Montana native Derek Menholt’s success in the 2025/2026 Drag Illustrated Winter Series presented by J&A Service continued Thursday night when he raced to the provisional No. 1 spot in Pro Mod at the Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod presented by Red Line Oil. Behind the wheel of his Harts Charger-boosted ’19 Corvette, Menholt recorded a 3.568-second pass at 211.66 mph down the Bradenton Motorsports Park eighth mile to lead a list of 64 drivers attempting to break into the 32-car field.
Thursday’s on-track action also included two qualifying sessions in Pro 10.5, as well as a shakedown session for True 10.5 and Lil Gangstas. Jerry Morgano is the provisional No. 1 qualifier in Pro 10.5 with a 3.829 at 203.98.
Menholt, who was the runner-up at the most recent Winter Series race, the U.S. Street Nationals, tested extensively at Bradenton between races with his Scott Tidwell Racing teammates. Those efforts paid off when he came out strong in the first qualifying session at WSOPM, as Menholt posted a 3.579 at 207.46 to qualify No. 2. In the final pair of the second session, he improved to a 3.568 at 211.66 to take the No. 1 spot.
“It’s huge for us just to even get to race with the guys we race with,” Menholt said. “PRC built a great car. [Tuner] Steve Petty, Pro Line, everybody that’s touched this car has been good since we came out for the Snowbirds, so I’m excited to see how it finishes up here. I mean, we were expecting to run well, but probably not number one. I think tomorrow morning, when the conditions are really good, we might see some numbers shift a little bit, but we’re glad with where we’re at right now.”
Menholt swiped the top spot from Bradenton Motorsports Park co-owner Victor Alvarez, who ended the first qualifying session as the provisional No. 1 qualifier. His 3.571 at 210.80 in his Harts Charger-boosted Right Trailers ’69 Camaro gave him the $5,000 Pro Line Racing “Off The Trailer” Bonus. He came back in the second session and improved by a thousandth, a 3.570 at 210.73, to sit second.
“We’ve got a good car,” Alvarez said. “We’ve done a ton of testing and a lot of work in a little amount of time. My guys have been killing it. Jamie Miller’s been killing it. Harts Charger, Pro Line, all the companies behind us – M&M Transmission, FuelTech, Innovative Racecraft. We’ve got a really good crew, really good support, really good equipment, and we do not quit. We’re here to put up a fight. I want these guys to know that we’re here, and I would say we’ve made it very clear that we’re here and we’re not messing around.”
Stevie “Fast” Jackson, winner of the $75,000-to-win U.S. Street Nationals, qualified No. 3 with a 3.571 at 210.24. He rolled into WSOPM with a completely different car than the one he drove to victory at Bradenton a month ago. After winning in his screw-blown Motion Raceworks “Shadow 3.0” ’68 Camaro, Jackson and his Killin’ Time Racing team converted the car over to NHRA-legal trim to chase a third NHRA Pro Mod world championship. Crew chief Jeff Pierce and his father, Dave, offered up their M&M Transmission “Purple Heart” ’68 Firebird for Jackson to finish out the Winter Series. He moved up to No. 2 in the points standings with his U.S. Street Nationals win.
“It’s really an awesome thing for somebody to ask you to drive their car,” Jackson said. “I’ve said this publicly: I think Jeff’s the best there is with a door car. He allowed us to put a KTR SF-1 engine in this thing. It’s got big power, the thing’s comfortable, it’s fun to drive. I love the wrap, love the theme, and everything that’s on it. When I was getting in the car, watching all the military folks and first responders and police officers up there taking pictures with it, it really got me going. I can hear [Al] Tucci on the mic talking about it. It’s pretty cool. Fans love the car. I never thought I would race a Pontiac, and I never thought I would have a Pontiac qualified in the top five of the World Series of Pro Mod. The guys are having fun. It’s one of them weekends where I think you might see it in the winner’s circle at the end.”
Johnny Camp, who qualified No. 1 at the first WSOPM at Bradenton in 2023, went to the No. 4 spot with a 3.577 at 210.67 in his ProCharger-boosted “Hells Bells” ’69 Camaro. Past NMCA Pro Mod champion Eric Gustafson, who’s also contending for the Winter Series championship, rounded out the top five in his ProCharged Coast Packing Company “Lard Machine” ’69 Camaro with a 3.581 at 209.23.
In Pro 10.5, Jerry Morgano also continued what’s turning into a hot streak at Bradenton. The longtime Outlaw 10.5 proponent earned his first win in seven years at the U.S. Street Nationals last month, and like Menholt, tested extensively since then. After a parts issue plagued his first qualifying attempt, he came back in the second session and threw down a 3.829 at 203.98 – one of the quickest passes in Outlaw 10.5 history – to distance himself and his turbocharged, small-block-powered ’02 Cobra from the rest of the field.
“It’s a lot of work. For the guys that are behind me – Anthony DiSomma and guys like that – this is awesome,” said Morgano, who’s No. 2 in Winter Series Pro 10.5 points. “Wade [Rich] did a great job with the track there. My guy went up and I said, ‘How’s the track look?’ They said, ‘It’s pretty damn good, so if you got a run you want to put in it, put it in it.’ I clicked the boost controller one more and we made a great lap. That’s the best lap the car’s ever made. Best 60-foot the car has had in five or six years. I knew these cars can run low 3.80s in this class; you just gotta get lucky and put it all together. It came together on that one. So it was really, really cool.”
Pro 10.5 points leader Nick Agostino qualified No. 2 in his turbocharged, small-block “Cannoli Express” ’69 Camaro with a 3.899 at 202.39. Carson Baker, No. 1 qualifier at the U.S. Street Nationals, ended up third with a 3.917 at 197.39 in his Harts Charger-equipped Polaris Offroad ’24 Camaro.
Pro Mod qualifying will continue Friday at 9 a.m., followed by final qualifying in Pro 10.5, another shakedown for True 10.5 and Lil Gangstas, and final qualifying for the index classes. Pro Mod Q4 is set for 2 p.m. with Pro 10.5, True 10.5, Lil Gangstas, and Super Pro first round of eliminations to follow. Pro Mod final qualifying will close out Friday at 6 p.m.
General admission tickets are available for $40 on Friday and Saturday. Active military and children ages 12 and under get in free. VIP packages are also available.
Fans can watch the race through the official event livestream on www.FloRacing.com.
For a detailed schedule, tickets, and other event info, visit www.RaceBMP.com.
This story was originally published on February 26, 2026. 
The post Derek Menholt Charges to Provisional No. 1 Spot at World Series of Pro Mod first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
