\u00a0
\u201cI zoom out, and I realize that this scenario could make you nervous, but thankfully, I\u2019m not. I think the word to describe how I feel going into this is confident. I just believe that I\u2019m prepared, partly because I\u2019ve been through this on a smaller scale and experienced the trials of winning and losing,\u201d continued Pratt, recalling the journey to Las Vegas and Pomona last season in which he was attempting to lock into the top 10 in Super Comp but fell a single round short. The intensity of those final days of the 2025 season, as well as winning the West Central Division\u2019s Super Comp championship at the age of 17 and being in the hunt within the division several season thereafter, provided an invaluable hands-on education.
\u00a0
\u201cI\u2019ve been through it all, and I\u2019ve learned, every step of the way,\u201d he said. \u201cEverything inside of this year has led me to this point, and having the right people believing in you helps you believe in yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Jordan-Pratt-secondary.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nThe road to now<\/strong><\/h1>\nLong before Pratt was born, his father, Bob, was enthralled with race cars. The younger Pratt\u2019s first memories of the racetrack stretch back to attending the national event at their home track, Brainerd International Raceway, and the first car he remembers was a red Camaro that his father and friend Donnie Durenberger raced in Super Street. At the age of nine, Pratt entered NHRA\u2019s Jr. Drag Racing League, and after a transition into Super Comp and racing the 8.90 class for a few years, he scored a ticket to race the red Camaro.
\u00a0
\u201cI was pretty young when my dad and Donnie ran that car, but I learned a lot just watching,\u201d said the racer who went on to compete in two classes throughout\u00a0college. As graduation neared, Pratt opted to park the dragster and run the Camaro exclusively, and success seemed to come a bit easier as he concentrated focus. Later, he transitioned back to the dragster, and it wasn\u2019t until last year that he considered running two cars again. The circumstances were unexpected \u2013 instead of racing his own Camaro, friends Jesse and Kelli Smith approached him with an interesting offer.
\u00a0
\u201cJesse was going to focus on his Super Comp dragster but he didn\u2019t want the roadster to sit, so he asked me what I thought about driving it,\u201d recalled Pratt. \u201cHis first words were, \u2018Kelli and I think you could win a world championship in it.\u2019 I kind of thought he was joking, but he was actually serious. It took me a minute to process, and I was a little nervous because this is their dream car, and it\u2019s very special to them. But I said, \u2018Well yeah, I\u2019ll take you up on that.\u2019 Last fall, we came up with a plan, set out to run a full division five schedule and three national events, and then we agreed that if things looked good, we\u2019d go out West.\u201d
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Go West, young man<\/strong><\/h1>\nWhen Pratt swept both Super Gas titles at the West Central Division\u2019s double-header at SRCA Dragstrip in Great Bend, Kan., it was a shock to the community as well as to the driver, himself. Stepping into a car he\u2019d never driven before came with a learning curve, but he was proving to be a quick learner.
\u00a0
\u201cI was still getting comfortable and settled in the car at that point. Early in the year, it was a success just to do a clean burnout,\u201d he admitted. \u201cEvery car is a little bit different, and we were still working out the kinks with the setup, but I do think that it brought me back to the fundamentals and not over-complicating it. Everything this year has been building up to this moment, focusing on the routine, preparation, and all that stuff. It\u2019s just been an unbelievable year already, and one that\u2019s going to be hard to top.\u201d
\u00a0
Even after doubling in Great Bend, the national points weren\u2019t on Pratt\u2019s mind until the U.S. Nationals nearly two months later, when he reached the final round and gained a good lot of points.
\u00a0
\u201cIt didn\u2019t take me long to do the math and see that I had a shot at this,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was looking like it would be pretty realistic to get inside of the top 10, and Jesse said, jokingly, \u2018Well, just go win Earlville.\u2019 That was the divisional the next weekend, and when I actually won that, it got pretty serious. We decided we were going to go for it and started making plans. Then it got really serious when I won the divisional in St. Louis.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grateful, focused, confident<\/strong><\/h1>\nAfter winning the 2015 West Central Division Super Comp championship so early in his racing career, Pratt was on a mission to replicate the feat. This season, he\u2019s done it in a big way with the Division 5 championships in both Super Gas and Super Comp already in his pocket. While he\u2019s charging for the world in Super Gas, Pratt is aiming for a top three finish nationally in Super Comp. His additional accomplishments include a pair of Super Street national event wins (Topeka 2022 and Dallas 2024), as well as three JEGS Allstars appearances. For the past decade, he\u2019s very much been a student of drag racing, always with the aim of being better. He\u2019s been deeply entrenched in Luke Bogacki\u2019s This Is Bracket Racing courses and became part of Bogacki\u2019s team, primarily on the marketing and advertising side. All along the way, he\u2019s soaked up the knowledge of those around him, both at the racetrack and in his career.
