Jordan Lazic Dishes on Making History as First Canadian NHRA Pro Mod Champion
In what will go down in history as one of the most thrilling NHRA Pro Mod championships, Jordan Lazic emerged as the first Canadian driver to claim the coveted title at the season’s final event at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Lazic clinched the title in a high-stakes semifinal match against former world champion and teammate Kris Thorne, securing the win with a 5.759-second pass at 247.57 mph in his supercharged Bahrain 1 Racing Camaro.
NHRA photo
The victory at the Ford Performance NHRA Nationals marked the pinnacle of a hard-fought season, as Lazic overcame a two-race deficit to claim the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+ championship.
“Scott Tidwell was the first person to come up to me and said, ‘You don’t even know what you just did,’” chuckled Lazic after driving back to the pits with the trophy riding on the hood of his Camaro. “I don’t think it’s fully sunk in yet.”
Lazic’s championship journey was a bit unconventional. After missing the first two races of the season and not winning all season long, he capped off his championship weekend with a win at the Ford Performance NHRA Nationals. Lazic wasn’t expecting to compete for a title but focused on consistent performance.
“I only had eight races left in the season, so we weren’t sure how it would play out,” Lazic said. “If I was going to end up just coming in as a blocker toward the end of the year, but rounds and qualifying points added up. We didn’t win a race all year, and it turns out you don’t have to win a race to win a championship.”
Both the championship and event wins were even sweeter because Lazic’s family was there to witness his big moment.
“I got my two sisters, my mom and dad, aunts, and uncles all showed up. It made it pretty special,” he said.
The family celebration was brief as Lazic prepared for the final round on Monday, where he not only closed out the season with the championship but also captured his first win of the season when opponent Mike Janis went red in the final round. Lazic sailed to victory with a 5.729-second run at 251.53 mph.
NHRA photo
“Racing the legend Mike Janis, a multi-time champ, we knew we would need to run stronger than we did all weekend as he was low E.T. of a few rounds prior and was a .007 light earlier on Sunday,” explained Lazic. “The air was a fair bit better Monday morning. ‘Turbo’ Brad Personett was on the up arrows, and I didn’t leave much for him on the tree with a .008. It was a nice cherry on top for my guys and my sponsors to put a race win in the storybook for ’24.”
Acknowledging the support from his team and sponsors, Lazic said, “I’ve got to say thanks to Sheikh Abdullah, Khalid Al Balooshi, Justin Bond, JBS Equipment, RAD Torque Systems, Goodyear Tires, Brad Anderson [Enterprises], my parents – the list goes on.
“Brad, one of the best tuners out there, deserves this as much as anyone. It’s a huge accomplishment for everyone involved,” Lazic added.
Lazic’s path wasn’t one where he was set to race in NHRA Pro Mod, but his history with Justin Bond and competing together at Mission Raceway Park has afforded him the opportunity.
“Justin had 1,000 people to pick from come St. Louis 2023,” explained Lazic, who won his debut race at the NHRA Midwest Nationals. “He’s had multiple calls and people wanting to be that third car, probably with more funding, probably with more crew, but he’s just a guy that looked over and was like, ‘Hey, I’m going to give someone a bone.’ He comes off as having a hard shell, but that’s how he is if you know him.”
As for the future, Lazic could only share a few details about next season.
“Nothing is set in stone. It’s 50-50 right now, but I’ll be heading to a radial race soon. Hopefully, we’ll be celebrating another win,” confessed Lazic. “It’s not for sure that I won’t be at the DI Winter Series either, but that’s about as much as I can say.”
Dyan Lover photo
This story was originally published on November 7, 2024.
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