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On the strength of his win at the Rock, Florida racer Michael Stavrinos jumped into the points lead in the JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Elite Motorsports.

Now all he has to do in the blown AAP Camaro is to go rounds at the NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway.

The Midwest Nationals is the penultimate race in the eleven race series with the finals at Las Vegas over the Halloween weekend.

It will make for a thrilling final two races and Stavrinos is well aware of what he needs to do this weekend in St. Louis.

Winning on a hole shot over Canadian Justin Bond, Stavrinos from Ft Lauderdale left the Rock with a slim nine points behind him and Derek Menholt 43 points back in third.

“Coming into St. Louis in this position is exactly where we want to be,” Stavrinos said. “The AAP team has really found its stride and the momentum we’ve built over the last few races gives us a lot of confidence. But the points are incredibly tight, so there’s no room to take anything for granted.

“We’re going to St. Louis focused on doing what we’ve been doing – qualifying well, making good runs and going rounds. At this stage of the championship, every point matters and we’re ready for the fight.”

The annual Pro Mod stop in St. Louis always comes at a key time and this year is no different with the championship hunt in full effect. It’s another loaded field that includes the likes of Billy Banaka, reigning world champion J.R. Gray, Stan Shelton, Stevie Jackson, Mike Castellana, Lyle Barnett and Jason Collins, with everyone looking to get the win at the penultimate race of the season.

“St. Louis is our home track, and after four consecutive years of supporting NHRA Pro Mod, this event has become an important part of our commitment to the racers and customers in this class,” said Mark Micke, owner and CEO of M&M Transmission.

“Our trackside maintenance and support are an extension of what we stand for every day — delivering the reliability, performance and technology these teams need to compete at the highest level. We’re proud to play a part in helping the quickest and fastest doorslammers in the world win races and set records.”

Bond, near lane, left the Rock 9 points being Stavrinos in the chase

In the finals of Pro Mod at Rockingham it was a thrilling final round, Stavrinos’ run of 5.664-seconds at 254.09 mph held up thanks to a .039 reaction time, which was enough to hold off Bond’s 5.656 at 257.29. It gave Stavrinos his second victory this season and fifth in his career.

Rickie Smith, near lane, fouled out against Stavrinos in the semis and threw away a great 5,68 in the loss to the winning  5.671 of Stavrinos

On his way to the win, Stavrinos defeated Kevin Rivenbark, reigning world champion J.R. Gray and Rickie Smith to reach the final round, turning in another brilliant performance in the final round.

“I was focused as I could be. What a day at Rockingham,” Stavrinos said. “This place is awesome and to get the first win here, that’s just great. I love it here and my team is amazing.”

 Bond reached the championship round for the fourth time this year by defeating Mike Castellana, Tony Wilson and Derek Menholt.

Derek Menholt is currently in third place in the chase to the title

Mike Stavrinos has enjoyed an impressive year in the JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Elite Motorsports, but the standout has turned it on at a key time, leading the points race with only two events remaining heading into this weekend’s NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway.

The JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Elite Motorsports features two qualifying rounds at 3:15 and 6:30 p.m. CT on Friday and the final two rounds of qualifying at 11 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. on Saturday. The first round of eliminations is slated for 4:15 p.m. CT on Saturday, with eliminations continuing on Sunday.

A qualifying session from 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.

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