The dramatic Monday finish to the 26th annual Mopar NHRA Las Vegas Nationals left Super Gas front-runner Jordan Pratt with a sense of confidence marked by steady determination. The second-generation racer made the journey out West to charge hard for the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series world title, and with the first of the final three races of the season in the books, the extended trip is already proving to be a solid decision. Just days after a final-round finish in Super Gas at the racetrack where he made his national event debut a decade ago, the 28-year-old is back in action at the divisional at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Two days of time trials will be followed by Saturday eliminations at the NHRA Pacific Division event, with the last race of the season — the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals — slated to take place the following weekend.
It is possible for Pratt to lock up the title this weekend in Las Vegas, but Bo Butner (a two-time former champion with season titles earned in Pro Stock and Comp Eliminator) is still mathematically in the running. Should Pratt reach the fourth round of eliminations or Butner exit before the final round in Las Vegas, the title will be decided. Otherwise, the chase will carry on to In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.
“I try not to spend too much mental power on the calculations and would rather use that bandwidth on making a good run in my lane,” said Pratt. “This whole year, I’ve been aware of the points but just more focused on putting up a good score, myself. I’ve been in this spot before on the divisional side, and I’ve learned what works for me; I do my best when I’m not focusing on other people. I just go racing and stick to my routine, and we can do the math after it’s all done.”
Mopar NHRA Las Vegas Nationals Wrap
The approach worked well at the Las Vegas Nationals, where Pratt drove the Corvette roadster owned by Jesse and Kelli Smith to five round wins in order to earn a bye to the fourth national event final of his career and second of the season. With a string of respectable reaction times and well-played decisions at the finish line, he was set to race for the NHRA 75th Anniversary Diamond Wally against Nick Alejandre, who had won the event in Super Street in 2021.
Mother Nature had a say in the course of events, however, and when the final round was pushed into the evening on Sunday, incredible winds and cooling temperatures created conditions completely unfit for racing. With safety in mind, the finals were delayed until Monday morning, and the day dawned bright and sunny, warm, and nearly windless. The stunning swing of conditions was a challenge in itself, but both drivers were ready.
Pratt launched first with a cool .013-second reaction time to his opponent’s .024, and he nearly nailed the number at the stripe but broke out by .006-second. Alejandre got the nod on a 10.066 on the 10.05 adjusted index.
“I felt good because we typically race in the morning, so it was our normal routine,” Pratt explained. “I went up there thinking I would make a good run, and I did — really just fell on the wrong side of a close race. The car was going a tick faster than I thought, and in addition to that, I missed my execution a little bit at the finish line. My opponent executed great, he was decent on the tree, had his car close, and then dropped me at the finish line. He made a good run and deserved to win.
“I made a competitive run, and I still have confidence going forward. The car is working great, and I have a good handle on it going into the divisional.”
Racing friends coming in clutch
Reaching the Las Vegas Nationals final would have been far less likely, if not impossible, if not for car owner Jesse Smith and the fellow racers who stepped up following a potentially race-ending situation in Dallas.
“We hurt the motor in the roadster on the first qualifying run, and Jesse had a spare motor that had just been repaired but it was all the way back home in Wisconsin,” recalled Pratt. “We didn’t have time to get it, and we were both disappointed because we knew every race counted. At that point, I assumed we were done for the weekend in Dallas.”
But at the end of their phone call, Smith asked Pratt if there was anyone there who would consider either letting them borrow an engine or sell them one. Stunned by the generous thought, Pratt spoke to friend and This Is Bracket Racing Elite instructor Justin Lamb, who immediately told him to come by his trailer.
“He opened the door, and there was a practically brand-new motor sitting there that was Dylan Hough’s spare Super Comp motor,” said Pratt. “Justin and Dylan were so helpful, they wanted to see me race and worked out a deal with Jesse. I told Jesse, ‘You’re a crazy man, but you’re a good man.’ He’s sacrificed a lot for me to race this car this year, and we’ve had so many different challenges.
“Within an hour’s time, we had the old motor ready to come out. We wheeled it over to Dylan’s trailer, and his whole crew and a couple of guys from Scoggin Dickey’s race shop helped me pull it. I’ve never seen something so well-orchestrated. It was like a NASCAR pit stop. I finished buttoning up the new engine around midnight, and we made the time trial the next day.”
Although Pratt did not emerge from the first round in Dallas, he had two good runs on the new combination before getting to Las Vegas, and that proved instrumental.
“We knew everything worked,” said Pratt. “Had Jesse not done that, had Justin and Dylan not helped out, it isn’t likely that I would have made the final at the Las Vegas national. Even if we would have shipped the new engine here, we would have been scrambling to put it in before the race and would have been making time trials with a new engine. The decision to get this one from Justin and Dylan in Dallas, while it was crazy, was worth it.”
Rallying the troops
The season is quickly coming to a close, and Pratt is not driving through these final days solo. Fiancée Maggie Bentley is on property as crew chief and for support, and Jesse and Kelli Smith are set to arrive in Las Vegas before the division race elimination rounds to cheer on their driver.
Bob, Pratt’s father, is also proudly watching his son chase a dream shared by many racers but achieved by only a select few. He’s been by his son’s side from the beginning, through the Jr. drag racing days, the step up to a big car, division titles, and now chasing the world.
“This season has just been so unbelievable,” he said. “When we picked up the car back in March, [Jesse and Kelli] said, ‘Take this car and go win the world championship.’ Things just fell into place to get us here. We struggled with multiple engine problems, but it didn’t slow anything down, we just kept moving through it. Whatever happens, this year has been a mega success.”
The younger Pratt extended further words of gratitude to his family, Corey and Maranna Bentley, Chris Bishop, John Gosh, Luke Bogacki, Justin Lamb, and the This Is Bracket Racing ELITE community.
Follow Jordan Pratt on social media: Facebook.com/nitro5131
This story was originally published on November 6, 2026. 
The post After Reaching Final Round at NHRA Las Vegas Nationals, Super Gas Championship Hunter Jordan Pratt Turns Attention to Last Divisional of the Season first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
