J.R. Gray finished off a standout weekend at zMAX Dragway with the victory in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series on Sunday, defeating a final-round quad that included Billy Banaka, Alex Laughlin and Mike Janis as part of the 15th annual American Rebel Light NHRA 4-Wide Nationals.
The Charlotte event marked the third of 10 races during the 2025 season in the category, and this weekend’s race was powered by Culp Lumber.
It was Gray who was in control from start to finish in his Al-Anabi Performance Camaro, finishing the weekend with a strong run of 5.656-second at 255.73 mph in the finals. It was the best run of the day for Gray, who lived in the 5.60s during eliminations.
He won his opening quad with a stellar 5.667 at 256.65 and was even better a round later, winning the second-round quad with a pass of 5.659 at 256.31. That set up a thrilling final round, but Gray delivered a .025 reaction time and quickly chased down Banaka to pick up the victory.
It is Gray’s first Congruity NHRA Pro Mod win of the season and the second in his career, as he also vaulted to second in the points standings. Gray also qualified No. 1 on the strength of a 5.680 at 254.76 and simply got better during each round of eliminations on Sunday.
“We’ve been cutting good lights all day long, and we were just going up to do the same thing again in the final round,” Gray said. “I’m happy with the light and happy with the performance. This team, these guys have made this thing a bullet.”
Banaka finished as the runner-up with his run of 5.705 at 249.26, with Laughlin taking third.
The Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series returns to action May 15-18 as part of the 25th annual Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK at Route 66 Raceway in Chicago.
This story was originally published on April 28, 2025. 
