Pro Mod season presented by J&A Service. J&A Service has more than 25 years of oilfield experience, establishing itself as a leader in flowback and oilfield production with nearly 300 employees in 10 states. President Jim Whiteley and his son Steven both compete in E3 Pro Mod events.
During staging for the Pro Mod final, Mike Castellana’s Camaro broke leaving Brandon Snider and Jeffery Barker's Toyota Camry to compete against the two-time defending world champ. Jackson posted an impressive 5.685 ET at 253.75 mph in his blown Bahrain 1 Racing Camaro. Snider went 5.717 at 250.97 mph, while Barker ran into trouble early in the run. However, it really didn’t matter as Jackson had the lead early and never relinquished on the way to his first win of the season. Jackson claimed redemption as he had crashed hard just past the finish line two years earlier running in the same lane four that produced this year’s Pro Mod victory. Stevie “Fast” will look to keep it going as teams head to Norwalk in late June.
Not only has E3 Spark Plugs been a major sponsor of racing events across the nation for more than a decade but they have also been instrumental in producing motorsports ignition products including E3 Racing Distributors, Ignition Boxes, O2 Sensors, Wire Sets and Coils. Now, the spark plug manufacturer is offering Motorsports Lithium Batteries, Motorcycle Lithium Batteries, and Lithium Truck Batteries for all your needs in and around the pits.
Photo Courtesy of Real Pro Mod Gallery
NEXT UP:
Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals
The E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service returns to action June 24-27 at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park in Norwalk, OH.
