Yahoo Autos Friday NHRA Pomona Qualifying: ‘Amped Up’ Austin Prock Clinches NHRA Funny Car Title
Prock's John Force Racing teammate Jack Beckman is early No. 1 qualifier en route to ensuring second-place finish for John Force.
Rain interrupts qualifying, robbing the highest eight ranked Top Fuel drivers of anticipated and critical bonus points.
Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle racers get no runs on opening day of qualifying on championship weekend.
Austin Prock used the word “ludicrous” to describe his class-rookie journey to the NHRA Funny Car championship.
Austin Prock used the word “ludicrous” to describe his class-rookie journey to the NHRA Funny Car championship.
However he characterized it, Prock clinched the 2024 Funny Car crown with his first qualifying pass of 3.842 seconds at a 331.94-mph speed Friday at the In-N-Out Burger Finals at Southern California’s Pomona Dragstrip.
Teammate Jack Beckman, who himself is substituting for sidelined boss John Force, will claim second place in the final standings—with points going to Force, per NHRA rules. But Beckman swiped the provisional No. 1 qualifying position Friday in the PEAK Camaro with a 3.828-second elapsed time at 334.82 mph.
A lengthy rain delay preceded nitro-class action and interrupted Top Fuel qualifying for more than 30 minutes before the NHRA suspended action until Saturday. The Pro Stock class and Pro Stock Motorcycle classes did not have a chance to run.
Championship contenders in Top Fuel, Pro Stock, and Funny Car who were hoping for a chance to gain as many as eight qualifying bonus points simply were out of luck Friday. The provisional Top Fuel field is set per Friday’s completed runs, with none of the drivers receiving any bonus points because the eight highest-ranked racers not receiving a chance to make a pass. The top four Funny Car qualifiers, who included Blake Alexander and Paul Lee, will receive bonus points on a 4-3-2-1 scale.
Prock said, “When I got in the race car at the beginning of the year, my dad told me he wanted a championship.” His title technically isn’t official until qualifying concludes Saturday, according to NHRA rules, but Prock said, “When it gets to my hands, it’s going straight to my dad’s hands.”
His father, Jimmy Prock, tunes what has become known as the “Prock Rocket,” and brother Thomas serves as assistant crew chief.
Austin Prock said, “You don't get shots to race with your family very often, or if ever, so to come out with our rookie year together and dominate like we have, it’s been an awfully fun ride, but we’ve got a lot of work to do.
“This is stuff you dream of,” he said after capping a campaign of accomplishments nearly unheard of with the ultimate achievement, John Force Racing’s 21st Funny Car championship. And he has done it as a substitute driver, filling in for three-time champion Robert Hight, who’s on medical leave.
He said Friday he “was amped up. I was ready to go. I almost ran my dad's foot over rolling into the beam. I don't know what I was doing, but a lot of emotions are going through our heads right now.”
Prock is seeking his ninth victory and a chance with two final qualifying sessions Saturday to extend his Funny Car-record top-qualifier mark to 15 in 20 appearances. As he enters his 90th race, Prock has an impressive combined Top Fuel/Funny Car eliminations-round record of 120-77.
“It’s ludicrous what we’ve done this year,” Prock, who drives the AAA of Southern California/Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro, said. “I wasn’t even supposed to be driving this season and then all of the sudden, we’ve been really making a name for this team. It’s really special, and I’m glad I’m a part of it. I’ve had a lot of fun with the team this year and just the success that goes with it. It makes it even more special.”
He is the first class rookie to earn the Funny Car championship since Cruz Pedregon did it in 1992.
Prock, 29, the former circle-track phenom who began his drag-racing career first as a crew member at John Force Racing then a Top Fuel driver, said, “I believe I was built to do this.”
Few could argue with that.
Results
Friday Qualifying
Friday's results after the first one of three rounds of qualifying for the 59th annual In-N-Out NHRA Finals at In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip, final of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations.
Top Fuel -- 1. Shawn Reed, 3.712 seconds, 320.36 mph; 2. Billy Torrence, 3.724, 329.34; 3. Ida Zetterstrom, 3.738, 323.89; 4. Gary Pritchett, 3.750, 329.91; 5. Josh Hart, 3.806, 322.19; 6. Scott Palmer, 3.818, 294.88; 7. Krista Baldwin, 3.916, 249.81; 8. Jasmine Salinas, 6.311, 102.55; 9. Tony Stewart, 6.832, 95.21.
Funny Car -- 1. Jack Beckman, Chevy Camaro, 3.828, 334.82; 2. Austin Prock, Camaro, 3.842, 331.94; 3. Blake Alexander, Ford Mustang, 3.870, 336.40; 4. Paul Lee, Dodge Charger, 3.875, 328.46; 5. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 3.875, 324.59; 6. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.895, 328.38; 7. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.903, 308.92; 8. Alexis DeJoria, Toyota GR Supra, 3.948, 292.65; 9. Chad Green, Mustang, 3.953, 279.85; 10. Steven Densham, Mustang, 3.983, 313.66; 11. Terry Haddock, Mustang, 4.041, 305.84; 12. Jeff Diehl, Toyota Camry, 4.934, 160.58; 13. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 7.235, 90.10; 14. Dave Richards, Mustang, 7.543, 85.09; 15. Ron Capps, GR Supra, 8.037, 81.31; 16. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 8.155, 85.97. Not Qualified: 17. Buddy Hull, 8.320, 78.61; 18. Jason Rupert, 8.804, 73.05; 19. Alex Miladinovich, 9.196, 76.93.
