BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 9, 2024) – J.R. Gray raced to the win in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+ on Sunday, defeating former world champion Kris Thorne at Bristol Dragway as part of this weekend’s 23rd annual Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.
It was the fifth of 10 races during the 2024 season and this weekend’s event was powered by Cardinal Insurance.
In the final round, Gray went 5.812-seconds at 247.61 mph in his Camaro, getting past Thorne’s 5.937 at 203.55 to pick up his second career win. To reach the championship round, Gray had to get past Doug Winters, Dmitry Samorukov and Mike Thielen. It was his first finals appearance of the 2024 season.
“We looked at the qualifying sheet and sometimes it’s an uphill battle, but we keep on digging,” said Gray, who qualified second with a run of 5.799 at 249.07. “We had a quite a few things come into play over the last few races, but we’ve been digging hard to come up with ways to get us a little bit more horsepower. I take it one round at a time. Every race is a different race and we up line and shoot them down, but in the back of your mind you’re thinking about it a little bit.”
Thorne, who qualified No. 1 with a spectacular 5.764 at 250.41, knocked off Rickie Smith, Ken Quartuccio and points leader Jose Gonzalez to reach the final round for the second time this season and the 10th time in his career.
The Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+ returns to action with the Virginia NHRA Nationals on June 22-23 at Virginia Motorsports Park in Richmond, Va. It is the final race of the regular season in the category.
BRISTOL, Tenn. — Final finish order (1-16) at the 23rd annual Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway. The race is the fifth of 10 events in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+.
PRO MODIFIED:
- JR Gray; 2. Kris Thorne; 3. Jose Gonzalez; 4. Mike Thielen; 5. Ken Quartuccio; 6. Dmitry Samorukov; 7. Billy Banaka; 8. Mike Castellana; 9. Lyle Barnett; 10. Khalid alBalooshi; 11. Kevin Rivenbark; 12. Jordan Lazic; 13. Justin Bond; 14. Doug Winters; 15. Rickie Smith; 16. Dwayne Wolfe.
BRISTOL, Tenn. — Sunday’s final results from the 23rd annual Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway. The race is the fifth of 10 events in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+.
Pro Modified — JR Gray, Chevy Camaro, 5.812, 247.61 def. Kris Thorne, Camaro, 5.937, 203.55.
BRISTOL, Tenn. — Final round-by-round results from the 23rd annual Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway. The race is the fifth of 10 events in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+.
PRO MODIFIED:
ROUND ONE — Jose Gonzalez, Chevy Camaro, 5.806, 247.79 def. Kevin Rivenbark, Ford Mustang, 5.838, 244.34; Ken Quartuccio, Camaro, 5.809, 244.60 def. Dwayne Wolfe, Camaro, 7.830, 121.54; Mike Castellana, Camaro, 5.783, 247.57 def. Lyle Barnett, Camaro, 5.803, 245.40; Billy Banaka, Camaro, 5.853, 233.44 def. Khalid alBalooshi, Camaro, 5.837, 246.62; Kris Thorne, Camaro, 5.756, 249.86 def. Rickie Smith, Mustang, 6.017, 190.67; JR Gray, Camaro, 5.868, 247.43 def. Doug Winters, Chevy Chevelle, 6.012, 227.80; Mike Thielen, Camaro, 5.857, 246.03 def. Justin Bond, Camaro, 5.957, 244.34; Dmitry Samorukov, Camaro, 5.835, 244.69 def. Jordan Lazic, Camaro, 5.844, 247.66;
QUARTERFINALS — Gonzalez, 5.815, 247.20 def. Banaka, 5.883, 239.82; Thielen, 5.866, 246.44 def. Castellana, 6.039, 196.59; Thorne, 6.147, 185.61 def. Quartuccio, Foul – Red Light; Gray, 5.808, 247.93 def. Samorukov, Foul – Red Light;
SEMIFINALS — Thorne, 5.820, 248.29 def. Gonzalez, 5.826, 247.66; Gray, 5.844, 247.38 def. Thielen, Foul – Red Light;
FINAL — Gray, 5.812, 247.61 def. Thorne, 5.937, 203.55.
