Photos by Robert Richard
The first day of private testing at the SCAG PRO Superstar Shootout began on Tuesday, and it was as if John Force Racing was picking up where they left off on the NHRA Mission Food Drag Racing Series.
Austin Prock (Funny Car), Brittany Force (Top Fuel), and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) were the leaders following the first day of preseason testing at Bradenton Motorsports Park.
For Prock, it was a tale of two preseason debuts. Last year, it took eight runs before Prock could even get past the tree under power. This time, Prock didn’t need nearly as many runs as he thundered to a 3.851 elapsed time at 333.82 miles per hour to lead the Funny Cars on Tuesday.
“We struggled the first few runs today because we’ve got a lot of different things on this Chevrolet this year and just trying to get them all ironed out one at a time,” Prock, the defending event champion, explained. “The last two runs definitely put some nice numbers on the board, which always feels good.
Last year, Prock’s first full pass down the strip was a memorable one as two cylinders dropped, leaving him with the feeling of driving a maniac sprint car. Tuesday’s run was one for the memory books as well.
“That last run, that was why I love Funny Cars right there,” Prock said. “This thing had the front end off the ground at 500 foot. Set it back down, pulled it back off the ground, and started doing a wheelie to the left inside, shut it off a little early. So yeah, definitely put a smile on my face.”
NAPA Auto Parts driver Ron Capps was second quickest with a 3.894, 329.58, while Chad Green was third with a 3.940 at only 315.27.
Force experienced a bit of deja vu as she came out swinging, making the first full pass of the day and stopping the timers with a 3.689, 330.23 pass. It was a bit of deja vu for the team, but what Grubnic remembers is how the team failed to capitalize on the early momentum in 2024.
“But then we failed to qualify, so we were just dealing with some mechanical issues,” Grubnic said. “So we want to obviously redeem ourselves from last year. We want to keep the momentum going on how we finished the season. So, for right now, we just have to make sure we keep crossing our T’s and dotting our I’s. But it’s day one of five, so we’re not counting any chickens just yet, but we can still see where we’re going.”
Slipping into second place was defending NHRA Top Fuel champion Antron Brown with a 3.701 elapsed time at 332.51, while Josh Hart was third with a 3.752. Shawn Langdon was a few ticks behind with a 3.758.
Anderson laid down a 6.530, 208.88, followed by Troy Coughlin Jr (6.578, 209.52), Greg Stanfield (6.578, 208.68), Stephen Bell (6.579, 209.88), and Mason McGaha (6.585, 206.89).
TUESDAY’S BESTS
- #5 – Brittany Force – 3.689, 330.23
- #1 – Antron Brown – 3.701, 332.51
- #77- Josh Hart – 3.752, 329..12
- #4 – Shawn Langdon – 3.758, 331.12
- #3 – Justin Ashley – 3.787, 282.24
- #2 – Doug Kalitta – 3.789, 325.85
#14 – Tony Stewart – N/A
#1301 – Doug Foley – N/A
#716 – Shawn Reed – N/A
(N/A) Did not make a full pass during the session.
FUNNY CAR –
- #1 – Austin Prock – 3.851, 333.82
2. #28 – Ron Capps – 3.894, 329.58
3. #9 – Chad Green – 3.940, 315.27
4. #2 – Jack Beckman – 3.969, 321.42
#7 – Daniel Wilkerson – N/A
#8 – J.R. Todd – N/A
#5- – Bob Tasca III – N/A