\u00a0
\u201cIt\u2019s been a 10-year process of evolving and learning and growing, and I\u2019m thankful to be able to say that my biggest strength has become the mental side of racing,\u201d Pratt shared. \u201cI\u2019ve grown a lot in that regard, and I think that\u2019s important because the mental side of things can be your biggest advantage or your biggest weakness in this sport.
\u00a0
\u201cThe other thing is that I\u2019m the one going after the championship, but a really big part of this is team work. My dad has been huge \u2013 I wouldn\u2019t be in racing without him and my mom, Lori. My fianc\u00e9e Maggie has been with me for almost nine years now, and she\u2019s my crew chief, there to push me forward and help with whatever I need, at home and at the track. Jesse and Kelli are amazing people, and the fact that they offered to let me hop in the seat speaks volumes. They provide me with a great car, one I can feel confident in, and it\u2019s just very fun to drive. This is very much a group effort, and that\u2019s helped me to feel confident in the spot I\u2019m in and focused on that. I believe if I do my job, trust myself and my routine, and stick with my program, I\u2019ll come out on top. That\u2019s my attitude going into this: I\u2019m grateful, and at the same time, I\u2019m serious and focused on my lane.\u201d
\u00a0
Pratt offered words of gratitude for those who continue to support him in his endeavors, including his family, Corey and Maranna Bentley, Chris Bishop, John Gosh, Luke Bogacki, Justin Lamb, and the This Is Bracket Racing ELITE community.
\u00a0
Follow Jordan Pratt on social media: Facebook.com\/nitro5131<\/p>\n
This story was originally published on October 29, 2026. ![\"Drag](\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/DI_flat_red-e1711481551475.png\")
<\/p>\n
The post Go West, Young Man: How Jordan Pratt Drove Into The NHRA Super Gas World Championship Conversation<\/a> first appeared on Drag Illustrated<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Only three races remain on the 2026 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series schedule, and the championship chase in every class has come to a full and rolling boil. Minnesota native Jordan Pratt has found himself in a partnership that put him in the thick of it behind the wheel of a Corvette roadster, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-105123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105123"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105123\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\u00a0
\u201cI was pretty young when my dad and Donnie ran that car, but I learned a lot just watching,\u201d said the racer who went on to compete in two classes throughout\u00a0college. As graduation neared, Pratt opted to park the dragster and run the Camaro exclusively, and success seemed to come a bit easier as he concentrated focus. Later, he transitioned back to the dragster, and it wasn\u2019t until last year that he considered running two cars again. The circumstances were unexpected \u2013 instead of racing his own Camaro, friends Jesse and Kelli Smith approached him with an interesting offer.
\u00a0
\u201cJesse was going to focus on his Super Comp dragster but he didn\u2019t want the roadster to sit, so he asked me what I thought about driving it,\u201d recalled Pratt. \u201cHis first words were, \u2018Kelli and I think you could win a world championship in it.\u2019 I kind of thought he was joking, but he was actually serious. It took me a minute to process, and I was a little nervous because this is their dream car, and it\u2019s very special to them. But I said, \u2018Well yeah, I\u2019ll take you up on that.\u2019 Last fall, we came up with a plan, set out to run a full division five schedule and three national events, and then we agreed that if things looked good, we\u2019d go out West.\u201d
\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Pratt swept both Super Gas titles at the West Central Division\u2019s double-header at SRCA Dragstrip in Great Bend, Kan., it was a shock to the community as well as to the driver, himself. Stepping into a car he\u2019d never driven before came with a learning curve, but he was proving to be a quick learner.
\u00a0
\u201cI was still getting comfortable and settled in the car at that point. Early in the year, it was a success just to do a clean burnout,\u201d he admitted. \u201cEvery car is a little bit different, and we were still working out the kinks with the setup, but I do think that it brought me back to the fundamentals and not over-complicating it. Everything this year has been building up to this moment, focusing on the routine, preparation, and all that stuff. It\u2019s just been an unbelievable year already, and one that\u2019s going to be hard to top.\u201d
\u00a0
Even after doubling in Great Bend, the national points weren\u2019t on Pratt\u2019s mind until the U.S. Nationals nearly two months later, when he reached the final round and gained a good lot of points.
