Competition Plus’ Water-Cooler Topics From The 2024 Season
1 – THE ROOKIE PROCK SHINES – Austin Prock might have been a Funny Car rookie, but he sure didn’t carry himself like one.
Consider this. In Prock’s rookie season as a Funny Car driver, he won eight events in the 20-event schedule, reaching the final round an incredible 12 times. He also topped the boss John Force’s record for low qualifiers in one season by taking the pole in 15 events.
“I’ve been working towards this for 19 years,” Prock said. “I started driving race cars when I was 10 years old, and all I’ve ever wanted to do since I could think is be a professional race car driver in any manner and win the world championship, win the title, and we got it done this year. I got to do it with my family.
“My dad turned the knobs with my brother (Thomas) as the assistant crew chief in this. Nate Hildahl and this whole Cornwell Tools Team and AAA Auto Club Team as well this weekend, really proud of that. I mean, to run the fourth-quickest ET in the history of NHRA in the Funny Car category, to top it off Saturday night and get up on the stage and get rewarded that trophy.”
2 – THE SPEED MERCHANTS – Heading into the 2024 season, the race was on to the latest milestone in fuel racing – the 340-mile-per-hour barrier. While Top Fuel cars could run elapsed times, the Funny Cars overtook with booming speeds not seen since the laid-back header era of 2017, when Robert Hight ran 339 miles per hour at the 2017 NHRA Sonoma Nationals.
The race to 340 began earlier in the year when Bob Tasca III flirted close to the magical barrier on Thursday evening at the PRO Superstar Shootout in Bradenton, Fla. He ran 339.87 miles per hour during the test session/independent event. One day later, Tasca went through the speed traps at 341.68 miles per hour to become drag racing’s king of speed.
“We wanted to make sure we could get it, and the boys got it,” Tasca said. “We set the car up for speed, and the speed gods gave us speed. Amazing run, one for the ages. First ever over 340. Never forget that one.”
Tasca’s 3.840 elapsed time actually placed him second in qualifying for the Bradenton event to Prock. Nine months later, Prock pulled off the feat at an NHRA event during the first round of the NHRA In-N-Out Finals in Pomona.
Prock ran his 341.68-mph speed to beat Jason Rupert and become the fastest driver at an NHRA event. The 340-mph run shouldn’t have come as a surprise, but father/tuner Jimmy Prock wasn’t expecting that one.
“I didn’t expect that.” Jimmy Prock said. “But maybe it ran faster at half-track than the last run and it helped to do it. I don’t know. Got to take a look at it.”
The younger Prock took in the moment at the end of the run to reflect on what he and his team had done.
“To run 380 last night in this Chevrolet Camaro and then back it up with 341, it just is a testament in how great this team is,” Prock said. “I mean, right when you think we’re done, we just keep one-upping everyone, and it’s just such a fun race car to drive. I’m so proud of my family and this team. What a great opportunity. But, yeah, I’m getting pretty comfortable in this Chevrolet.”
3 – THE CHAMP IS SIDELINED – On June 23, 2024, the collective drag racing community held its breath as 17-time Funny Car champion (16 in NHRA, 1 in AHRA) suffered a fiery crash during the first round of the NHRA Virginia Nationals outside of Richmond, Va.
Force, who was seen walking around following the accident, gave many the false hope that drag racing’s most prolific champion had just emerged uninjured from what appeared to be just another horrific crash he’d survived.
Whether it was adrenaline that powered the 75-year-old in the moments after the accident, a lull in reports from the team gave an indication that a worse scenario was in play.
Force suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury [TBI] and other injuries which later inspired doctors to put the champion into a medically-induced coma so the energetic Force could heal.
Force eventually returned to the track in Las Vegas and Pomona with limited exposure to the community.
Force announced in a short interview with public-address announcer Alan Rinehart.
“I’m going to be spectating for awhile. That’s what I need to do to get well. I got hit in the head – not just once … a lot of times, and it all kind of built up.” He told Rinehart, “I’m not going anywhere. I’m a spectator, like you. So let’s have some fun today.”
