With a clutch run in the second round on Sunday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Stevie “Fast” Jackson claimed his second straight world championship in the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service.
Jackson faced off with Brandon Snider in a thrilling, winner-take-all quarterfinal matchup and he pulled out a dramatic victory with a pass of 5.776-seconds at 248.66 mph in his supercharged Bahrain 1 Racing Camaro. The run edged out Snider’s 5.787 at 246.71 by less than two feet, handing the championship to Jackson for the second consecutive year in exciting fashion.
Jackson went on to finish his season in impressive style, beating teammate and No. 1 qualifier Khalid alBalooshi in the final round with a run of 5.789 at 247.47 to win for the second time this year and 11th time in his career. Jackson dominated a year ago to claim his first world title, clinching the championship before he even reached Las Vegas. It was a much more challenging year in 2020, as six different drivers claimed wins, but it was just as satisfying for the fan favorite.
“When you have a season like this, there’s a lot of team owners that give up on you when you run as bad as we’ve been running,” Jackson said. “You have people that doubt you, but our Bahrain 1 team was never not behind us. I did a decent job of driving today and this means a lot. The first one, I felt was easier, and this one, you had to earn it. That’s the ones that are the most special.”
The race, which was presented by Strutmasters.com, was seventh race in a shortened 2020 season, and Jackson ended it with a strong statement. He qualified fifth and opened eliminations with a victory against Jim Whiteley. The thrilling win against Snider gave him a bye to the final round, where he led from start to finish against alBalooshi to claim the victory.
alBalooshi, a former world champ, reached the final round for the first time this season and eighth time in his career with victories against Chad Green and Justin Bond.
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LAS VEGAS — Final finish order (1-16) at the 20th annual Dodge NHRA Finals presented by Pennzoil at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The race is the final of seven events in the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series.
PRO MODIFIED:
1. Steve Jackson; 2. Khalid alBalooshi; 3. Justin Bond; 4. Brandon Snider; 5. Chad Green; 6. Mike Janis; 7. Jim Whiteley; 8. Jeff Jones; 9. Clint Satterfield; 10. Justin Jones; 11. Brandon Pesz.
LAS VEGAS — Sunday’s final results from the 20th annual Dodge NHRA Finals presented by Pennzoil at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The race is the final of seven events in the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series.
Pro Modified — Steve Jackson, Chevy Camaro, 5.789, 247.47 def. Khalid alBalooshi, Camaro, 5.890, 224.96.
LAS VEGAS — Final round-by-round results from the 20th annual Dodge NHRA Finals presented by Pennzoil at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the final of seven events in the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series.
PRO MODIFIED:
ROUND ONE — Khalid alBalooshi, Chevy Camaro, 5.734, 250.04 was unopposed; Chad Green, Chevy Corvette, 5.794, 247.70 def. Jeff Jones, Corvette, 5.832, 246.17; Brandon Snider, Corvette, 5.742, 249.16 def. Brandon Pesz, Camaro, Broke – No Show; Justin Bond, Camaro, 5.772, 248.20 def. Clint Satterfield, Camaro, 5.927, 223.95; Steve Jackson, Camaro, 5.770, 248.48 def. Jim Whiteley, Corvette, 5.780, 246.71; Mike Janis, Camaro, 5.771, 248.29 def. Justin Jones, Corvette, 6.326, 217.70;
QUARTERFINALS — alBalooshi, 5.796, 246.62 def. Green, 8.275, 111.95; Bond, 5.800, 243.68 def. Janis, 9.558, 93.14; Jackson, 5.776, 248.66 def. Snider, 5.787, 246.71;
SEMIFINALS — alBalooshi, 5.782, 246.44 def. Bond, 5.783, 246.03; Jackson, No Time Recorded was unopposed;
FINAL — Jackson, 5.789, 247.47 def. alBalooshi, 5.890, 224.96.
LAS VEGAS — Point standings (top 10) following the 20th annual Dodge NHRA Finals presented by Pennzoil at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the final of seven events in the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series.
Pro Modified
1. Steve Jackson, 501; 2. Brandon Snider, 470; 3. Khalid alBalooshi, 455; 4. Mike Janis, 410; 5. Chad Green, 374; 6. Jonathan Gray, 339; 7. Rickie Smith, 295; 8. Kris Thorne, 286; 9. Jim Whiteley, 257; 10. Clint Satterfield, 250.
This story was originally published on November 1, 2020. 
