The 2025 Congruity NHRA Pro Mod season was anything but predictable, but J. R. Gray and the Al-Anabi Racing team persevered and powered through to win the world championship. Piloting his screw-blown AAP Camaro, Gray authored one of the most dominant and dramatic campaigns in recent series history, stringing together wins, rebounding from midseason setbacks, and ultimately seizing the world championship in a winner-take-all finale in Las Vegas. After the season opener at the Gatornationals was rained out and postponed to the Route 66 Nationals in Chicago later in the season, NHRA Pro Mod headed West for the Arizona Nationals
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in Phoenix. Gray qualified third and went red in the second round while teammate Mike Stavrinos topped the qualifying order and won the event. It was Gray all day at the third stop, the Four- Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway, where Gray qualified No. 1 and powered to a final-quad win over Billy Banaka, Alex Laughlin, and past world champion Mike Janis.
Gray qualified No. 2 at the Route 66 Nationals and went red in the final round to No. 1 qualifier Mason Wright. That was just a warmup act, as Gray went on to win the next two stops on the NHRA Pro Mod tour. He beat Stavrinos in an all-AAP final at the Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol, avenging his 2024 win there that was
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stripped away due to a minor technical infraction, and defeated Russia’ s Dmitry Samorukov in the final at the Virginia Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park outside Richmond.
That win – Gray’ s third in four straight final rounds – marked the end of the NHRA Pro Mod regular season, sending him into the Road to the Championship playoffs as the points leader.
“ I just believe everybody has to catch up,” Gray said after Richmond.“ We’ re putting time in day in and day out, and there’ s always somebody working on these cars. This is four finals in a row for me and we’ ve been in every final round as a team this year, so we’ re really ready.”
Following a long summer break, NHRA Pro
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PHOTOGRAPHS BY NHRA, TOM MACHT AND RICK BELDEN |