The Prock Rocket keeps on soaring.

 

Reigning NHRA nitro Funny Car champion Austin Prock won his sixth race of the season and second in a row, claiming the title at the Lucas Oil Nationals Sunday in Brainerd, Minn.

 

Prock clocked a 3.907-second elapsed time at 321.50 mph in the final round to defeat J.R. Todd, who slowed to 9.126 seconds.

 

“That was huge, getting beat on a holeshot like that [by Todd in the second round of Brainerd 2024]. Obviously, that’s never something you want to do as a driver, and I think my legs are still sore from walking from the top end all the way back to my pit last year,” said Prock, who drives the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS for John Force Racing. “But we got it done today. I came in here with a chip on my shoulder and just wanted to execute, and I was consistent throughout qualifying. [Sunday] morning I woke up and just all the stars aligned. Got after it and attacked the Christmas tree and had probably one of my best driving performances, leaving the starting line in either category, Top Fuel or Funny Car.”

 

Prock captured his 18th career Wally – 14 in Funny Car, four in Top Fuel – and his first at Brainerd.

 

“This definitely makes me feel good, especially going into the U.S. Nationals,” Prock said. “It’s almost playoff time [six-race Countdown to the Championship] and we have a huge lead, and it’s all going to go away. I’m looking into the future and preparing, trying to get acclimated with the race car, getting comfortable in there. And be able to go out into the playoffs and execute.”

 

With one race left in the regular season, the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals [Aug. 27-Sept. 1 in Indianapolis], Prock can clinch the regular-season title in qualifying. He enters Indy with a 242-point lead over second-place Jack Beckman, his JFR teammate.

 

The regular-season points title is worth $150,000.

 

“You get one championship, and all you want to do is win another one. As soon as that banquet’s over, all you want to do is put all your work back into the sport and go after another one,” Prock said. “And we’ve been doing a good job of that this year. This team is outstanding. I didn’t need to cut those reaction times today because they gave me such a great car, but when you could package that together, nobody wants to race you.

 

“I’ve watched my dad [crew chief Jimmy Prock] grow up and he’ll go run the national record, and he comes back, and he looks at the data and says it could go quicker. So, I think that’s just bred into me. Last year, obviously it was my rookie year. There’s a lot going on. I wasn’t a rookie by any means, but just a rookie to the category. And these race cars are tough to drive. You see a lot of people struggle in them and to do what we did last year and come out of the box and win like we did, just makes you want more. And I like getting paid at the end of the day.”

On Sunday in Brainerd, Prock, the No. 2 qualifier at 3.893 seconds at 331.45 mph, beat Jim Campbell, Matt Hagan, and Chad Green before he faced Todd. 

 

Prock improved his elimination-round record for the season to 29-7. He has been to eight final rounds in 13 races.

 

“This is a very mentally tough game, and a lot of little things can just get in your head and screw you all up,” Prock said. “So that’s something that I’ve been working on. When you’re a machine up there and nothing can mess you up, that’s when you’re great. And I feel like when I’m at my best, we’re at the top of the board.”

 

This season, Prock has wins at: the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, April 13 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway; the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte, N.C., on April 27; Richmond, Va., on June 22; Norwalk, Ohio, on June 29; Sonoma, Calif., on July 27; and Brainerd, Minn., Aug. 17.

 

The 2024 season was Prock’s first driving a nitro Funny Car as a replacement for Robert Hight, who was sidelined for medical reasons. Prock won a class-best eight national events, with his final win of the season coming at the Ford Performance NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas in early November.

 

“I think that I’ve just been learning every year. Last year obviously was a learning curve, being a rookie in the category, but there was so much going on,” Prock said. “It was hard to get distracted by other things. I was so focused on just being in the car and having the opportunity and trying to do a good job. And this year, you have a championship under your belt, you’re more comfortable. 

 

“The more comfortable you get, the more time you have to think. So, it’s just getting back into that groove. You’re always evolving as a race car driver, as a crew chief, as a crew member. And when you stop evolving, that’s when you should give it up. I’m still hungry. I want to win every one of these from here on out till the end of the season. And if we do that, then we will be world champions again. So that’s our mindset. Go out there, stay hungry, and execute.”

 

Prock has won 14 of the last 33 NHRA national events.

 

“Obviously we want to win the regular-season championship, and we want to win the Mission #2Fast2Tasty [Challenge race] in Indy,” Prock said. “We want to win the Callout in Indy. We want to be the No. 1 qualifier in Indy. We want to win Indy. We have a chance to do something that nobody’s ever done. We have an opportunity for all these specialty races that involve Indy, we have a chance at the regular-season championship, and we definitely have a chance at winning another U.S. Nationals. So, there’s a lot on the line there. No pressure. We just got to go out there and do the same thing we did, but we could do something really special there. And especially with Cornwell Tools promoting that race. The renovations that have gone into that racetrack, we’re excited to get there.”

