Two-time and reigning PDRA Pro Boost world champion Jason Harris watched the U.S. Street Nationals presented by M&M Transmission from his couch. Not by choice, of course, as he was fighting a two-week illness. It was another hard blow to Harris’s championship hopes in the inaugural Drag Illustrated Winter Series presented by J&A Service following a first-round exit at the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals presented by Motion Raceworks in December, but he’s ready to bounce back in a big way at the upcoming World Series of Pro Mod, Feb. 27-March 1, at Bradenton Motorsports Park.
“I just got extremely sick the day before we were supposed to leave for the U.S. Street Nationals,” said Harris, also a two-time PDRA Pro Nitrous world champ. “I actually sent my father on with the rig the next day and then had to basically call him and tell him to turn around. I just didn’t think there was any way. I was sick and we had bad weather here, so getting a flight out was going to be impossible. It was just a combination of a lot of things.”
Harris said he watched every minute of the race, though, giving him a fan’s perspective of the ultra-competitive Pro Mod series that includes the $50,000-to-win Snowbirds, $75,000-to-win U.S. Street Nationals, and $150,000-to-win WSOPM.
“The Winter Series has brought all the organizations together – NHRA, Mid-West, PDRA – so we can run in one platform,” Harris said. “It’s a total combined effort of a lot of tuners and a lot of drivers to make a really fast program. I think it’s been life-changing for Pro Mod racing in general. Kye [Kelley] winning Snowbirds really brought in some newer fanbase that maybe knew about Pro Mod, but just didn’t realize the level of competition that it brought.
“It adds a difficulty level because you’re racing guys you haven’t raced,” Harris added. “And the chip draw adds a whole different ballgame to it because I’m a terrible chip drawer.”
Harris isn’t wrong there. At the 2024 WSOPM, he drew past NEOPMA champion Steve King in the first round, then ended up facing No. 1 qualifier Mark Micke in the second round. He became every other driver’s favorite driver by eliminating Micke in a side-by-side race. Another tough draw, four-time PDRA Pro Nitrous world champion Jim Halsey, knocked out Harris with low E.T. of the third round.
Harris paired up with another fellow former Pro Nitrous competitor in the opening round of the Snowbirds. He drew Jay Cox, who made his return to driving after a one-year hiatus, this time with a brand-new, twin-turbocharged combination in his “Pumpkin” ’69 Camaro. The reaction to the pairing during the chip draw on Saturday night foreshadowed a marquee matchup, but the race was over before it started as Harris went red by .006 seconds.
It was an uncharacteristic early exit for Harris, who has used a consistent, level-headed approach to race to four PDRA world championships in the 11-year history of the series. That’s the approach he’s going to use at the World Series, working with tuner Brandon Stroud to get his ProCharged Southern Diamond Company “Party Time” ’69 Camaro into the winner’s circle at the big-money event.
“Being that I missed the U.S. Street Nationals, I’m probably gonna be a little bit behind as far as tuning and trying to figure out where we’re at,” Harris said. “I think the person that can go down the track the most consistently will probably be the winner. I don’t think it’ll necessarily be the fastest car. Me and Micke, we haven’t won anything and we’re normally pretty fast, but I think you’ve got to be consistent. I think you’re gonna have to go down in the daylight. I think you’re gonna have to be really fast when the sun goes down.”
Just because he plans to be consistent doesn’t mean Harris will be conservative. He reached the semifinals in 2023 and the quarterfinals last year. This year, he’ll settle for nothing less than a win.
“I’m gonna go into the World Series of Pro Mod with all guns blazing,” Harris said. “I’m coming on a mission. I’ve been close the last two years. I just haven’t been able to seal the deal. This time, I’m coming for blood.”
This story was originally published on February 17, 2025. 
