Amidst the disruptions to the 2020 drag racing season, the E3 Pro Mod division of the National Hot Rod Association is at an all-time high for drama and excitement with newcomers to the doorslammer class dicing with seasoned veterans for this year’s top honors. Although Brandon Snider failed to qualify at his first E3 Spark Plugs Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service in Houston in 2018, things went much better for him at the next race in Charlotte where he made it to the final round in only his second NHRA race. After almost two years of paying his dues, Snider raced to the Number One qualifying spot for the first time in his career at the 51st annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals by posting a 5.813 ET at 246.66 mph in his blown Al-Anabi Performance Corvette at Gainesville Raceway, but was eliminated in the semi-finals by eventual Gatornationals winner Rickie Smith. Snider was one of six drivers within 50 points of Mike Janis entering the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals, setting the stage for another tight championship race in the class. E3 Spark Plugs Pro Mod teams will head to Houston and Las Vegas in consecutive weeks to close out the unprecedented 2020 season.
AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex
On Saturday at the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals outside Dallas TX, Snider was the Number One qualifier for the second straight race in his bright-blue, supercharged Corvette. This time, Snider raced his way to the final round by eliminating Eric Latino, Indy-winner Chad Green, and Doug Winters. On the other side of the ladder, Steve Jackson advanced to his 16th career Pro Mod final round and his second final in 2020 with wins over Justin Jones, Mike Janis, and Khalid alBalooshi. In the final round on Sunday, Jackson posted a .025 reaction time for a holeshot-win with a 5.805-second ET at 245.99 mph over Jackson’s faster run of 247.32 mph. The E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod race, which was presented by JBS Equipment, was the fifth national event of the seven-race 2020 Pro Mod season.
Jackson Holds 12-Point Lead Over Snider in Pro Mod
As the Pro Mod teams get ready for Round 6 in Houston, Stevie “Fast” Jackson has regained the points lead. Jackson currently holds an 18-point lead over Snider, who jumped to second in the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod standings with his victory at Texas Motorplex in Ennis TX. The E3 Spark Plugs Pro Mod Drag Racing Series continues Oct. 23-25 with the Mopar Express Lane NHRA SpringNationals presented by Pennzoil at Houston Raceway Park. It is the sixth of seven points paying event on the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series calendar and promises to be as exciting and unpredictable as the first five rounds in 2020.
Photo by Real Pro Mod
