Ken Quartuccio Opens Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Series Road to the Championship with Indy Win at Race Powered by Shaneda Machine

Media Box of the Pro Mod Final Round from Sunday: PRO MOD MEDIA BOX

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – September 2, 2024 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – Ken Quartuccio picked up the biggest win in his career in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+, defeating Mike Stavrinos in the final round on Sunday at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park as part of the 70th annual Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals.

The race also kicked off the category’s four-race “Road to the Championship” playoffs and was powered by Shaneda Machine, as Quartuccio made a big move in the points standings with his memorable victory at The Big Go.

With the playoff points reset in the loaded Pro Mod class, Quartuccio surged into the points lead, going 5.766-seconds at 247.34 mph in his Scott Tidwell Racing Chevrolet Camaro to defeat Stavrinos, who went 5.937 at 244.52.

To get to the final round for the third time in his NHRA Pro Mod career, Quartuccio knocked off Sidnei Frigo, Lyle Barnett and Kevin Rivenbark, who is now second in points. That set up the matchup with Stavrinos and Quartuccio charged off with his second victory of the season and a special moment in the veteran’s career.

“It took everything, a lot of belief and a lot of good people,” Quartuccio said. “I was ready to quit racing at the end of last season. I wasn’t having fun and I thought I was just getting old. It wasn’t that – now I’m having fun again with Scott Tidwell and this team. It’s a great group of people I’m with now.”

Thanks to the victory, Quartuccio now holds a 47-point lead over Rivenbark, with former world champ Jose Gonzalez 52 points back in third. After not qualifying in Indy, previous points leader Kris Thorne dropped to fifth in points, 79 back of Quartuccio.

Stavrinos advanced to the final round for the first time in his NHRA Pro Mod career, defeating Dmitry Samorukov, Jordan Lazic and Billy Banaka to set up the matchup with Quartuccio. Stavrinos jumped nearly 10 spots in the standings in the process, vaulting all the way to seventh.

The Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+ returns to action on Sept. 20-22 with the NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte.

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN — Final finish order (1-16) at the 70th annual Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. The race is the seventh of 10 events in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+.

PRO MODIFIED:

1. Ken Quartuccio; 2. Mike Stavrinos; 3. Billy Banaka; 4. Kevin Rivenbark; 5. Lyle Barnett; 6. Jordan Lazic; 7. Justin Bond; 8. Khalid alBalooshi; 9. Sidnei Frigo; 10. JR Gray; 11. Scott Wildgust; 12. Stan Shelton; 13. Mike Castellana; 14. Steve Jackson; 15. Mason Wright; 16. Dmitry Samorukov.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN — Sunday’s final results from the 70th annual Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. The race is the seventh of 10 events in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+.

Pro Modified — Ken Quartuccio, Chevy Camaro, 5.766, 247.34 def. Mike Stavrinos, Camaro, 5.937, 244.52.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN — Final round-by-round results from the 70th annual Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, the seventh of 10 events in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+.

PRO MODIFIED:

ROUND ONE — Justin Bond, Chevy Camaro, 5.710, 249.30 def. Scott Wildgust, Camaro, 5.790, 248.25; Lyle Barnett, Camaro, 5.755, 248.89 def. Steve Jackson, Camaro, 5.809, 244.03; Khalid alBalooshi, Camaro, 5.724, 251.11 def. Mike Castellana, Camaro, 5.801, 248.75; Ken Quartuccio, Camaro, 5.747, 249.49 def. Sidnei Frigo, Camaro, 5.781, 247.79; Jordan Lazic, Camaro, 5.767, 247.57 def. Stan Shelton, Ford Mustang, 5.799, 247.38; Mike Stavrinos, Camaro, 5.791, 246.21 def. Dmitry Samorukov, Camaro, Foul – Centerline; Kevin Rivenbark, Mustang, 5.768, 247.11 def. JR Gray, Camaro, Foul – Red Light; Billy Banaka, Camaro, 5.765, 247.38 def. Mason Wright, Camaro, 5.816, 246.84;

QUARTERFINALS — Banaka, 5.817, 245.76 def. Bond, 5.851, 240.51; Rivenbark, 6.357, 231.83 def. alBalooshi, 10.513, 84.45; Quartuccio, 5.818, 247.61 def. Barnett, Foul – Red Light; Stavrinos, 5.809, 246.30 def. Lazic, 5.792, 246.71;

SEMIFINALS — Quartuccio, 5.789, 245.67 def. Rivenbark, 5.808, 245.09; Stavrinos, 5.814, 243.90 def. Banaka, 5.798, 246.08;

FINAL — Quartuccio, 5.766, 247.34 def. Stavrinos, 5.937, 244.52.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN — Point standings (top 10) following the 70th annual Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, the seventh of 10 events in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+.

Pro Modified

1. Ken Quartuccio, 889; 2. Kevin Rivenbark, 842; 3. Jose Gonzalez, 837; 4. Billy Banaka, 818; 5. Justin Bond, 813; 6. Kris Thorne, 810; 7. (tie) Jordan Lazic, 797; Mike Stavrinos, 797; Mason Wright, 797; 10. JR Gray, 793.

About NHRA

NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 20 national events featuring the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+, NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown™, NHRA Holley EFI Factory X and Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock at select national events. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street Legal™. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street® program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League® for youth ages 5 to 17. With 110 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services® (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv®, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

Source: National Hot Rod Association

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