Stevie “Fast” Jackson Wins NHRA Pro Mod at Midwest Nationals in St. Louis
By Rachael Everett
Stevie “Fast” Jackson has claimed the Diamond Wally at the NHRA Midwest Nationals in St. Louis, defeating Stan Shelton in the final round.
The victory marks Jackson’s first event win of the year and the 14th of his NHRA Pro Mod career.
Jackson ran a 5.634 at 255.48 mph in the final after Shelton went red at the tree, handing Jackson the victory. Jackson’s .019 reaction time was also the best of eliminations.
Jackson’s road to the final started with a win over Kevin Rivenbark in the opening round of eliminations Saturday night, running a 5.612 at 255.92 mph to Rivenbark’s 5.682.
He then defeated Mike Thielen in the second round before taking down reigning world champion J.R. Gray in the semifinals. Jackson ran a 5.632 at 256.02 mph to secure his place in the final after Gray ran into trouble and slowed to a 15.112.
Shelton’s run to the final started with Billy Banaka in the opening round. Banaka entered eliminations after suffering an issue with his engine at the end of qualifying, with Shelton taking the win with a 5.639 at 256.36 mph, the top speed of eliminations.
Shelton then defeated Justin Bond on a holeshot in the second round. Bond ran the quicker 5.638 at 255.73 mph, but Shelton’s .034 reaction time against Bond’s .087 was enough to take the win with a 5.670 at 255.34 mph.
In the semifinals, Jason Collins was unable to get his car off the starting line, sending Shelton through to face Jackson in the final. Shelton wasn’t leaving anything to chance, cutting a perfect .000 reaction time at the tree.
While Gray was unable to get himself a victory this weekend he did record the Low ET of eliminations with a 5.610 at 255.19 mph in his opening-round victory over Lyle Barnett.
The championship standings also saw a change at the top, with Bond moving ahead of Mike Stavrinos heading into the final race of the season.
Bond entered St. Louis nine points behind Stavrinos but leaves the weekend with a 17-point lead on 1,079 points.
Stavrinos was eliminated in the opening round by Collins and now sits second on 1,062 points. Derek Menholt also went out in the opening round against Mike Castellana but remains third with 1,025 points, 54 behind Bond.
Gray’s semifinal appearance moved him into fourth with 1,012 points, 67 behind Bond, while Banaka sits fifth on 979 points.
The JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series now heads to Las Vegas at the end of October for the final race of the season, where points-and-a-half will be on offer and the 2026 NHRA Pro Mod World Champion will be crowned.
