Only three races remain on the 2026 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series schedule, and the championship chase in every class has come to a full and rolling boil. Minnesota native Jordan Pratt has found himself in a partnership that put him in the thick of it behind the wheel of a Corvette roadster, and from a wide perspective, it’s plain to see that his position has been a long time coming. But for a driver who has yet to finish in the top 10 in the national standings, these are the days dreams are made of, and he is set on making the most of the opportunity.
 
“I recognize the cool-factor of pulling into the gate here. It’s an experience not everyone gets, and really, I’m thankful just to be here,” said Pratt, who arrives at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway ready to launch into the 26th annual Mopar NHRA Las Vegas Nationals and then immediately turn to the final division race of the season there at The Strip. The In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals will close the charge one week later in Pomona.

Gratitude alone doesn’t carry one to a championship, and Pratt is dialed in to what it will take to earn the title amongst those still in the fight — including former world champions and some of the best in the country.
 
“I zoom out, and I realize that this scenario could make you nervous, but thankfully, I’m not. I think the word to describe how I feel going into this is confident. I just believe that I’m prepared, partly because I’ve been through this on a smaller scale and experienced the trials of winning and losing,” continued Pratt, recalling the journey to Las Vegas and Pomona last season in which he was attempting to lock into the top 10 in Super Comp but fell a single round short. The intensity of those final days of the 2025 season, as well as winning the West Central Division’s Super Comp championship at the age of 17 and being in the hunt within the division several season thereafter, provided an invaluable hands-on education.
 
“I’ve been through it all, and I’ve learned, every step of the way,” he said. “Everything inside of this year has led me to this point, and having the right people believing in you helps you believe in yourself.”

The road to now

Long before Pratt was born, his father, Bob, was enthralled with race cars. The younger Pratt’s first memories of the racetrack stretch back to attending the national event at their home track, Brainerd International Raceway, and the first car he remembers was a red Camaro that his father and friend Donnie Durenberger raced in Super Street. At the age of nine, Pratt entered NHRA’s Jr. Drag Racing League, and after a transition into Super Comp and racing the 8.90 class for a few years, he scored a ticket to race the red Camaro.
 
“I was pretty young when my dad and Donnie ran that car, but I learned a lot just watching,” said the racer who went on to compete in two classes throughout college. As graduation neared, Pratt opted to park the dragster and run the Camaro exclusively, and success seemed to come a bit easier as he concentrated focus. Later, he transitioned back to the dragster, and it wasn’t until last year that he considered running two cars again. The circumstances were unexpected – instead of racing his own Camaro, friends Jesse and Kelli Smith approached him with an interesting offer.
 
“Jesse was going to focus on his Super Comp dragster but he didn’t want the roadster to sit, so he asked me what I thought about driving it,” recalled Pratt. “His first words were, ‘Kelli and I think you could win a world championship in it.’ I kind of thought he was joking, but he was actually serious. It took me a minute to process, and I was a little nervous because this is their dream car, and it’s very special to them. But I said, ‘Well yeah, I’ll take you up on that.’ Last fall, we came up with a plan, set out to run a full division five schedule and three national events, and then we agreed that if things looked good, we’d go out West.”
 

Go West, young man

When Pratt swept both Super Gas titles at the West Central Division’s double-header at SRCA Dragstrip in Great Bend, Kan., it was a shock to the community as well as to the driver, himself. Stepping into a car he’d never driven before came with a learning curve, but he was proving to be a quick learner.
 
“I was still getting comfortable and settled in the car at that point. Early in the year, it was a success just to do a clean burnout,” he admitted. “Every car is a little bit different, and we were still working out the kinks with the setup, but I do think that it brought me back to the fundamentals and not over-complicating it. Everything this year has been building up to this moment, focusing on the routine, preparation, and all that stuff. It’s just been an unbelievable year already, and one that’s going to be hard to top.”
 
Even after doubling in Great Bend, the national points weren’t on Pratt’s mind until the U.S. Nationals nearly two months later, when he reached the final round and gained a good lot of points.
 
“It didn’t take me long to do the math and see that I had a shot at this,” he said. “It was looking like it would be pretty realistic to get inside of the top 10, and Jesse said, jokingly, ‘Well, just go win Earlville.’ That was the divisional the next weekend, and when I actually won that, it got pretty serious. We decided we were going to go for it and started making plans. Then it got really serious when I won the divisional in St. Louis.”

Grateful, focused, confident

After winning the 2015 West Central Division Super Comp championship so early in his racing career, Pratt was on a mission to replicate the feat. This season, he’s done it in a big way with the Division 5 championships in both Super Gas and Super Comp already in his pocket. While he’s charging for the world in Super Gas, Pratt is aiming for a top three finish nationally in Super Comp. His additional accomplishments include a pair of Super Street national event wins (Topeka 2022 and Dallas 2024), as well as three JEGS Allstars appearances. For the past decade, he’s very much been a student of drag racing, always with the aim of being better. He’s been deeply entrenched in Luke Bogacki’s This Is Bracket Racing courses and became part of Bogacki’s team, primarily on the marketing and advertising side. All along the way, he’s soaked up the knowledge of those around him, both at the racetrack and in his career.
 
“It’s been a 10-year process of evolving and learning and growing, and I’m thankful to be able to say that my biggest strength has become the mental side of racing,” Pratt shared. “I’ve grown a lot in that regard, and I think that’s important because the mental side of things can be your biggest advantage or your biggest weakness in this sport.
 
“The other thing is that I’m the one going after the championship, but a really big part of this is team work. My dad has been huge – I wouldn’t be in racing without him and my mom, Lori. My fiancée Maggie has been with me for almost nine years now, and she’s my crew chief, there to push me forward and help with whatever I need, at home and at the track. Jesse and Kelli are amazing people, and the fact that they offered to let me hop in the seat speaks volumes. They provide me with a great car, one I can feel confident in, and it’s just very fun to drive. This is very much a group effort, and that’s helped me to feel confident in the spot I’m in and focused on that. I believe if I do my job, trust myself and my routine, and stick with my program, I’ll come out on top. That’s my attitude going into this: I’m grateful, and at the same time, I’m serious and focused on my lane.”
 
Pratt offered words of gratitude for those who continue to support him in his endeavors, including his family, Corey and Maranna Bentley, Chris Bishop, John Gosh, Luke Bogacki, Justin Lamb, and the This Is Bracket Racing ELITE community.
 
Follow Jordan Pratt on social media: Facebook.com/nitro5131

This story was originally published on October 29, 2026.