Austin Prock, the reigning Funny Car champion, secured the provisional No. 1 position for John Force Racing at the NHRA New England Nationals on Friday at New England Dragway.
Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel) and Cody Coughlin (Pro Stock) also claimed the provisional No. 1 spots in their respective divisions at the seventh race of the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.
During the second session, the “No. 1 Clawifier Award presented by NAPA” was up for grabs. The top qualifier for the evening was to occupy a chair made of lobster pot, and lobster dinners were awarded to each class leader.
Prock set the pace early in the Q2 session and maintained his lead, finishing with a run of 3.860 seconds, 331.69 mph. This positions Prock to potentially earn his second No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 20th of his career.
“It took a lot to get this thing tamed down, but the guys did a great job diagnosing it, and we laid down a really nice lap,” Prock said. “John Force Racing has had a lot of success here. Last year was a really special moment in my life and all I’ve ever wanted to do is drive a Funny Car.
“I always try to do the best I can every time I get in this car. That’s what these guys deserve, what our team deserves and what our partners deserve. I’m just trying to get in there and drive to the best of my ability.”
Bob Tasca III currently sits in second with a time of 3.891, 335.40, while Paul Lee is in third with a 3.891 at 329.18.
In Top Fuel, Kalitta was eighth after the first round of qualifying, but his Q2 run of 3.697 seconds at 331.36 mph made him the only driver to dip into the 3.60s on Friday. This could mark Kalitta’s fourth consecutive top qualifier of 2025, continuing his impressive qualifying streak.
“The car shook a little bit at the beginning, got cleaned up and then it set sail,” Kalitta said. “It was definitely what we were looking for. We were all gunning for the lobster, and the way the team has this car running, I was hoping it would make it and it did.
“We’re very fortunate after the first day and Epping is a cool area. I’ve had a great running car all year (but) haven’t gotten the win yet, so I’m real hungry for that. This would be a great place to do it. We got it done last year, which was cool. We’re just trying to go rounds, keep our heads down and hope like heck it goes our way Sunday.”
Shawn Reed is currently in second with a pass of 3.702, 334.24, and Brittany Force follows in third with a time of 3.713, 334.48 mph.
Pro Stock rookie Coughlin claimed the provisional No. 1 qualifier with a standout run of 6.537, 210.28, in his Cody Coughlin Construction Chevrolet Camaro. This achievement stands as his best performance since leaving stock car racing to go drag racing.
“It felt so seamless that I thought it was going to be slow,” Coughlin said. “But as they say, slow is smooth and smooth is fast. Greg (Anderson) and Dallas (Glenn) have been fast — everybody has been fast here with KB Titan power — so I figured they’d edge me out because they know all the tricks of the trade.
“I spoke to Greg during the off-season to congratulate him on his championship and we just meshed. I’ve always been a fan of the Hendrick (Motorsports) team, and when Greg invited me out to a test, I was hooked.”
Coughlin surpassed reigning champion Anderson, who also recorded a 6.537 but at a slightly slower speed of 209.95 mph. Points leader Glenn trails closely in third with a run of 6.539, 210.28.
Qualifying continues Saturday at 12:30 p.m. EDT at the New England Nationals at New England Dragway.
Friday’s results after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the 12th annual NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway, seventh of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday’s final eliminations.
Top Fuel — 1. Doug Kalitta, 3.697 seconds, 331.36 mph; 2. Shawn Reed, 3.702, 334.24; 3. Brittany Force, 3.713, 334.48; 4. Antron Brown, 3.715, 335.40; 5. Shawn Langdon, 3.716, 331.69; 6. Tony Stewart, 3.742, 330.47; 7. Steve Torrence, 3.750, 335.07; 8. Justin Ashley, 3.752, 307.86; 9. Dan Mercier, 3.761, 329.18; 10. Ida Zetterstrom, 3.780, 328.78; 11. Josh Hart, 3.793, 315.86; 12. Scott Farley, 7.523, 76.34; 13. Clay Millican, 7.719, 84.94; 14. Rit Pustari, 9.724, 75.76. Not Qualified: 15. Mike Bucher, broke.
Funny Car — 1. Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 3.860, 331.69; 2. Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 3.891, 335.40; 3. Paul Lee, Dodge Charger, 3.891, 329.18; 4. Jack Beckman, Camaro, 3.908, 326.87; 5. Alexis DeJoria, Charger, 3.909, 329.58; 6. Spencer Hyde, Mustang, 3.914, 328.70; 7. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 3.917, 329.83; 8. J.R. Todd, Toyota GR Supra, 3.922, 329.75; 9. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.930, 327.74; 10. Chad Green, Mustang, 3.965, 316.01; 11. Blake Alexander, Charger, 3.969, 323.97; 12. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.000, 280.66; 13. Dave Richards, Mustang, 4.022, 317.49; 14. Ron Capps, GR Supra, 4.106, 268.60; 15. Buddy Hull, Charger, 8.843, 76.01. Not Qualified: 16. Phil Burkart, broke.
Pro Stock — 1. Cody Coughlin, Chevy Camaro, 6.537, 210.28; 2. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.537, 209.95; 3. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.539, 210.60; 4. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.543, 208.17; 5. Cory Reed, Camaro, 6.549, 209.56; 6. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.555, 209.20; 7. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.564, 208.65; 8. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.565, 209.26; 9. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.566, 208.46; 10. Dave Connolly, Camaro, 6.576, 209.01; 11. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.582, 208.14; 12. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.594, 207.59; 13. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.595, 208.26; 14. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.608, 208.36; 15. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.623, 207.91; 16. Brandon Miller, Dodge Dart, 6.768, 173.43.
