Former Australian Pro Stock Champion Jason Grima has added one of the biggest achievements of his career to the record books, claiming victory at the In N Out Burger World Finals in Comp Eliminator, one of the toughest and most prestigious events in world drag racing.
Grima’s journey to this moment began back in the early 1990s at Eastern Creek, racing a Datsun 1600 street car fitted with a rotary engine. What started as a passion quickly turned into a serious pursuit, and over the following years he worked his way through the Australian ranks, spending a number of seasons in Super Sedan where he achieved major success, including two championships. That momentum eventually led to the next step, moving into Pro Stock under the guidance of Joe Polito.
The move paid off in 2013 when Grima secured the Australian Pro Stock Championship, cementing his place among the category’s elite. However, at the end of that season, Grima made the difficult decision to step away from racing in Australia. With work commitments increasing, starting a young family, and the state of drag racing in Australia at the time making progression challenging, it felt like the right moment to pause his local career.
What followed was not an end, but a new direction. A conversation with his brother Jonathan sparked the idea of heading to the United States to race. After some serious thought, that idea became reality following the enormous task of transferring the entire racing program overseas. Before long, the Grima family found themselves competing in NHRA Comp Eliminator, adapting to the full .500 tree.
Despite racing in a different category, the car remains very much an Australian Pro Stock car adapted to suit the Comp Eliminator rules. This has given American fans a unique opportunity to see Australian Pro Stock machinery in action, with Grima effectively showcasing the strength of the category on the world stage through his NHRA campaign.
The In N Out Burger World Finals victory was anything but easy. Weather conditions compressed the event into a single day, placing immense pressure on the crew to turn the car around between rounds. Grima described the event as “the most mentally and physically demanding day of racing I have ever experienced. All rounds were run in one day, and we went through every emotion possible, pressure, focus, stress and relief, all packed into one intense day of racing.”
“Persistence, I’ll tell ya. I am proud of what the guys have done and what the team have achieved. I could not have achieved what we have without the support of my crew, employees and family in Australia,” said Grima.
Throughout the event, the team encountered several issues with the car, meaning the crew had no margin for error if they wanted to secure the win, and they did just that. One of the standout moments came when Grima faced 2025 Comp Eliminator Champion Jeff Taylor in the second round of eliminations.
The emotional payoff was immense. Grima admits the experience surpassed even winning an Australian championship, such was the intensity and significance of the achievement. To conquer the In N Out Burger World Finals against world class competition in one relentless day of racing stands as one of the defining moments of his career.
As for what comes next, Grima has confirmed there is more to come, with a major announcement expected in the near future, signalling that this latest success may be just the beginning of the next chapter.
📸 Scott Thomas
📸 SC Motorsport Media
