Austin Prock delivered the breakthrough Bob Tasca Racing needed on the third day of the Professional Racers Organization preseason test session at Gainesville Raceway, posting a 3.878-second pass at 329.91 mph in the team’s new Mustang. It marked the quickest Funny Car run of Thursday and the first official PRO test appearance since it was announced Prock would take over the driving duties for Bob Tasca.
After two days of frustrating attempts, Prock found his rhythm with an early 3.909 before lowering the number later in the session. The 3.878 signaled that the new pairing is beginning to settle into form.
“. This morning it was actually on track to run 84. Clicked it early, planned to shut off at 660 feet, so this Prock rocket’s back on the prowl. It definitely feels good. Worked through some difficult times over the last few months and especially these last two days with this race car, and really proud of this team, that’s quite the feat to be able to roll out here this morning on track to run 84 and finish the day with an 87. I think that would’ve been first quick and the 87 to the stripe was second quick, so really proud.”
The run capped one of 85 passes made during Thursday’s session. It also provided validation for Tasca’s offseason decision and reinforced that Prock’s transition is trending upward.
Jordan Vandergriff, Prock’s successor at John Force Racing, followed closely with a 3.886 at 332.75. Vandergriff completed his crossover licensing earlier in the week and paced the Funny Cars on Wednesday before ranking second Thursday.
Jack Beckman posted a 3.887 at 323.89 to remain in contention. Cruz Pedregon followed with a 3.941 at 323.81 as teams continued refining combinations ahead of eliminations.
Rounding out the best Funny Car runs on Thursday were J.R. Todd (3.991, 312.50), Hunter Green (3.992, 321.50), Chad Green (3.995, 320.28), Matt Hagan (4.002, 271.95), Julie Nataas (4.005, 320.43) and Dan Wilkerson (4.066, 269.40).
While Prock set the tone in Funny Car, defending Top Fuel champion Doug Kalitta delivered the quickest elapsed time of the day with a 3.659 at 340.47. The run stood as the best Top Fuel effort of Thursday’s test session.
Shawn Langdon, who on Wednesday recorded a 3.621-second pass that marked the quickest elapsed time in Top Fuel drag racing history during testing, followed with a 3.695 at 345.62. His speed was the fastest of the session even if the elapsed time ranked second.
Tony Stewart clocked a 3.718 at 336.82, while Billy Torrence ran 3.726 at 339.96. Justin Ashley added a 3.727 at 340.82 to continue a consistent week.
Antron Brown recorded a 3.780 at 309.34, and Leah Pruett ran 3.809 at 259.66 as teams balanced performance with durability. Josh Hart (3.819, 274.55), Maddi Gordon (3.834, 318.89), Shawn Reed (3.844, 317.72) and Jaren Mott (3.951, 256.06) rounded out the Top Fuel leaders.
A majority of teams, including Kalitta Racing, declared their testing complete after Thursday’s session. Others indicated they would return for the final day to chase incremental improvements.
Three days into the Gainesville test, the numbers suggest the 2026 season will open at an elevated performance threshold. From Prock’s breakthrough in Funny Car to Kalitta and Langdon’s Top Fuel benchmarks, the Compulink timing system has already told a compelling story before a single elimination round has been contested.
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