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.
“Thunder Valley is a special place for drag racing, particularly NHRA Pro Mod,” said Mike McKinney, Agency Manager of Cardinal Insurance. “We believe that NHRA supports our business model when it comes to business development, relationship building and networking – all the elements of Cardinal Insurance’s customer service goals! We are family owned and pride ourselves in providing first-class services by highly experienced staff.”
Cardinal Insurance also works with Pro Mod driver Stan Shelton.
While Gray is in the points lead, there’s plenty of stellar competition looking to track him down. Mason Wright put on a stellar show in Chicago en route to a commanding victory, while Michael Stavrinos, who is 29 points behind Gray, won the first two events of the season. Rickie Smith, a multi-time world champ and a “Legend of Thunder Valley,” remains in title contention in third place, while other standouts include Billy Banaka, Justin Bond, Kevin Rivenbark, Ken Quartuccio, Alex Laughlin, and Mike Janis.
In all, it’s a loaded field in Bristol, as 21 competitors will look to win in Thunder Valley and take plenty of momentum into the Road to the Championship playoffs.
The Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series will kick off with two qualifying rounds on Friday at 3:15 PM and 7 p.m. ET, with the final two qualifying rounds set for 11:45 a.m. and 5:05 p.m. on Saturday. The first round of eliminations is slated for 1:40 p.m. ET on Sunday.
To purchase tickets to the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, fans can visit www.NHRA.com/tickets. For more information on NHRA, please visit www.NHRA.com.
This story was originally published on June 5, 2025. 
