NHRA – Syndication Server

Anderson beat Father Time – and everyone else – to deepen Pro Stock legacy

Greg Anderson fought off Father Time at Pomona on Sunday. For the sixth time in his illustrious NHRA Pro Stock career, Anderson stands at the top of the class. In Sunday’s NHRA Finals, Anderson beat KB Titan Racing teammate Dallas Glenn in a …

Greg Anderson fought off Father Time at Pomona on Sunday.

For the sixth time in his illustrious NHRA Pro Stock career, Anderson stands at the top of the class. In Sunday’s NHRA Finals, Anderson beat KB Titan Racing teammate Dallas Glenn in a winner-take-all final round for the title. Anderson started the weekend third in the championship point standings.

“I definitely feel that way,” Anderson said of the sixth championship being the most meaningful because of how he had to go about winning it. “Our class is in great shape; that’s the good news. We’ve got so many young guns that can drive the wheels off these race cars and race for wins, race for championships, and yes, they’re trying to push me out the door but I’m dragging my feet. I’m not going.

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“I keep saying it when people ask me when I’m going to quit: ‘I’m going to quit as soon as I can’t win anywhere.’ Apparently, I can’t quit yet. So, we’ll see. It’s not going to be tomorrow. Maybe three days after that, but it’s not going to be tomorrow.”

The day unfolded in a script-like fashion. Anderson came into the final weekend knowing he needed to win the event to win the championship. He was the No. 1 qualifier, defeated Kenny Delco in the first round, and met Corey Reed in the second round.

All three title finalists made it to the semifinals. That’s where the drama began.

Glenn defeated Erica Enders, who would have helped her Elite Motorsports teammate Stanfield with a win light, to advance to the final. After Glenn moved on, it was the same for Anderson, who took down point leader Stanfield.

Anderson and Glenn were the final pair to go down the track in the 2024 season. The margin of victory for Anderson was 0.0022 seconds.

At 63 years old, Anderson is now tied with Enders with six championships. The two are tied for second-most in the class.

Anderson and Enders have been the veteran – and dominant – leaders in Pro Stock. But both have acknowledged the footsteps closing in from younger, talented drivers like Stanfield and Glenn. The two are not ready to hand things over and have openly shared that they joke about keeping the success among the two of them.

“How about that [expletive]?” Anderson said multiple times after leaving the stage. He did so with a beer in hand, tears in his eyes, sweat on his face, and champagne as an accessory.

“It was just all the above, and that’s the way it should be,” Anderson said. “It’s what we do it for. It’s why we do it. This is why we do this. It’s an incredible feeling, but it’s not Greg Anderson. It’s KB Titan. All those great people that work on my race team, and I can’t thank them enough. They should be up here right now speaking. I’m a lucky man.”

The victory was the 106th of Anderson’s career and his first since April. It was well-received. Anderson left the stage but was unable to make it to the press room without having to stop every few feet to sign autographs, take pictures, or get hugs from everyone in his path.

“It’s cool,” Anderson said. “It’s absolutely cool, and probably in their mind, it’s the last they were going to see the old fart. So, it’s really neat, and I can’t thank them enough. Without the fans, we’re nothing, and they mean everything to the sport. The sport is the greatest sport out here because we let the fans in like we do. Thank God for that, and thank God I picked this sport.”

Beckman, Brown, Anderson and M. Smith take Pomona NHRA wins

Jack Beckman closed out the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season with a thrilling Funny Car victory on Sunday at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, defeating John Force Racing teammate and newly crowned world champion Austin Prock in the final round to close out the 59th annual In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals. Antron Brown (Top Fuel), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won the last of the year’s 20 races and the sixth race in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

In the teammate versus teammate final round, Beckman went a career-best 3.812s at 327.35 mph in his PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS to defeat Prock and pick up his second win of the season since taking over driving duties for John Force in August. It’s been a magical ride for Beckman, a former world champion, who won his 35th career race on Sunday.

To get to the final round on Sunday, Beckman knocked off Terry Haddock, Blake Alexander and Ron Capps, ensuring Prock and Force/Beckman finished first and second in the loaded Funny Car ranks.

