Press Release | NHRA
POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 12, 2024) – At the beginning of the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season, Austin Prock wasn’t sure if he’d be a driver or a spectator. But when a Funny Car seat became available within his John Force Racing team, he was more than happy to take on driving duties.
The seat was for the 11,000-horsepower Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car driven by three-time champion Robert Hight, who stepped out of the car for medical reasons. Prock had the opportunity to not only fill in for a former champion but to team up with his father, Jimmy, as the crew chief and his brother, Thomas.
Now heading into the final race of the season at this weekend’s 59th annual In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals at legendary In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, the championship is all but decided. With his 188-point lead over his teammate Jack Beckman, who is driving for the 16-time champion John Force, Prock will lock in his title during qualifying, capping off a season the family will never forget.
“When I got in the race car at the beginning of the year, my dad told me he wanted a championship,” Prock said. “We’re getting really close and to do it with my dad and brother (assistant crew chief, Thomas), with all three of us Procks, would be really special. This team has really been lights out this year. An outstanding job by each and every one of them. They all carry their weight, and they all have each other’s back. We win and lose as a team.”
The championship will be the first for A. Prock, who won the 2019 NHRA Rookie of the Year award. The crowning moment will come in Pomona and will represent an opportunity for Prock to celebrate one of the most impressive seasons in recent Funny Car history. His 14 No. 1 qualifiers are already a single-season record in the Funny Car (and nitro) ranks, while his eight wins, including three in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs, matches the likes of Force, Ron Capps and Hight for the most in the class this century.
Prock will be named champion following qualifying, but he remains laser-focused on trying to end the year in impressive fashion. A ninth win – and a first world championship for the young standout – would certainly do it.
“The job isn’t done. This category is so tough, so unpredictable and the job is finished when the trophy is in our hands,” Prock said. “And when it gets to my hands, it’s going straight to my dad’s hands. We’re getting really close, but the job isn’t finished. I’m excited we won last week in Vegas, but we still haven’t won the championship and that’s our main goal this year."
The 2023 In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals saw Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel), Chad Green (Funny Car), Aaron Stanfield (Pro Stock), and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) take home event wins, while Kalitta (Top Fuel), Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) won world titles. The year’s race will again be broadcast on FS1 to close the season in style, including eliminations at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 17.
It is the final of 20 races in the 2024 season and the last of six races in the Countdown to the Championship, and Prock has been dominant from start to finish. With the championship, Prock will join an elite group 17 drivers who have claimed Funny Car championships, joining his teammates Force, Hight and Beckman.
“It’s ludicrous what we’ve done this year,” Prock said. “I wasn’t even supposed to be driving this season and then all of the sudden we’ve been really making a name for this team. It’s really special and I’m glad I’m a part of it. I’ve had a lot of fun with the team this year and just the success that goes with it. It makes it even more special.”
In the Top Fuel ranks, Justin Ashley currently leads the points over former champs Antron Brown and Shawn Langdon by 44 and 45 points, respectively, with Steve Torrence and Doug Kalitta both close behind. Ashley has collected four wins this season, including the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip’s first event of the season.
Pro Stock has come down a three-car race, with Aaron Stanfield jumping into the lead with his Las Vegas win. He leads Dallas Glenn by 32 points as both drivers are seeking their first championship. Veteran Greg Anderson is only 56 points back, while the likes of Erica Enders and Jeg Coughlin Jr. look to finish the year with a Pomona win.
The Pro Stock Motorcycle division has once again dominated by Herrera, the defending world champion. He heads to Pomona with 10 wins this year and a 123-point advantage over six-time world champion Matt Smith. With a strong qualifying effort, Herrera can claim his second straight world title.
Along with racing in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, fans can also see the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, while the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department will hold a special racing exhibition.
Fans are invited to the Nitro Alley Stage in the pits, where they can take part in Nitro School, meet and greets, influencer interviews and much more. Pomona race fans can enjoy the special pre-race ceremonies that celebrate each of the drivers racing for the prestigious Wally on Sunday and includes the SealMaster Track Walk. The final can’t-miss experience of any NHRA event is the winner’s circle celebration on Sunday, where fans are invited to congratulate the world champions and event winners.
As always, fans get a pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. They can see their favorite teams in action and servicing their hot rods between rounds, get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers and more. They can also visit NHRA’s Manufacturers Midway, where sponsors and race vendors create an exciting atmosphere that includes displays, merchandise, food, and fun.
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series will feature two qualifying rounds at 1 and 3:30 p.m. PT on Friday, Nov. 15, and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. PT on Sunday, Nov. 17. Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 10 a.m. ET on Sunday and then live eliminations on FS1 at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday.
To purchase tickets to the 59th annual In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals, fans can visit www.NHRA.com/tickets. All children 12 and under will be admitted free in the general admission area with a paid adult.
(Photo Courtesy NHRA)
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