3A – WE LOST OUR GEEZER – Just one day after John Force suffered his severe injury, our hearts were broken by the passing of our Director of Photography Roger Richards. More affectionately known as The Geezer, Richards never met a stranger in his 25 years of shooting photos for CompetitionPlus.com.
“It was impossible to miss Roger Richards,” veteran sportswriter Thomas Pope and Competition Plus contributor said in one of the many tributes to our fallen colleague.
“Nobody looked like “Geezer,” Pope said. “Most noticeable was the distinctive Fu Manchu mustache – accented by a soul patch – that bracketed an ever-present, wide smile. There was the hat that stylishly kept his slick noggin’ protected from the broiling sun. He possessed a unique take on anything that was said in any dragstrip press room. And I can’t explain how or why I arrived at this conclusion, but I always had the distinct sense that there was very little going on behind the scenes in the sport to which he wasn’t privy.”
Now retired CompetitionPlus.com Senior Editor Jon Asher was quick to point out how well Roger blended with the established veterans of drag racing journalists because of his straightforwardness and willingness to listen.
“In an era when rapidly decreasing income made it difficult for many freelancers to stay involved in drag racing, Roger Richards stood out for his dedication, professionalism and never-quit personality,” Asher said. “One of the toughest things to deal with as a journalist or photographer covering the sport is that we sometimes run into individuals whose sole reason for even acknowledging our existence is because of what they think we can do for them. Roger’s ready smile and openness was so disarming that he rarely ran into those situations because just about everyone, upon meeting him, came to quickly understand that the image he projected was the real deal.
“Roger was also a willing helper to anyone who asked a question, whether it be about camera gear or even the next car in line for Pro Mod qualifying. I can’t readily think of anyone more knowledgeable about every category from Pro Mod down through 15-second bracket runners. He knew them all — and they knew him, too. He was a welcome visitor in everyone’s pits, where conversations were open and above board because the racers knew he’d never repeat anything said to him, even casually.
“I know how this might sound to some people, but I’m confident my fellow shooters will easily understand the respect and admiration with which this is being written: If we’re to acknowledge that Hall of Fame photographer Steve Reyes has turned in more spectacular images of professional racers doing the unthinkable than every other shooter out there, the same must be said about Roger Richards’ spectacular production of errant Pro Mods, Top Sportsman entries and more. He dazzled me with images of cars flying through the air — sometimes on fire — from tracks I’d never even heard of, much less visited. When I’d pick my jaw up off the ground all he’d do was gently smile. I don’t know how he did it so often, but if ever a photographer was in the right place at the right time it was Roger.
“During the waning years of my career I had three or four conversations with Roger than were beyond interesting. They were eye-opening. I think it’s quite possible that many of those who knew him didn’t realize what a thoughtful observer of our sport Roger was. He had a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of not only what was taking place on the track in front of everyone, but what was taking place behind the scenes as well. I think part of that was the result of his being so open with people. While a credentialed writer might seek the answer to a behind-the-scenes question from a racing official, the odds were, more often than not, that Roger already knew the answer. How? Because he was on a first-name basis with literally dozens of below-the-upper-management-level employees of every racing association as well as with dozens of track workers — even from those tracks many of us had never visited.”
4 – JACK IS BACK – On the surface, when talk began circulating of returning John Force’s PEAK/Chevrolet Camaro Funny Car to competition, Jack Beckman provided the best championship-ready scenario for the team.
And that’s exactly the hand John Force Racing played in this high-stakes poker game.
Using a lesser publicized rule loophole that allows a substitute driver to earn points for an injured /ill driver, Beckman became John Force’s substitute driver in the race for a 17th NHRA championship.
Beckman, who had been working as an elevator repairman following the ending of his driving tenure at Don Schumacher Racing, returned first as a driver during Norwalk Raceway Park’s Night Under Fire and at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minnesota.
