Two races after advancing to his first career final round in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, Derek Menholt picked up his first career victory on Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway, defeating former world champion Mike Castellana in the final round of the NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals.
It marked the third of the category’s four-race “Road to the Championship” playoffs and the event, which is the ninth of 10 in 2025, was powered by Jerry Bickel Race Cars and M&M Transmission.
In the final round, Castellana left first, but his car ran into trouble, opening the door for Menholt, who had engine difficulties late in the run but hung on for the memorable victory with a run of 6.468-seconds at 137.01 mph.
Menholt was the runner-up in Indianapolis at the playoff opener and he made sure to finish the job this weekend in St. Louis, defeating Dmitry Samorukov, Ken Quartuccio and J.R. Gray to reach the final round.
It wasn’t a picture-perfect run by any stretch, but Menholt was thrilled with the end result and his first-ever NHRA Pro Mod victory.
“Winning my first NHRA Pro Mod race is a dream come true,” Menholt said. “I can’t thank my family enough for standing beside me every step of the way and I’m grateful to Scott Tidwell and our entire team for believing in this program. This win is a huge milestone and now we’re carrying that momentum into the final (race of the season) in Las Vegas with our sights set on finishing the season strong.”
The victory also pulled Menholt into a tie for second in points with Mike Stavrinos. They both trail Billy Banaka by 11 points heading into the final race of the year, with Gray 24 points behind in fourth.
Castellana reached the final round for the second time this season after defeating Nick Januik, Kevin Rivenbark and Stevie Jackson.
The Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series finishes its 2025 season on Oct. 30-Nov. 2 as part of the NHRA Nevada Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
This story was originally published on September 29, 2025. 