“It doesn’t get any higher than this,” Beckman said. “It’s just magical at your home track. It’s special when it’s the Winternationals when the Winternationals was the first race of the year, but the Finals is finals, right? Whoever wins here gets a couple months to say we were the baddest on race day.

“This season has just been just pinch-me moment after pinch-me moment. The way John went out was terrible, but he’s still with us, and I think he’s just as valuable standing on the starting line as he is strapped in the car at the starting line. Having John here doesn’t make us want to win more. We want to win every time we go out there. It just made winning that much more special. To see Brittany [Force] win after a two-year winless drought the weekend her dad comes back and then Austin double up with her, was just great (in Las Vegas). We’re right back in another final against Austin, and this time we won it.”

Prock advanced to his 12th final round of his championship season in Funny Car.

Top Fuel’s Antron Brown qualified just 12th in his Matco Tools/Toyota dragster, but as he’s done all year, the standout was in prime form during eliminations. He knocked off Justin Ashley, who entered the weekend with the points lead, with a run of 3.696s at 331.53 mph in a matchup to open eliminations and then faced off with another title contender in Shawn Langdon. Both drivers ran into trouble, but Brown recovered and advanced to the semifinals against Force.

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A spectacular season in Pro Stock came down to a winner-take-all final round, with Greg Anderson defeating KB Titan Racing teammate Dallas Glenn with a run of 6.501s at 211.13 to slip past Glenn’s run of 6.516s. It hands Anderson a remarkable sixth world championship, tying him with Erica Enders and Warren Johnson for the second-most in Pro Stock history.

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Matt Smith ended his year with a strong statement on his Denso Auto Parts/Matt Smith Racing Buell, defeating world champion Gaige Herrera in the final round with a run of 6.702 at 202.12. It is Smith’s second win this season and the 41st in his career, enabling the six-time world champion to finish second to Herrera for the first time in his career.

Smith, who also qualified No. 1, took down Aaron Pine, Marc Ingwersen and Steve Johnson to reach the final round, setting up another marquee matchup with Herrera. This time, Smith had enough to get past the two-time defending champion,

“We came in knowing we probably couldn’t get three hats, but we knew we could get two and we did,” said Smith, getting the No. 1 qualifier and winner’s hat. “We got the low qualifier hat and the winner’s hat, just not the champion’s hat. Still, we were able to put pressure on Gaige. He’s a deserving champ, and we just made too many mistakes.

“I love doing this, but I’ve thought about getting off and putting some young kid on the bike. I’m 52 and it’s hard to keep up but I still love it. Actually, our sponsor, Denso told me to stop talking about retirement. I still have a job, so I plan to come back and push hard to get that seventh championship next year. “

Herrera advanced to his 12th final round of the season in just 15 races.

Brown, Anderson and Herrera secure NHRA titles at Pomona

For the fourth time in his Top Fuel career and for the first time as a team owner, Antron Brown is a world champion in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, clinching an emotional title following his semifinal round win at the 59th annual In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals. Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also clinched season championships on Sunday.

Brown qualified just 12th in his Matco Tools/Toyota dragster, but as he’s done all year, the standout was in prime form during eliminations. He knocked off Justin Ashley, who entered the weekend with the points lead, with a run of 3.696s at 331.53 mph in an incredible matchup to open eliminations and then faced off with another title contender in Shawn Langdon. Both drivers ran into trouble, but Brown recovered and advanced to the semifinals against Force.

In the championship-clinching round, Brown rolled to one of the biggest round wins in his career, going 3.693s at 330.88 to defeat Force and pick up his fourth career championship and first since he started AB Motorsports in 2022. He followed that up with a final-round victory against Doug Kalitta, going 3.681s at 330.55 to pick up his sixth win of his season and the 80th in his career

“This is super special. I’ve been dreaming about this day since I shared my vision with [late team owner] Don Schumacher about being a team owner,” Brown said. “This team has been resilient. We never quit and we never stop. When we lined up this weekend and we saw our matchup, it was like doomsday. To get this win, I tell you what, it’s been incredible. It’s truly a blessing and I can’t believe we did it.”

