Ken Quartuccio picked up the biggest win in his career in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+, defeating Mike Stavrinos in the final round on Sunday at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park as part of the 70th annual Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals.
The race also kicked off the category’s four-race “Road to the Championship” playoffs and was powered by Shaneda Machine, as Quartuccio made a big move in the points standings with his memorable victory at The Big Go.
With the playoff points reset in the loaded Pro Mod class, Quartuccio surged into the points lead, going 5.766-seconds at 247.34 mph in his Scott Tidwell Racing Chevrolet Camaro to defeat Stavrinos, who went 5.937 at 244.52.
To get to the final round for the third time in his NHRA Pro Mod career, Quartuccio knocked off Sidnei Frigo, Lyle Barnett and Kevin Rivenbark, who is now second in points. That set up the matchup with Stavrinos and Quartuccio charged off with his second victory of the season and a special moment in the veteran’s career.
“It took everything, a lot of belief and a lot of good people,” Quartuccio said. “I was ready to quit racing at the end of last season. I wasn’t having fun and I thought I was just getting old. It wasn’t that – now I’m having fun again with Scott Tidwell and this team. It’s a great group of people I’m with now.”
Thanks to the victory, Quartuccio now holds a 47-point lead over Rivenbark, with former world champ Jose Gonzalez 52 points back in third. After not qualifying in Indy, previous points leader Kris Thorne dropped to fifth in points, 79 back of Quartuccio.
Stavrinos advanced to the final round for the first time in his NHRA Pro Mod career, defeating Dmitry Samorukov, Jordan Lazic and Billy Banaka to set up the matchup with Quartuccio. Stavrinos jumped nearly 10 spots in the standings in the process, vaulting all the way to seventh.
The Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+ returns to action on Sept. 20-22 with the NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte.
This story was originally published on September 2, 2024. 
