After completing his first full season in NHRA Pro Mod competition in 2024, Mike Stavrinos is set to return to the professional ranks under the wing of AAP/Al-Anabi Racing, marking the teams’ full-fledged return to drag racing in 2025.
[Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in DI #193, the Interview Issue, in March / April of 2025.]
With his rookie season behind him, Stavrinos admits it took time to adjust to the drivability of quarter-mile racing on a big slick tire compared to eighth-mile racing on radial tires. With nearly two decades of experience in the heads-up outlaw racing scene, he expected a smoother transition into the professional category, but instead faced a steep learning curve.
“I thought my past experience in small-tire racing would have helped me jump into Pro Mod and immediately start going rounds, but I had a reality check and realized that this has to be looked at from a whole different perspective,” Stavrinos admits.
Separated by just hundredths of a second, Stavrinos learned quickly that Pro Mod is one of the most competitive classes in the NHRA. The rigorous race schedule and travel also proved to be quite demanding for the Fort Lauderdale-based driver. However, the opportunity to race at facilities throughout the country against elite drivers from around the world was Stavrinos’ biggest takeaway from his first season. The Pro Mod class has a large international presence and includes racers from countries like Brazil, Bahrain, and Sweden, adding to the significance of competing on a professional stage.
“When you race with this group, everything has to be on that professional level. There are cameras everywhere, you’ve got to have proper attire, and interacting with fans is a lot different, but I love it,” Stavrinos says.
While the team struggled during the first half of the 2024 season, enduring multiple DNQs, things turned around at the halfway mark. After amicably parting ways with Mike Janis Racing, Stavrinos found himself at the right place at the right time and secured a new partnership with Sheik Khalid Al Thani. In a whirlwind turnaround, a new car was pulled from Qatar and shipped to Modern Racing, where it underwent a complete overhaul by Justin Elkes. The new partnership debuted at the U.S. Nationals and almost finished with a storybook ending. Stavrinos made it to the final round against heavy hitter Ken Quartuccio, but fell just short of his first NHRA Pro Modified win.
“We never fired up the car until the first round of qualifying at the U.S. Nationals, and then that weekend was almost a Cinderella story,” Stavrinos reflects. “We runnered up, so it was still a great weekend.”
With new momentum, the team solidified its plans for 2025 during a test session in Qatar this past January. With primary support from Sheik Khalid Al Thani (KH) this year, the team’s championship run will include Todd Tutterow and Mark Savage as head crew chiefs and Stavrinos and J.R. Gray as drivers, with Mike Castellana behind the wheel of AAP’s third entry. The team’s fleet of cars will run 4.9 Noonan engines built by WYO Motorsports, paired with screw blowers. Halfway through the season, the team will unveil a fresh, yet familiar to many, look as they bring back the original Al-Anabi Racing theme.
“KH has a huge passion for this program. He’s very hands-on and will jump on the laptop himself to makes calls on tune-ups,” Stavrinos says. “We’ve got a great group.”
As the NHRA Pro Mod class continues to grow – now managed by a racer-led committee with expanded TV coverage and hospitality – Stavrinos is grateful for KH’s full return to the sport at such a pivotal time. While discussions have circulated of NHRA taking control of the Pro Mod program, Stavrinos believes its current state allows teams to find a balance between managing their racing programs with their personal businesses. As the owner of Speed & Truck World, a custom automotive shop, Stavrinos says this balance is crucial.
“My biggest struggle with full-time racing is balancing our business and racing together because without the business, racing is not going to be there,” says Stavrinos, who works with his father and brother in the family business. “We need to have a successful business in order to go drag racing.”
The south Florida business, owned and operated by the Stavrinos family since 1972, has played a major part in Mike’s successful racing career. Nowadays, in order to keep everything running smoothly at home, Stavrinos will often book late-night flights on Thursdays and Sundays in order to be back at work by Monday morning. While the weekends can be long and exhausting, Stavrinos enjoys every second of the current journey he’s on.
With deep roots in racing, Stavrinos built his career in Outlaw 10.5 and No Time. He has made a name for himself over the years with his diverse roster of showstopping machines. As a racer who thrives on high-stakes matchups with big purses, the excitement of NHRA Pro Mod racing is comparable to the same thrill he’s experienced in the grudge racing scene.
“When you’re grudge racing, you could be racing for $20,000, $50,000, or $100,000 purses. It’s almost like a final round at your biggest race every single time you go to the starting line,” Stavrinos says. “Racing at the professional level almost feels the same way.”
Now, as a professional NHRA Pro Mod competitor, Stavrinos is prepared to rise to the challenge once again in 2025, aiming to bring Al-Anabi Racing back to the winner’s circle at the pinnacle of doorslammer drag racing. With a year of experience under his belt and a powerhouse team behind him, the stage has been set for an exciting season ahead.
This story was originally published on May 27, 2025. 