Beckman scored two wins and finished runner-up to teammate Austin Prock in the championship standings, despite missing final eliminations at the Texas NHRA FallNationals after suffering vertigo-like symptoms.
5 – ANTRON CLINCHES HIS FIRST OWNER TITLE – It only took eight years for Antron Brown to win his fourth NHRA Top Fuel championship. But, man, what a milestone title it was.
Brown, who arrived at the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals second place in the points standings, 44 points behind Justin Ashley, captured the crown by claiming his 80th race victory and 64th behind the wheel of a Top Fuel dragster. It was his first as a team owner since unveiling AB Motorsports back in 2022.
Brown capped his memorable Sunday by defeating Doug Kalitta in the finals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona (Calif.) Dragstrip. Brown clocked a 3.681-second elapsed time at 330.55 mph to edge Kalitta’s 3.710-second run at 331.94 mph.
“It’s super special. Had a dream a little while ago, and I remember talking to Don Schumacher, the great late Don Schumacher, and just telling the vision I had and going through those walks of life of making AB Motorsports a reality. And then getting all the right people together with Brian Corradi, Mark Oswald, who’s leaving us and retiring this year,” Brown said. “He’s the one that really kept us going and always motivated; never down, always cool, calm, collective. And Brad Mason, who’s been the glue behind the scenes, keeping the whole program together.
“I was literally fine all day, and the only thing I knew I could do was go out there, give it my best, and let the chips fall where they fall. And they fell on our lap so that right there is just a testament of never losing faith and just giving it up, just letting it happen. Truly, truly a blessing today.”
6 – BIG MONEY FOR COMP – In one weekend, over $350,000 was paid out to racers participating in the RoofTec Competition Eliminator Bonus Fund. The ten-race series, which concluded at the Ford Motorsports NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas, crowned its champion with Don Thomas becoming the first racer in the series to win two events in one year.
Series sponsor Rodger Brogdon also took home over $100,000 in winning the second of two special race-within-a-race Cash Clashes this season. The first of the RoofTec Cash Clashes presented a first in drag racing history when competitors Cali Neff and Kayla Mozeris battled it out in the first-ever all-female final round for any specialty race in NHRA history. Third-gen Comp racer Neff won this historic money run.
7 – THE PRO SUPER STAR SHOOTOUT DELIVERS THE GOODS – As stated in a commentary on CompetitionPlus.com, the inaugural PRO SuperStar Shootout was a message event. On one side, the Professional Racers Organization wanted to prove they could deliver an entertaining and performance-oriented event. On the other side, though never stated publicly, there was the hope the race series was needed to deliver a successful event.
In the end, the special event established a quality show with performance highlights and a significant crowd to boot.
“It was a first, [with] big money payouts, fantastic partners, but we don’t want to lose sight really what it was about,” PRO Board Member Richard Freeman explained. “It wasn’t necessarily about the race. It was about making sure that all of our partners knew and know how we feel about them.
“And Randy and the guys from SCAG, that whole team of people, they stepped up, supported this, and he’s relatively new to drag racing. Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage (Jason Johnson, Nikki, Chris, and Jackie), these are people that… they don’t get a lot out of what they do. They love the sport. They love everything about it, and that’s what this was about. Those two companies stepped up, and so many, many more that we had out there and hosted, and we showed them just a little bit different side of how we thought some things should be done.”
Freeman declared the PRO Superstar Shootout to be a success that has room for improvement for future events.
“In my opinion, the thing went off without a hitch, but there’s a lot of things that we would probably do different,” Freeman said. “I don’t know that anyone expected the outpouring of support from not only our supporters who supplied money and other things that helped us pull it off but also the fans. Wow. What can you say?
