Austin Prock has proved to be a quick study as a nitro Funny Car driver.
Prock, who was tabbed to fill in for Robert Hight at John Force Racing before the 2024 season because of a health matter, has had a banner campaign so far.
Prock won the PRO Superstar Shootout and the $250,000 check for the victory, and he hasn’t slowed down since the 2024 NHRA season began.
Prock was runner-up at the season-opening Gatornationals as the No. 1 qualifier, and then repeated the feat as the No. 1 qualifier for the Lucas Oil Arizona Nationals in Phoenix.
Prock beat Alexis DeJoria in the final round Sunday at Firebird Motorsports Park. Prock clocked a 3.952-second elapsed time at 320.74 mph to defeat DeJoria’s 4.049-second lap at 316.90 mph.
This is Prock’s fifth career national-event win after scoring four in Top Fuel. Prock became just the 19th driver in NHRA history to win in both Top Fuel and Funny Car.
“This is a huge win. This car’s been running great. We started the year out strong and struggled a little bit last week and had to get some revenge this weekend,” Prock said. “We definitely did that. That was a great run in the final round there. We were trying to do that all weekend long and just couldn’t piece it all together and it finally came together.
“But to get my first Funny Car win and enter a league of its own, the Don Prudhommes, you know the Shawn Langdons, the JR Todds, the Kenny Bernsteins, all these people that are legends and future Hall of Famers, it’s pretty cool to be a part of that small group and to do it with my family makes it even more special,” Prock said. “There hasn’t been a bad day at the racetrack, even last weekend when we struggled. You never want to struggle, but when you’re getting to race with your family, there’s never a bad day out here. Everyone’s just doing an outstanding job.
“And we earned this one today. Had to pedal it first round — it dropped holes, and I almost took the fence out. Then we go up there and I was dead late against JR [Todd] and the Prock Rocket bailed me out and we put it all together there in the final. I chopped the tree down and they hauled the mail.”
Prock’s crew chief is his father Jimmy, a world championship tuner, and his brother Thomas, who is working side-by-side with his dad.
“We earned it, and these Funny Cars are no joke. I said that at the top end. This is by far the hardest car I’ve ever driven and most competitive class I’ve ever driven in,” Prock said. “I’ve been racing since I was 10 years old. There’s nothing funny about a Funny Car.”
On Sunday, Prock defeated Buddy Hull, Daniel Wilkerson, J.R. Todd and then DeJoria.
Although Prock had some success in Top Fuel for JFR, it isn’t like his situation in Funny Car now.
“In my Top Fuel career I worked with some wonderful people — very brilliant, smart people — but we never really had a fair shot at running back-to-back seasons with the same group of people and that really crippled our performance I feel like,” Prock said. “Name any one of the crew chiefs that I got to work with, if we would add back-to-back years, I think we could have really done some damage. But when you fall into a golden pot like I did this year into a championship contending car every year it goes out there. The thing’s just that fast and I’m hanging on and just trying to learn as fast as I can. It’s been a crash course, but I’m doing the best I can and that’s all you can ask.
“I knew the car was capable of it. I was sure I wasn’t going to be the weak link and I’m just hanging on for dear life and like I said, just trying to do the best I can. And today was good enough to get the W.”
John Force has praised the driving ability of Austin – but Prock doesn’t want to take Force’s seat one day.
“That’s the last thing I’m worried about right now,” Prock said. “I just won my first Funny Car (national event). I’m in the seat now and I hope I’m in the seat a really long time. John’s always been great to me. He’s always kept his word with me, and I love racing for him, and I don’t want to race anywhere else. Wherever the road takes me, I’ll be standing on the gas.
“I always want to keep driving, but it is (Robert’s) car, so you got to be mindful of that. But I feel like that’s not really a topic we need to be worried about right now. I just won my first Funny Car race.”
Prock was quick to point out in his post-race press conference that he’s not lacking confidence in his ability.
“If you don’t believe in yourself that you can do it, you shouldn’t be here,” he said. “This is a very competitive class and if you don’t believe in yourself, you’re not going to be competitive. You got to walk around here, not be arrogant, but you got to believe you can do it. And walk with your chin up and take your punches and try and swing some back. That’s all I’ve been doing. I’ve just been trying to be a sponge.
“The tough thing about drag racing is you don’t get another lap to fix it. You go up there and you got to be perfect. And if you make a mistake, you got to sit around for three hours or more and then go up there and make sure you don’t make it again. And that’s what makes drag racing so tough. I’ve just been focused. I got the best people in my corner; we got the best sponsors and best parts and pieces. I’m just trying not to mess it up essentially, and it’s working.”
Prock acknowledged every offseason he’s been riding an emotional rollercoaster, but the trials and tribulations have got him to this point in his career.
“Every offseason has been a mess for me, essentially. I never really know where I’m going, I never really know what’s going on,” Prock said. “I’ve always had year-to-year sponsorship. This year, losing my ride and you’re bummed obviously and then something miraculous happens. It was a shame what’s going on with Robert and all the best wishes to him, but it really helped my career out. And I’ve been able to showcase my talents in a really tough category and with a really competitive car.
“Yeah, everything happens for a reason. And like I said, it’s the last thing I wanted to happen was see Robert step away, but I’ve wanted to race with my dad and my brother my whole life. And I’m getting to do that and we sure are having a lot of fun as a family.
“I grew up racing with my brother. My dad was always out here. When I was 10 years old and my brother was 12, when we got our first race car, my dad told us if we wanted to do it, we got to do it on our own. We were 10 and 12 years old, putting our quarter midgets together, loading them in the trailer. Backing the truck up to the trailer, hooking it up and Mom would drive it there and we’d do everything else. That’s always been our M.O.; always been hands-on with the race car. And I definitely think that’s helped benefit my career and be able to be sitting here right now.”
Some outsiders might have thought Prock couldn’t find success in Funny Car, and he admitted it has been a quick work in progress.
“I’m getting more comfortable every lap, but the thing is every time you get comfortable, this thing tries to do something crazy on you,” Prock said. “It’s like first round I pedaled the thing. It was beautiful; couldn’t have done much better. And straight down there, had holes out, got the round win. And then I’m like, ‘Ah man, I got a hang on this thing.’ And then next round it goes out there, drops holes, I about knocked the fence down. I get the finish line and almost crashed the car but got the win. Typical, like, John Force style. Every time you think you got a handle on it, you don’t. And that’s what makes this category so tough.”
And Prock discussed how having a plan in the cockpit isn’t the best plan.
“Well, it’s funny. You would think you would want to plan things and because you don’t have time to think, so you think having a plan would be good. Well, if you’re thinking about your plan, you’re not thinking about the right thing. You just really got to drive off your gut and drive off instinct,” he said. “And the race car’s talking to you the whole time you’re on the gas. You just got to be able to listen, absorb that energy and figure out which way you need to direct it.”
