Jason Harris didn’t need ideal conditions or a full day of testing to set the early tone at the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals. He needed one clean lap, and his Harts Charger-boosted “Party Time” ’69 Camaro delivered it with force.
Harris opened the 2025/2026 Drag Illustrated Winter Series with a 3.560-second run at 211.20 mph, placing him atop a record 32-car Pro Mod field after Thursday’s accelerated qualifying schedule. With rain looming later in the weekend, officials pushed competition forward, allowing every headline class to bank two early sessions.
Two rounds were enough for Harris to show substantial gains after a shaky start. His team unloaded a new Harold Denton tribute livery, mechanical updates, and a combination still in the early stages of refinement. The second pass changed all of that.
“We struggled in testing and got all our gremlins out of the way,” Harris said. “We went down the track on the first run, no big deal, and I kind of expected a .57-.58, but I think we made a good enough adjustment to where it picked up that extra hundredth.”
Harris said the team is still mapping out the Harts Charger program and working through changes in the fuel system but believes they took a meaningful step. More than one crew contributed to the turnaround, and he made sure to emphasize that partnership. “We’re still messing with this Harts Charger right now, and we’re trying to learn the fuel, but we’re getting there,” he said. “It’s a badass run. What can I say? My team, Pro Line, TKM – all these guys stand behind me.”
The front of the qualifying sheet reflects the depth of the event’s roster. Defending Snowbirds winner Kye Kelley sits No. 2 after a 3.575 at 209.62 in his screw-blown “Uncle Larry” Camaro, followed closely by Eric Gustafson, whose 3.576 at 210.01 came early enough to earn the $5,000 “Off The Trailer” Bonus from Pro Line Racing. Just behind them, Randy Weatherford posted a 3.581 at 210.93, and Ken Quartuccio, last season’s Winter Series champion, is fifth with a 3.583 at 209.95.
Jason Lee holds the bump at 3.629, and the list of drivers below that line could fill a marquee on their own. Past NHRA Pro Mod world champion Kris Thorne, 2017 World Series of Pro Mod winner Mike Bowman, three-time Winter Series No. 1 qualifier Mark Micke, six-time NHRA Pro Stock champion Erica Enders, two-time PDRA Pro Boost champion Todd Tutterow, and former Snowbirds winner Lyle Barnett all failed to make the field on Thursday.
That kind of depth keeps Harris grounded even with the early lead. More than one pass will be needed to defend the top spot, and more than one driver is capable of taking it. Yet for Harris, the potential prize at the end of qualifying is worth protecting.
On top of the standard bragging rights, Jerry Bickel Race Cars will pay $5,000 to the No. 1 qualifier. If the same driver tops qualifying at all three Winter Series events — the Snowbirds, U.S. Street Nationals, and World Series of Pro Mod — JBRC will build a rolling chassis valued at more than $200,000.
“I think a 3.56 is a stout run, but there’s a lot of badass people here and anybody’s capable,” Harris said. “Everybody here has the best equipment there is. I’m hoping it will stand up, but we’ll just see how everything plays out.”
But the chassis bonus isn’t the only sweep circling Harris. The new Elite Motorsports Million — offering $1,000,000 to any driver who wins all three Winter Series Pro Mod races — now looms over the pits as both motivation and pressure. Harris has won the Snowbirds before, and he’s reached the semifinals twice at the World Series of Pro Mod. Those experiences shape the belief that he could be in that conversation.
“I’ve been close. I’ve been real close,” Harris said. “I’ve won this race years and years ago with a nitrous car. It’d be nice to do it again and try to go after that million. I’ve won a bunch of races in a row before. But each round win feels like a winner’s circle to me against the heavy hitters that we’ve got here.”
The strong Pro Mod turnout overshadowed notable performances elsewhere on Thursday’s condensed program. In Pro 10.5, John Carinci took provisional control with a 3.879 at 209.69 in his twin-turbo Corvette, tuning assistance coming from 2018 World Series of Pro Mod champion Carl Stevens Jr. Jerry Morgano followed at 3.900, and NFL lineman Fletcher Cox slotted third at 3.920 in his nitrous Camaro.
Limited Drag Radial went to hometown driver Brett LaSala, who steered his turbocharged “Snot Rocket” Mustang to a 3.900 at 196.85 for the early lead. In Ultra Street, Terry Wilson recorded a 4.425 at 157.80 to claim the provisional No. 1 spot.
With two more Pro Mod sessions scheduled for Friday — beginning at 9:30 a.m. and concluding at 6 p.m. — the field remains far from settled. The index classes will also cycle through time trials, while Pro 10.5 joins Pro Mod as the only categories running all three Winter Series events.
Still, Harris controls the headline for now. And he knows how quickly that can change once the air cools, the starting line tightens, and 30 drivers take aim at the number he posted.
“We’ve worked really hard in the last couple of days, and it all came together tonight,” Harris said. “Now we just have to keep up.”
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