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NITRO FC STAR AUSTIN PROCK KEEPS ON WINNING – BRAINERD IS HIS LATEST CONQUEST

The Prock Rocket keeps on soaring.

 

Reigning NHRA nitro Funny Car champion Austin Prock won his sixth race of the season and second in a row, claiming the title at the Lucas Oil Nationals Sunday in Brainerd, Minn.

 

Prock clocked a 3.907-second elapsed time at 321.50 mph in the final round to defeat J.R. Todd, who slowed to 9.126 seconds.

 

“That was huge, getting beat on a holeshot like that [by Todd in the second round of Brainerd 2024]. Obviously, that’s never something you want to do as a driver, and I think my legs are still sore from walking from the top end all the way back to my pit last year,” said Prock, who drives the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS for John Force Racing. “But we got it done today. I came in here with a chip on my shoulder and just wanted to execute, and I was consistent throughout qualifying. [Sunday] morning I woke up and just all the stars aligned. Got after it and attacked the Christmas tree and had probably one of my best driving performances, leaving the starting line in either category, Top Fuel or Funny Car.”

 

Prock captured his 18th career Wally – 14 in Funny Car, four in Top Fuel – and his first at Brainerd.

 

“This definitely makes me feel good, especially going into the U.S. Nationals,” Prock said. “It’s almost playoff time [six-race Countdown to the Championship] and we have a huge lead, and it’s all going to go away. I’m looking into the future and preparing, trying to get acclimated with the race car, getting comfortable in there. And be able to go out into the playoffs and execute.”

 

With one race left in the regular season, the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals [Aug. 27-Sept. 1 in Indianapolis], Prock can clinch the regular-season title in qualifying. He enters Indy with a 242-point lead over second-place Jack Beckman, his JFR teammate.

 

The regular-season points title is worth $150,000.

 

“You get one championship, and all you want to do is win another one. As soon as that banquet’s over, all you want to do is put all your work back into the sport and go after another one,” Prock said. “And we’ve been doing a good job of that this year. This team is outstanding. I didn’t need to cut those reaction times today because they gave me such a great car, but when you could package that together, nobody wants to race you.

 

“I’ve watched my dad [crew chief Jimmy Prock] grow up and he’ll go run the national record, and he comes back, and he looks at the data and says it could go quicker. So, I think that’s just bred into me. Last year, obviously it was my rookie year. There’s a lot going on. I wasn’t a rookie by any means, but just a rookie to the category. And these race cars are tough to drive. You see a lot of people struggle in them and to do what we did last year and come out of the box and win like we did, just makes you want more. And I like getting paid at the end of the day.”

On Sunday in Brainerd, Prock, the No. 2 qualifier at 3.893 seconds at 331.45 mph, beat Jim Campbell, Matt Hagan, and Chad Green before he faced Todd. 

 

Prock improved his elimination-round record for the season to 29-7. He has been to eight final rounds in 13 races.

 

“This is a very mentally tough game, and a lot of little things can just get in your head and screw you all up,” Prock said. “So that’s something that I’ve been working on. When you’re a machine up there and nothing can mess you up, that’s when you’re great. And I feel like when I’m at my best, we’re at the top of the board.”

 

This season, Prock has wins at: the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, April 13 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway; the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte, N.C., on April 27; Richmond, Va., on June 22; Norwalk, Ohio, on June 29; Sonoma, Calif., on July 27; and Brainerd, Minn., Aug. 17.

 

The 2024 season was Prock’s first driving a nitro Funny Car as a replacement for Robert Hight, who was sidelined for medical reasons. Prock won a class-best eight national events, with his final win of the season coming at the Ford Performance NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas in early November.

 

“I think that I’ve just been learning every year. Last year obviously was a learning curve, being a rookie in the category, but there was so much going on,” Prock said. “It was hard to get distracted by other things. I was so focused on just being in the car and having the opportunity and trying to do a good job. And this year, you have a championship under your belt, you’re more comfortable. 

 

“The more comfortable you get, the more time you have to think. So, it’s just getting back into that groove. You’re always evolving as a race car driver, as a crew chief, as a crew member. And when you stop evolving, that’s when you should give it up. I’m still hungry. I want to win every one of these from here on out till the end of the season. And if we do that, then we will be world champions again. So that’s our mindset. Go out there, stay hungry, and execute.”

 

Prock has won 14 of the last 33 NHRA national events.

 

“Obviously we want to win the regular-season championship, and we want to win the Mission #2Fast2Tasty [Challenge race] in Indy,” Prock said. “We want to win the Callout in Indy. We want to be the No. 1 qualifier in Indy. We want to win Indy. We have a chance to do something that nobody’s ever done. We have an opportunity for all these specialty races that involve Indy, we have a chance at the regular-season championship, and we definitely have a chance at winning another U.S. Nationals. So, there’s a lot on the line there. No pressure. We just got to go out there and do the same thing we did, but we could do something really special there. And especially with Cornwell Tools promoting that race. The renovations that have gone into that racetrack, we’re excited to get there.”

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