Austin Prock was as efficient as one could be on Saturday afternoon at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals as he secured his sixth consecutive victory in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge.
Antron Brown (Top Fuel) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) also claimed wins in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge.
Prock’s win over Ron Capps represented his seventh victory in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge. He did so with a 3.860-second run at 334.07 mph, securing his ninth No. 1 of the season. This victory gives Prock the most wins in the history of the specialty race, which began last year.
“It was impressive, but the conditions were coming to everybody,” Prock said. “Safety Safari did an outstanding job of getting the race track back into tip-top shape. I’m really proud of the team; we had a great day and were low in both sessions.
“I was nervous but a little excited to get another shot at a late run here because last night we threw up. We were kind of scratching our heads on why. It was really close to making it and it just didn’t go. (Today), it went right down there and made a really nice pass. We ended up with three more points, a Mission win, and another yellow hat – pretty proud of that.”
Brown continued his Brainerd hot streak, defeating Steve Torrence in the final of the bonus race with a 3.842-second run at 314.17 mph. This marks Brown’s second 2024 Challenge victory, adding ten bonus points for the Countdown to the Championship.
Brown, the defending event winner, has momentum heading into the U.S. Nationals, winning the most recent race in Sonoma and back-to-back Indy events.
“It’s always been a plan in motion to try to peak at the right time. Our car has been running exceptionally well and that’s just a tribute to our team,” Brown said. “They’ve been working really hard at this, and they got a good combination. We’ve been running strong enough, even with the Mission #2Fast2Tasty to pull off the runs. We make it down track every run, and when you do that, it gives you a chance to win.
“This is one of those great tracks. This is a special track for us, this is where we ran our first .60, a 3.68 against J.R. Todd. This track always has some great memories for us, and we always kick into gear – this is where we get into our groove. We race enough races in a row to know where we’re at and where we need to be at. Tomorrow, hopefully, we can continue that trend and carry it on to the U.S. Nationals.”
Anderson ended the rain-delayed afternoon with his third Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge win, defeating KB Titan Racing teammate Cory Reed with a 6.618-second run at 204.79 mph in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. Anderson, who hasn’t won in Brainerd since 2011, aims to sweep his hometown race this weekend.
“It was definitely a great day,” Anderson said. “Nobody cares how it happened; they just know who won, period, so you have to find a way to win. I think tomorrow is going to be smooth. It should be a great day, and hopefully, we can find a way to show off in front of the hometown fans.”
