Mike Stavrinos claimed his first career victory in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series on Saturday at Firebird Motorsports Park. He defeated Rickie Smith in the final round of the postponed NHRA Gatornationals and secured the No. 1 qualifier spot for this weekend’s Arizona Nationals.
Stavrinos powered his AAP Camaro to a time of 5.752 seconds at 247.52 mph, edging out Smith, who ran 5.796 seconds at 249.81 mph. The win marked a significant achievement for Stavrinos against a multi-time world champion.
“It really doesn’t feel real right now. I’ve wanted one of these (Wallys) since I was a little kid,” Stavrinos said. “I can’t tell you how much this means… Hats off to all my guys. They deserve this.”
To reach the final, Stavrinos defeated Kevin Rivenbark, Justin Bond, and J.R. Gray.
In addition to his victory, Stavrinos also qualified No. 1 for Sunday’s race with a time of 5.725 seconds at 248.61 mph. He will open eliminations against Dymtry Samorukov.
Smith advanced to the final round after defeating Billy Banaka and Gainesville No. 1 qualifier Jason Scruggs.
Eliminations for the 40th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Series begin at 12:25 p.m. MT on Sunday at Firebird Motorsports Park.
