Austin Prock has spent much of 2026 trying to make his new surroundings feel like home. On Saturday at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park, the two-time defending Funny Car champion looked plenty comfortable.
Prock ripped off a 3.859-second pass at 331.61 mph to grab the No. 1 qualifying position at the Dodge NHRA Great Lakes Nationals, knocking Cruz Pedregon from the top spot and putting Tasca Racing at the head of the field before a sellout crowd.
It was Prock’s second No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 27th of his career.
Doug Kalitta did some Saturday flexing of his own in Top Fuel, improving to a blistering 3.660 at 338.86 mph in front of a home-state crowd. Matt Hartford held onto No. 1 in Pro Stock, while Ryan Oehler made a little personal history by securing his first Pro Stock Motorcycle pole.
For Prock, the 3.859 was more than one big swing. His Ford Racing Mustang made four strong qualifying runs, collected bonus points in every session and produced the third-quickest Funny Car run of the season.
More importantly, the performance came at the first stop of the six-race Countdown to the Championship, where every available qualifying point carries additional weight. Prock is trying to win a third consecutive Funny Car championship, and Saturday gave his team a strong start.
“This Ford Mustang has really been turning the corner in the latter half of the season. To roll into the Countdown, munch up quite a few qualifying points, and then be the No. 1 qualifier at the first Countdown race definitely feels good,” Prock said. “It gives us some confidence.
“We’ve been working really hard this year — putting in the hours, thinking about it in the middle of the night, waking up and just going and getting your grind done. I’m really proud of accomplishing this, and hopefully we can turn it into a win tomorrow.”
Prock draws Jordan Vandergriff in Sunday’s opening round as he tries to begin his championship playoff with a victory at NHRA’s first national event at the facility. The reception NHRA received in western Michigan wasn’t lost on him, either, with the enthusiasm stretching well beyond the packed grandstands.
“To see how excited everybody has been, not only at the racetrack but outside the racetrack and around the hotel — ‘We’re so excited NHRA is finally here. We get to see the big show’ – that’s awesome,” Prock said.
Jack Beckman came within 2/1,000ths of a second of Prock, qualifying second at 3.861, 332.10. Points leader Matt Hagan made his move in the final session, jumping to third with a 3.886 at 330.88.
Prock took Saturday’s Funny Car spotlight, but Kalitta made sure the home-state fans had something of their own to celebrate. He had already led Top Fuel after Friday’s qualifying, but the reigning NHRA champion wasn’t interested in merely protecting what he had.
Kalitta lowered the boom with a 3.660 at 338.86 mph in his Applied Innovations dragster, improving on his Friday performance and putting some distance between himself and the rest of the field. The run delivered his fifth No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 71st of his career.
For Kalitta Motorsports, this weekend carries more weight than the average stop on the NHRA tour. The team has deep Michigan roots, and Kalitta knew before the gates opened that his hospitality area would be crowded with family, friends, and supporters.
Then there was the rest of U.S. 131 Motorsports Park, which filled for NHRA’s first national event at the track. Kalitta gave the crowd exactly what it came to see with one of the quickest Top Fuel runs of the season.
“I knew our hospitality was going to have a ton of people, so I assumed the fans would be piling in here, and they were,” Kalitta said. “It was really nice that we were able to get something done in front of them. This is a new market for us, and we definitely want to put on a good show for everybody.
“Everybody’s working their tails off. I definitely didn’t want to have a Saturday rainout, so it was good that we were able to get something done. Another No. 1 qualifier is huge. We’ll drag it in tomorrow and see what we’ve got.”
Kalitta opens eliminations against Kyle Satenstein, carrying the points lead and plenty of home-state support. The field tightened behind him during the final session, with Josh Hart jumping to second at 3.671, 329.19, and Antron Brown moving to third at 3.673, 338.09.
Hartford didn’t need another Friday night home run in Pro Stock because his 6.516 at 209.79 mph was stout enough to survive everything Saturday threw at it. The Total Seal Chevrolet Camaro driver claimed his second consecutive No. 1 qualifier and second of the season.
It was the seventh pole of Hartford’s career and continued a late-season surge that has carried directly into the Countdown. His reward Sunday comes with an unusual wrinkle that makes the opening round particularly valuable.
Hartford faces Shane Tucker, and because only 14 cars are in the field and the way the ladder is configured, a victory would send him directly into the semifinals with a second-round bye. One win effectively carries the value of two rounds, which Hartford said does nothing to make Sunday’s opener more comfortable.
“We were thrilled to get two runs in today. Anytime you can go up and down the track, you learn something,” Hartford said.
“I think it’s more pressure because it’s a known fact that if you win first round, you go to the semifinals. It’s a two-for-one, so that’s just added pressure. I think any driver would tell you that first round is the hardest one every weekend. Once you’re through first round, you relax a little bit more. To me, first round is harder than a final round.”
Hartford enters Sunday’s eliminations chasing his fourth victory of the season, which would pull him even with Greg Anderson and Dallas Glenn for the class lead. Anderson qualified second at 6.521, 209.11, while points leader Glenn landed third at 6.529, 209.99.
Oehler’s Saturday unfolded differently because there wasn’t another quicker run needed to secure his place at the top. His Friday blast of 6.7190 at 200.80 mph survived both Saturday sessions and finally delivered something Oehler and his father had been chasing for years – a No. 1 qualifying hat.
The milestone came aboard Oehler’s El Bandito Yankee Tequila EBR and gave him his first career pole. Doing it in front of a packed house during NHRA’s return to Michigan gave the accomplishment an even bigger stage.
“It’s very special,” Oehler said. “My dad is an engine developer and horsepower developer, and this is what he’s wanted. He’s always said, ‘I just want one of those yellow hats.’ I’ve always said, ‘I just want to be in the winner’s circle.’ We got him his yellow hat today.
“This really flexes his muscles and shows what we’re made of back home and what we’ve been doing in the offseason to make power. It’s going to be scary to see where we’re headed if we keep going in this direction.”
Oehler also offered a warning about what could still be coming during the Countdown. Another engine is being prepared, and he believes it could enter the equation before the championship is decided.
“We have a brand-new engine we’re putting together right now. Whether it’ll be ready during the Countdown or not, it very well could be,” Oehler said. “That could be the secret sauce to a championship run.”
Angie Smith qualified second at 6.7377, 196.51, with Indianapolis winner Matt Smith third at 6.7403, 197.02.
Eliminations for the inaugural Dodge NHRA Great Lakes Nationals begin at 10:30 a.m. EDT Sunday at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park.