“They were ten deep [on the fence]. They never left the stands to watch. It didn’t matter if it was Super Stock, Stock, Top Sportsman, Pro Stock. There was action all the time, and something I’m super proud of: FLO [event streamer]. This is really the first drag racing event that they’d done to this magnitude, and what a job they did. There was a live show on the track, and there were things you could go in the pit and watch. I think it was just excellent. Again, could it be better next time? Absolutely. That was the first time, and I hope that we’ll do more.”
Worth noting is the event’s two day format of qualifying on one, racing racing on the next was adopted by the NHRA at its Virginia Nationals event.
8 – THE WINTER SERIES IS A THING – Following a successful World Series of Pro Modified event at Bradenton Motorsports Park, promoter Wes Buck announced his DI team would field a three-race series at the track outside of Tampa, Fla.
In December, they fielded the first of these events, delivering a 32-car field of Pro Modified entries where Street Outlaws star Kye Kelly took home the $50,000 prize, all the while driving a “Pro Mod” Camaro utilizing steel roof and quarter-panels.
When you have 64 cars shooting for a spot in a 32-car field, there are big names bound to come up short in qualifying. Missing the 3.677 bump spot were well-known drivers Jason Scruggs, Kevin Rivenbard, Stan Shelton, Zach Sackman, Lyle Barnett, Justin Swanstrom, Antron Brown, and past WSOPM winner Mike Bowman.
Two events are remaining, one in January and the WSOPM in February.
9 – THREE GENERATIONS OF FRANKLIN CHAMPIONS – First, it was Tommy Franklin paving the way with his Pro Nitrous championships. Then it was eldest daughter Amber (Franklin) Denton taking home multiple PRO 632 titles.
This year, the Franklin family completed the trifecta when Ashley Franklin, competing in her final year in Junior Dragster, became the family’s third champion.
Patriarch Tommy Franklin has won three, sister Amber has three, and now, in her final season in Junior Dragster, Ashley Franklin has her first.
The second-generation drag racer from Fredericksburg, Va., captured her first title by reaching the final round three times, winning once.
“It’s definitely very rewarding,” Franklin said. “My whole team and family – everybody has worked so hard for this championship. It’s definitely been a stressful year, but we finally got it done.”
Franklin, who aspires to join the family’s electrical engineering business one day, started her season with a runner-up finish at the East Coast Nationals, followed by a win at the Mid-Atlantic Showdown. She also reached the final round at the PDRA ProStars all-star race, although it was not a points event.
Franklin entered the Brian Olson Memorial World Finals ranked second in points behind Ryan Harris. The situation shifted when Harris failed to qualify, and Franklin had to rely on the progress of Alyssa Tilghman and Makenzie Alexander in eliminations to secure the championship.
“It was definitely very stressful,” she said. “I went up to the starting line to watch every round.”
In the winner’s circle, Ashley joined Amber, who clinched the Pro 632 title one race prior. Both sisters are now Pro Jr. Dragster world champions, with Amber winning the title in 2017 and their father holding three Pro Nitrous championships.
“Being able to win the championship with her definitely made it a whole lot better than if I was just to do it myself,” Ashley said.
10 – THE IHRA STARTS ITS RETURN – If the last month of 2024 is any indication of what is to come for the rejuvenated IHRA, there could be more options for drag racers in 2025.
The banter began when IHRA owner Larry Jeffers named Kenny Nowing as the president.
Nowling, intent on rehabilitating his reputation as a promoter, began making moves to resuscitate the on-life-support IHRA. In just a matter of days following the opening of the Performance Racing Industry trade show, Nowling announced a multi-year sponsorship with Darana Hybrid, aiming to revive Nitro Jam. This partnership will also increase purses for racers at the IHRA Team and SuperSeries World Finals events.
The ink had barely dried on the major sponsorship press release when another announcement declared Darryl Cuttell, CEO of Darana Hybrid, the new IHRA series sponsor, had purchased the series to return it to a viable drag racing entity.
Then, this past weekend, IHRA announced that its initial three-race series had expanded to ten events with a core of vintage IHRA staple classes. The only announcement that hasn’t been made to this point is which facilities will host the rejuvenated series.