Mountain Motor Pro Stock young gun Jordan Ensslin lived out a childhood dream earlier this month when he broke through to earn his first career win in PDRA Extreme Pro Stock at the PDRA Thunder Valley Throwdown, which was completed at GALOT Motorsports Park during DragWars in early September. With a small, tightknit team that includes his grandfather, Larry Ensslin, and wife, Jacie, Ensslin emerged victorious in class full of seasoned veterans and teams with budgets much larger than his.
In an all-Florida semifinal battle, Ensslin upset 2023 world champion and points leader Alan Drinkwater when he drove to a 4.068-second pass at 175.73 mph to finish ahead of Drinkwater and his 4.077 at 176.95. Ensslin found a little more performance in his Allen-powered Poke County Pro Stock ’09 Mustang for the final round against North Carolina’s own Elijah Morton. Though Morton went red, Ensslin rolled to a 4.060-second victory lap to earn his first career win in Extreme Pro Stock.
“We’ve been out of the winner’s circle for almost seven years. It kinda was eating at me, then when I saw the win light come on, I lost it,” Ensslin says as he reflects on the victory a few weeks later. “I started tearing up and crying because it means that much to us. Winning Mountain Motor Pro Stock is one of the next-level accomplishments that was on the list. We were there. We were competing. We’ve been to a final, been to a couple of semis, but to finally turn the last win light on was priceless.”
Similarly priceless to Ensslin is the opportunity to spend time racing with his grandfather. Larry has been racing in Florida since the mid-‘70s, first in Super Comp and Super Gas before moving on to the young Top Sportsman division with Jim Carlton driving. They even made it into the Sonny’s Racing Engines 200 MPH Club. Jordan’s dad, Jeff, then took the wheel of the family’s Pro Modified entry, which they ran until the class became prohibitively expensive. The Ensslins moved into Outlaw 632, which was rapidly growing in the Sunshine State, and that’s where Jordan started racing a big car.
Larry and Jordan have raced together for the past several seasons. Jordan picked up a win in PDRA Pro 632 at Darlington in 2018, then a few years ago, Larry and Jordan made the jump up to Mountain Motor Pro Stock. Between hours in the shop, on the road, and at the track, they’ve had quite a bit of bonding time.
“We get along pretty good,” Larry says. “We have our ups and downs, little episodes, but all in all it’s been a great experience.”
Jordan praises his grandfather for the craftsmanship and dedication he’s put into their program to be able to compete on such a high level.
“If it wasn’t for Popal making everything that we basically have, we wouldn’t have a lot because we can’t afford it,” Jordan says. “A lot of the stuff that you see us using at the racetrack, driving to the racetrack, and what actually hauls our race cars, he built almost everything that we have, so it makes it easier on us. Instead of spending the money, we can build it and make it and then use it just like everybody else that can buy it.”
“Sometimes our stuff ain’t as fancy, but it gets us by,” Larry adds.
That home-built aspect makes it all the more rewarding for Larry and Jordan when they’re able to have success while competing against teams that have more equipment, more crew members, bigger budgets, and more experience in the class.
“It makes me feel good knowing that two rednecks from Poke County can compete with some of the guys that spend $7,500 a day for their tuners to be there and here we are duking it out with them and able to compete at this level with just our knowledge and what we’ve learned throughout the years,” Jordan says.
The biggest breakthrough for the team came a few weeks ago with their Thunder Valley Throwdown win during DragWars. It marked one year since they reached their first final round at Bristol in 2024. Plus, Jordan picked up his first career No. 1 qualifier award in the DragWars portion of the event and notched a runner-up finish to Drinkwater.
“That was a major accomplishment,” Larry says of the Bristol win and their overall performance at GALOT. “We’ve been behind the eight-ball trying to fight little issues and one little change made all the difference in the world. It really felt good to win.”
For Jordan, it was proof that their small, low-budget team does belong on the big stage that is Mountain Motor Pro Stock. A proud grandson, he once again shared credit with Larry and the relationship they share as driver and crew chief.
“Most of the stuff that he’s taught me helps us excel as a team, but it also helps me as a driver because I can rely on my strengths that I was taught from a young age on how to drive and I apply them every time we go down the racetrack,” Jordan says. “Then when we get back, most of the time I’m hollering at him what I felt in the car because we have that much of a bond that he knows what I’m saying and I know what he’s saying. Now sometimes we don’t always click, but most of the time we’re saying the same thing with different words. I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
Now that Ensslin has an Extreme Pro Stock PDRA 660 Man trophy to pair with the one he earned in Pro 632, he’s committed to adding even more hardware to the Ensslin family trophy case. Specifically, he’s seeking an Ironman as the team returns to IHRA competition.
“Next on the list of goals would be to win an Ironman,” says Jordan, who thanked his team and supporters like CJW, PJP, Thomas Towing, Boone Motorsports, and Allen Competition Engines. “[Larry] hasn’t had one of those since ’87 or so, and to bring another one back to the Ensslin compound would be pretty fantastic. Then after we win one of those, it’s time to win another one and possibly a championship wherever the class lies next year.”
This story was originally published on September 25, 2025. 
The post Making It Work: Jordan and Larry Ensslin Talk Winning in PDRA Extreme Pro Stock On A Budget first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
