NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Missing the first two races in a 10-race season generally isn’t the road map to a championship, but apparently, no one ever explained that to Jordan Lazic. 

Lazic did not attend the Gainesville opener for the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+ or the second event in Phoenix, but he managed to quickly gain ground on the field, and that helped him qualify for the Road to the Championship playoffs. Beginning the postseason in 10th place, Lazic quickly climbed into contention before ultimately winning the title with a memorable performance at the Ford Performance NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. 

To suggest that Lazic had to overcome a few challenges on his way to the title would be a huge understatement. 

“First off, we had only booked four races this year with the intention of a full season in 2025,” said Lazic, who hails from Kelowna, B.C. “After four races, we were 10th in the points, and we thought, ‘Damn, we need to keep going.’ ” 

Lazic isn’t new to Pro Mod, but NHRA fans didn’t get to know him until a two-race stint in 2023. That led to a nearly full-time ride in 2024 with the Bahrain1 Racing team.

Lazic missed the Gainesville and Phoenix events this season because his new car wasn’t finished. At that point, winning a championship was the furthest thing from his mind, even though he quickly began to make up for lost time with a quarterfinal showing at the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Chicago followed by a runner-up finish at the NHRA New England Nationals in Epping. 

“We had hoped to have it by Gainesville, or for sure Phoenix, but that didn’t happen. Everything took a little longer than we had planned,” Lazic said. “Then, once we got the car out, we did well, but we also had a few issues to work through. In Epping, I was definitely still new to the car, and I lost [the final]. Basically, you think you’re ready, but sometimes you don’t realize how much time it takes to figure out a new car. Some guys can do it in five runs. Not us.” 

Lazic did well enough in his first four starts to qualify for the Road to the Championship playoffs. After starting the playoffs in 10th, a semifinal showing at the NHRA Midwest Nationals ultimately boosted him to third place in the standings, 24 points behind points leader Khalid alBalooshi and 12 points behind Justin Bond. It was only then that Lazic realized a title might be a distinct possibility.  

“We weren’t even sure we were going to all the races until we made the top 10,” Lazic said. “It really was that close. If we’d have been 11th or 12th, we probably were going to pull the pin, but once we made the [playoffs], we made the decision to run all the races. We got in by two points. It was that close.” 

The final event of the season, the Ford Performance NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas, produced a four-car showdown for the top spot with Lazic joined by his Bahrain1 teammates, incoming leader alBalooshi and Bond, as well as Ken Quartuccio. All four were separated by just 26 points, meaning that every qualifying and elimination run was critically important. 

Three of the four advanced past round one with alBalooshi the only casualty. Quartuccio then fouled in round two, while Lazic scored a holeshot win over Canadian neighbor Bond to reach the semifinals. With the title hanging in the balance, Lazic powered past 2022 world champion Kris Thorne, who got off the starting line first but ran into trouble and shut off early.   

“In St. Louis, our motor blew up in the semifinals, and before that, I’d had the faster car all weekend,” Lazic said. “Going to Las Vegas, I was nervous but also confident. We thought that if we had the same car in Vegas as we had in St. Louis, we’d be good. Turns out, in Vegas, the car was killer. It was phenomenal. We tested in Phoenix with all three cars and got some really good data. 

“It was bittersweet to run against Justin,” said Lazic. “He’s my best friend and teammate, and one of us was going to be the first Canadian to win it. Then Kris left on me a little, but I still made a decent run. I still can’t believe we got it done. Having the No. 1 on the car next year is the best part. Even if I suck terribly in 2025, I’ll still have a big No. 1 on there. Within the next month, we should have my program finalized, but I’m really hopeful that I’ll be back to try for another [title].” 

Lazic’s car is owned by the Bahrain1 team, and his crew chief is longtime Pro Mod racer Brad Personett. His extensive list of supporters includes Bahrain1 Racing, JBS Equipment, RAD Torque Systems, Rad Drag Racing, Titanium Autogroup, J&A Services, Engineered Racing Services, Rob C Racing, JS Powersports, Armour Aggregate, SLR Rentals, Black Mac, M&M Transmission, Turbo Brad tuning, Lazic’s Auto, Goodyear, and JEN 3 Speed.  

Lazic also thanked his parents, Roy and Kathy, Mohammed Salama, Khalid alBalooshi, Rob Charlton, Dean Bettenson, Joe Tatarov and sons, Brittany Venables, Brandi Lazic, Fletcher Green, Chad Honeyman, and Chelsey Briglio.