If you want to win a doorslammer event, Eric Dillard is about as close as a sure bet as it comes. His combination of tech knowledge, feel for the car and talent has proven more than a few times to be a winning combination.
Sunday, at the NHRA Route 66 Nationals, Dillard had all of his attributes on display as a substitute driver for former world champion Jose Gonzalez. On Sunday, he secured a victory in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+. The event is the third of ten in the 2024 season.
Dillard beat another seasoned veteran in Khalid AlBalooshi in the final round, clocking a 5.766-second run at 249.95 mph in the Q80 Chevrolet Camaro. This marked Dillard’s second career win in the category. His path to the final was marked by exceptional consistency, with runs of either 5.75 or 5.76 seconds in every round of eliminations, defeating Stan Shelton, Justin Bond, and Billy Banaka.
“It’s crazy I even get to come out here and do this,” Dillard said. “I’ve got to thank Jose and this team. They carried me today, and I’m just blessed to be able to come out here and race. I can’t thank everybody enough for supporting what we do. This is awesome, and I appreciate everyone on this team. It’s all the people behind me. This thing was on point all day. At the end of the day, that’s what teamwork is all about. I got carried today, and it felt pretty good.”
On his way to his first final round this season and the ninth of his career, AlBalooshi defeated Jason Lee, Ken Quartuccio, and Kris Thorne.
The next event in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+ is scheduled for May 31-June 2. It will occur at the 14th annual NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway in Epping, N.H.