\u00a0
\u201cIt didn\u2019t take me long to do the math and see that I had a shot at this,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was looking like it would be pretty realistic to get inside of the top 10, and Jesse said, jokingly, \u2018Well, just go win Earlville.\u2019 That was the divisional the next weekend, and when I actually won that, it got pretty serious. We decided we were going to go for it and started making plans. Then it got really serious when I won the divisional in St. Louis.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grateful, focused, confident<\/strong><\/h1>\nAfter winning the 2015 West Central Division Super Comp championship so early in his racing career, Pratt was on a mission to replicate the feat. This season, he\u2019s done it in a big way with the Division 5 championships in both Super Gas and Super Comp already in his pocket. While he\u2019s charging for the world in Super Gas, Pratt is aiming for a top three finish nationally in Super Comp. His additional accomplishments include a pair of Super Street national event wins (Topeka 2022 and Dallas 2024), as well as three JEGS Allstars appearances. For the past decade, he\u2019s very much been a student of drag racing, always with the aim of being better. He\u2019s been deeply entrenched in Luke Bogacki\u2019s This Is Bracket Racing courses and became part of Bogacki\u2019s team, primarily on the marketing and advertising side. All along the way, he\u2019s soaked up the knowledge of those around him, both at the racetrack and in his career.
\u00a0
\u201cIt\u2019s been a 10-year process of evolving and learning and growing, and I\u2019m thankful to be able to say that my biggest strength has become the mental side of racing,\u201d Pratt shared. \u201cI\u2019ve grown a lot in that regard, and I think that\u2019s important because the mental side of things can be your biggest advantage or your biggest weakness in this sport.
\u00a0
\u201cThe other thing is that I\u2019m the one going after the championship, but a really big part of this is team work. My dad has been huge \u2013 I wouldn\u2019t be in racing without him and my mom, Lori. My fianc\u00e9e Maggie has been with me for almost nine years now, and she\u2019s my crew chief, there to push me forward and help with whatever I need, at home and at the track. Jesse and Kelli are amazing people, and the fact that they offered to let me hop in the seat speaks volumes. They provide me with a great car, one I can feel confident in, and it\u2019s just very fun to drive. This is very much a group effort, and that\u2019s helped me to feel confident in the spot I\u2019m in and focused on that. I believe if I do my job, trust myself and my routine, and stick with my program, I\u2019ll come out on top. That\u2019s my attitude going into this: I\u2019m grateful, and at the same time, I\u2019m serious and focused on my lane.\u201d
\u00a0
Pratt offered words of gratitude for those who continue to support him in his endeavors, including his family, Corey and Maranna Bentley, Chris Bishop, John Gosh, Luke Bogacki, Justin Lamb, and the This Is Bracket Racing ELITE community.
\u00a0
Follow Jordan Pratt on social media: Facebook.com\/nitro5131<\/p>\n
This story was originally published on October 29, 2026. <\/p>\n
The post Go West, Young Man: How Jordan Pratt Drove Into The NHRA Super Gas World Championship Conversation<\/a> first appeared on Drag Illustrated<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Only three races remain on the 2026 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series schedule, and the championship chase in every class has come to a full and rolling boil. Minnesota native Jordan Pratt has found himself in a partnership that put him in the thick of it behind the wheel of a Corvette roadster, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-105123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105123"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105123\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\u00a0
\u201cIt\u2019s been a 10-year process of evolving and learning and growing, and I\u2019m thankful to be able to say that my biggest strength has become the mental side of racing,\u201d Pratt shared. \u201cI\u2019ve grown a lot in that regard, and I think that\u2019s important because the mental side of things can be your biggest advantage or your biggest weakness in this sport.
\u00a0
\u201cThe other thing is that I\u2019m the one going after the championship, but a really big part of this is team work. My dad has been huge \u2013 I wouldn\u2019t be in racing without him and my mom, Lori. My fianc\u00e9e Maggie has been with me for almost nine years now, and she\u2019s my crew chief, there to push me forward and help with whatever I need, at home and at the track. Jesse and Kelli are amazing people, and the fact that they offered to let me hop in the seat speaks volumes. They provide me with a great car, one I can feel confident in, and it\u2019s just very fun to drive. This is very much a group effort, and that\u2019s helped me to feel confident in the spot I\u2019m in and focused on that. I believe if I do my job, trust myself and my routine, and stick with my program, I\u2019ll come out on top. That\u2019s my attitude going into this: I\u2019m grateful, and at the same time, I\u2019m serious and focused on my lane.\u201d
\u00a0
Pratt offered words of gratitude for those who continue to support him in his endeavors, including his family, Corey and Maranna Bentley, Chris Bishop, John Gosh, Luke Bogacki, Justin Lamb, and the This Is Bracket Racing ELITE community.
\u00a0
Follow Jordan Pratt on social media: Facebook.com\/nitro5131<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nOnly three races remain on the 2026 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series schedule, and the championship chase in every class has come to a full and rolling boil. Minnesota native Jordan Pratt has found himself in a partnership that put him in the thick of it behind the wheel of a Corvette roadster, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-105123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105123"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105123\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}