DINWIDDIE, VA – The first five races of the 2025 season in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series have been dominated by two drivers, with J.R. Gray and Mike Stavrinos combining for four wins. But heading into Virginia Motorsports Park as part of this weekend’s American Rebel Light Virginia NHRA Nationals, Billy Banaka is looking to make another strong move.

He’s currently fourth in points and looking to win for the first time in his NHRA Pro Mod career. This weekend is the sixth of 10 events during the 2025 NHRA Pro Mod season and the last race of the regular season before the start of the Road to the Championship playoffs in Indy. This weekend’s event in Richmond is also powered by DPFXFIT by GESi.

Banaka has put together a solid season thus far in the loaded category, advancing to his first career final round at the four-wide race in Charlotte, where he finished as the runner-up to Gray, who is the current points leader after his Bristol win. Banaka was impressive there, too, advancing to the semifinals before a close loss to Stavrinos. He’s now ready to finish the job and getting the win at Virginia Motorsports Park would be an ideal way to close out his regular season. Continue reading →

BRISTOL, TN – J.R. Gray won for the second time this season in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series on Sunday at Bristol Dragway, defeating his Al-Anabi Performance teammate Mike Stavrinos in the final round as part of this weekend’s 24th annual Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.

It was the fifth of 10 races during the 2025 NHRA Pro Mod season and this weekend’s event was powered by Cardinal Insurance.

After a lengthy rain delay, Gray and Stavrinos had a thrilling side-by-side race in the final round, with Gray slipping past Stavrinos with a standout run of 5.762-seconds at 250.46 mph. It was the quickest run of Sunday’s eliminations and handed Gray his third career NHRA Pro Mod victory.

To get to the final round, Gray defeated Chip King, Stevie Jackson and Rickie Smith, and then chased down Stavrinos by a thin margin at the finish line. Gray also leaves Bristol in the points lead. Continue reading →

BRISTOL, TN – Hitting the halfway point in its 2025 season, the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Series will be in the heart of Pro Mod country at scenic Bristol Dragway as part of this weekend’s 24th annual Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.

It is the fifth of 10 events during the 2025 NHRA Pro Mod season and this weekend’s event in Thunder Valley is powered by Cardinal Insurance. It also serves as the penultimate race in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod regular season, putting even more emphasis on a strong performance in Bristol.

Kris Thorne defeated J.R. Gray in the final round last season in Thunder Valley and Gray has enjoyed a stellar 2025 thus far, leading the points heading into the critical race at one of the marquee stops in the Pro Mod category. Continue reading →

CHARLOTTE – J.R. Gray finished off a standout weekend at zMAX Dragway with the victory in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series on Sunday, defeating a final-round quad that included Billy Banaka, Alex Laughlin and Mike Janis as part of the 15th annual American Rebel Light NHRA 4-Wide Nationals.

The Charlotte event marked the third of 10 races during the 2025 season in the category and this weekend’s race was powered by Culp Lumber.

It was Gray who was in control from start to finish in his Al-Anabi Performance Camaro, finishing the weekend with a strong run of 5.656-second at 255.73 mph in the finals. It was the best run of the day for Gray, who lived in the 5.60s during eliminations.

He won his opening quad with a stellar 5.667 at 256.65 and was even better a round later, winning the second-round quad with a pass of 5.659 at 256.31. That set up a thrilling final round, but Gray delivered an .025 reaction time and quickly chased down Banaka to pick up the victory. Continue reading →