The name’s Bond. Justin Bond.
He wasn’t driving an Aston Martin, but the Mission drag racer kicked off the 2023 season in style. Bond won the first race of the 2023 FuelTech NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series at Gainesville Raceway in Florida on Sunday (March 12).
“Honestly, I think I got it together,” Bond said. “I finally started driving good this weekend.”
Bond’s Bahrain 1 Racing Camaro sped past J.R. Gray in the final round at the 54th annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals to seize first place after three days of racing.
After debuting a new car at a different event in Florida the weekend prior, Bond went back to his old car for Gatornationals.
“We were just struggling with that car and we pulled my old car out of the trailer,” he said. “We went straight on the racetrack and it was really fast.”
It’s the fourth career win for Bond, whose time in the final round was 5.732 seconds at 250.74 mph. His times improved in each round as he defeated Dwayne Wolfe, Doug Winters and defending world champ Kris Thorne to reach the final.
READ MORE: Mission Raceway Park speeds towards new year after record-breaking 2022 season
Bond posted reaction times of .016 or better during the first three rounds and followed with a winning run in the final round to start the 2023 season off on a high note.
With the win, Bond earns 117 points and takes the lead in the pro mod championship point standings with a full season of racing on the horizon. He says he’s looking forward to stiff competition this season, but a world championship remains the goal.
“It would totally mean everything to me,” Bond said. “I would probably quit.”
The Gatornationals was the first event of ten in the 2023 season, with the next race slated for April 28-30 in Charlotte at zMAX Dragway.
Bond will also participate at Mission Raceway Park’s Doorwarz event from June 29 to July 2.
@dillon_white
dillon.white@missioncityrecord.com
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