This is a habit Austin Prock can’t seem to break – and he’s not complaining.

Prock, who has been the No. 1 qualifier six times this season, put himself in position for No. 7 on Friday at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio.

Prock clocked a 3.863-second elapsed time at 327.51 mph in Q2 to take the provisional No. 1 position. That barely edged out J.R. Todd's 3.865-second burst.

“It's just how hard this team works. My dad (Jimmy), (his brother) Thomas, and Nate (Hidal) have been doing a really good job analyzing the racetrack and making the right decisions,” Austin said. “This ‘C’ team of ours, they're just machines. I mean they put it together the same every time and that speaks volume. When the crew chiefs turn a knob a quarter turn and it listens, it means the guys are doing their job. Really proud of them, and it's been really fun to drive.

“I told someone earlier how this car has been running. It's really shortened my learning curve because I've got so many attempts up there. We've made a lot of runs already this year and we're not quite halfway through the season. Really proud to be behind the wheel and we had a great day today. We were low both sessions and kind of got to get our minds off the world for a little bit and just go to work and try and make John Force Racing proud.”

Prock, driving for JFR, is less than a week removed from winning the title at the PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals in Richmond, Va., last Sunday.

Prock, who was the No. 1 qualifier this year in Gainesville, Fla., Phoenix, Las Vegas, Chicago, Epping, N.H., and Bristol, acknowledged the last few days have been emotional for him.

He was waiting at the top-end of the track when his boss and NHRA legend John Force had a fiery, wall-smashing, high-speed crash during the first round of the PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals.

The latest report from John Force Racing on June 27 confirmed Force has moved from the trauma intensive care unit to the neuro intensive care unit, where the medical team can focus on his head injury, which is their primary concern.

Force’s daughter, Brittany Force, a Top Fuel world champion, is sitting out the Norwalk race, leaving Prock to fly the torch with JFR's AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS team this weekend.

“We got a job to do. We're just focused on that and trying to ... make John Force Racing proud, all our partners,” Prock said. “We're out here and our team is representing all our brands this weekend. We're trying our best to just keep doing what we've been doing, try not to get too caught up in it, but it definitely is hard. A lot of things going on right now and a lot of emotion, but those runs today -- definitely the first one for sure for me -- just kind of I could breathe. Hopefully, as the weekend goes on it'll get a little easier.”

It was a strong day all the way around for Prock as he also had the quickest pass in Q1 with a 3.892-second time.

“It was great. It's nice,” Prock said about his two stout runs on Friday. “We're one team here at John Force Racing and we've had unbelievable support from not only our team members, but everybody here has been really nice this weekend and thoughtful. Just keep on keeping on like Danny Hood says.”

Prock, who never raced a Funny Car full-time until this season, was thrust into this role when three-time world champion driver Robert Hight was sidelined with a medical condition, and he took his seat.

And he’s been a quick study.

In addition to his six No. 1 qualifiers, he also has snared three race wins, including the last two.

“I just try and do the same thing every time I go up there. Lanny Miglizzi (track specialist for JFR) has just bred into me to be a machine,” Austin said. "'Don't get caught up in anything and just go up there and do your job. Focus on your routine and just rifle off the starting line and make sure you keep it right down in the center of the groove.'

“I love working with Lanny, and I have so much faith in this team. Every time we go up there, I believe we can be the quickest car out there or right there in the hunt. Just edge out, I think. Maybe J.R. (Todd) I think, went 86 as well. Hats off to my guys and hopefully that'll stick. It's been an impressive run this year, and I hope we can keep it going.”

From 2019-23, Prock drove a Top Fuel dragster for John Force Racing, finishing a career-best third in the points standings in 2022. He collected four national-event wins and three No. 1 qualifiers.

“It's a lot of hard work paying off I believe. I've been working at being a race car driver since I could think and started driving them when I was 10,” Prock said. “I've got a golden opportunity in front of me, and I knew that coming into the season. I knew that I had to drive the best I ever have in my career, in my life and things have just been working out. Cards are falling our way, and my guys are doing an outstanding job. We're living our dreams. I'm driving a nitro Funny Car. My dad and brother are tuning it along with Nate.

“It's just really fun. It's a golden opportunity and I don't want to be the weak link or let it slip away. I'm just staying focused. It doesn't even seem that we're 10 races in the year. It doesn't seem like we've been leading the points most of the year. I'm just trying to go up there, do the best I can each moment. I think if I keep that mindset myself, it'll make ... this is not an easy business to be in, but it kind of takes out one element of the pressure and getting caught up in things that you don't need to worry about.”

Austin, who was the 2019 NHRA Rookie of the Year, has enjoyed his time in Top Fuel and Funny Car. He has a 21-6 elimination round record this season, a 12-1 mark in his last 13 rounds.

“I don't think it's any more pressure. This is a high-pressure business no matter how you cut the cake,” Prock said. “We just got to be a machine and keep doing our job. We're here to represent the company. We're here to do a job and they believe in us to do that. We're going to try our best."

Austin will try and keep things rolling Saturday when he competes in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge race.

“I'm looking forward to it. I really hope Mother Nature plays nice with us (Saturday), but I'm looking forward to it,” Austin said. “The track is outstanding here in Norwalk. We love coming here and being here with the Bader family and put on a great show for the fans. The fans were great today for a Friday night. It was pretty full here. I love to see that, and hopefully we get a good crowd (Saturday) and can put on a good show. We got another tough round ahead of us with Matt Hagan. Those guys, you can never take lightly, but it is fun racing them. You want to beat the best in the business, and he's champ right now. I'm looking forward to that.”