JOLIET, Ill. — In a final round featuring the last two world champions in the FuelTech NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Type A Motorsports, Jose Gonzalez picked up the win over reigning world champ Kris Thorne on a holeshot as part of this weekend’s Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK Performance at Route 66 Raceway.
The event, which was powered by PGT Trucking, was the third of 10 races during the 2023 season in the FuelTech NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Type A Motorsports.
Gonzalez, who won his first NHRA Pro Mod world title in 2021, picked up his first victory this season and the eighth in his career, going 5.769-seconds at 249.76 mph in his Q80 Racing Chevrolet Camaro. The key was the .024 reaction time Gonzalez posted in the final round, which proved to be enough to hold off Thorne’s 5.767 at 250.46.
Gonzalez knocked off Doug Winters, Billy Banaka and Sidnei Frigo to reach the final round, delivering an impressive performance to pick up his first career win at Route 66 Raceway.
“It does not get better than that,” Gonzalez said of the final-round matchup with Thorne. “I knew I had to do my job on the wheel because he’s always strong. My team gets all the credit for this and I’m just happy to be here. I haven’t been racing as much lately, but I’m glad to be back. It sure feels good.”
Thorne, who won four races in 2022, reached his first final this year, knocking off Kevin Rivenbark, points leader Justin Bond, who had won the first two races of the 2023 campaign, and Manny Buginga.
The FuelTech NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Type A Motorsports returns to action June 2-4 with the 10th annual NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway in Epping, N.H. It will mark the first appearance at the track for the NHRA Pro Mod category.