Antron Brown, Austin Prock, and Cory Reed topped qualifying at the 2nd annual SCAG Power Equipment PRO Superstar Shootout, showcasing some of the fastest times in the event’s history. Brown recorded a career-best 3.644 seconds at 322.11 mph in Top Fuel, while Prock posted a remarkable 3.791 seconds at 331.53 mph in Funny Car.
Brown delivered his top time in the final session, thrilling a near-capacity crowd at Bradenton Motorsports Park.
“This is the PRO Shootout. What that means is, everybody’s gonna come here and you have nothing to lose,” Brown said. “When you see other teams running low 3.60s, you just want to be part of that gang.”
Following qualifying, the top eight Top Fuel drivers drew chips to determine their first-round opponents. Brown will face Shawn Reed in the opening round, while other matchups include Doug Kalitta against Brittany Force and Justin Ashley versus Shawn Langdon.
Brown experienced tire failure on his Matco Tools dragster, which forced him to return to last year’s championship dragster.
Prock dominated his second consecutive year of the event, holding the quickest elapsed time in all four qualifying rounds. “Man, this thing was trucking down there, and I had my hands full,” Prock said after his final run. “It says a lot about this team.”
Prock’s teammate, Jack Beckman, also impressed with a strong showing, recording a 3.836 second elapsed time at 329.99 mph. Prock’s speed late in qualifying solidified his No. 1 spot for eliminations, and he will race Bob Tasca III in the first round.
In Pro Stock, Reed cemented his first career No. 1 qualifier position with a 6.494-second run in the final session, edging out his teammate Greg Anderson, who ran 6.498 seconds.
“I didn’t expect it to go 6.49 seconds,” Reed said. “I totally thought that (reigning world champion) Greg Anderson was gonna blow me out of the freaking water.”
Gates open at 8 a.m. at Bradenton Motorsports Park, and the first round of eliminations is set to begin at 12:30 p.m.