“We found something special in testing after Las Vegas and then we came in here and shot ourselves in the foot during qualifying. We ended up No. 12 and had to race Justin Ashley in round one. I just thought, ‘This is what I have to do. I have to beat Justin.’ And I found the Antron Brown of old form.”

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Brown enjoyed a spectacular season, but one also filled with adversity. He won three times during the regular season (Chicago, Norwalk and Sonoma) and entered the playoffs in second. He won the first two races of the Countdown to the Championship, but then won just two rounds over the next three races. That presented a tough challenge in Pomona, but Brown and his team rose to the occasion to score the championship, joining Tony Schumacher, Joe Amato and Steve Torrence as the only Top Fuel drivers with four or more championships.

“We beat Justin and got to the semis, and I knew we just had to get down the track against Brittany [Force],” Brown said. “We got the job done and then in the final I was so calm. I was fine all day. I just let the chips fall where they fell.”

A spectacular season in Pro Stock came down to a thrilling winner-take-all final round, with Greg Anderson defeating KB Titan Racing teammate Dallas Glenn with a run of 6.501s at 211.13 to slip past Glenn’s run of 6.516. It hands Anderson a sixth world championship, tying him with Erica Enders and Warren Johnson for the second most in Pro Stock history.

The victory is Anderson’s 106th in his career and he rose to the occasion when it mattered most in the Countdown to the Championship in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. On Sunday in Pomona, Anderson, who hadn’t won since April prior to this weekend, delivered a classic performance, going 6.492s at 211.66 in the opening round against Kenny Delco. He stayed in the 6.40s against Cory Reed and then went an incredible 6.488 at 211.43 to end Aaron Stanfield’s title chances.

That set up an epic winner-take-all final round against Glenn, the 2021 NHRA Rookie of the Year. He left first on Anderson, but the veteran tracked him down to pick up what he called the most meaningful championship of his career.

“We struggled the last three or four months,” Anderson said. “I had a great car but crazy things would happen and every time I’d lose it was like a slug to the gut. I knew I had to figured it out and today we did. Today was like a dream. The sun shined on me and we had a flawless day. Nothing crazy happened. I just hoped and prayed and wished it was me.

“This is my sixth and I think it means the most. These young kids are trying to push me out the door but I keep dragging my feet because I don’t want to go yet.”

Anderson finished the year with three wins and Sunday marked the 15th time he’s picked up a victory at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip. It also continued the recent dominance for Anderson and Enders, who still have won every title in the class since 2018, even with a huge collection of young standouts.

“Today’s kids are relentless. They can be 0.00 to teen on the tree like there’s nothing to it. I can do that but it’s like an out of body experience,” Anderson said. “This place is special, especially when the sun goes down. In 2015, Jason Line raced Erica Enders in the final for the championship and I thought it was the coolest atmosphere I’d ever seen, and I always wanted to be in that spot.”

Another dominant season meant another world championship in Pro Stock Motorcycle for Gaige Herrera, who wrapped up his second straight world title after winning in the first round on Sunday.

Herrera entered eliminations with a commanding 119-point lead on the strength of three straight playoff wins and cruised to another championship to open the day. Herrera, who qualified third, went 6.779 to dispatch Clayton Howey, leading to another memorable moment for the class phenom. It culminates another incredible season for the rider of the RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki, one that included 10 wins.

“This is very special,” Herrera said. “When I won the title in 2023, it didn’t seem real. It just sort of happened. That wasn’t the case this year. We had to go out and fight for it every weekend. When Matt [Smith] went back to a Buell we knew he’d be tough and I have to hand it to him for all his hard work. He also forced us to work harder.

In his second season, Herrera has made NHRA history by winning 21 out of 29 events. No NHRA pro in any class has ever delivered more victories in a shorter time frame.

This season, Herrera picked up where 2023 left off, winning the first six races of the season, setting the all-time NHRA record with 11 straight wins and 46 consecutive round wins. After defeats in Seattle and Sonoma, Herrera won the U.S. Nationals for the first time in his career and after a slow start in the Countdown to the Championship, Herrera returned to his dominant self to close out the championship. He’s now 50-5 this season and 100-8 over the last two years.

“I think the first round for the championship was the most nervous I’ve ever been,” Herrera said. “It’s what you dream about as a little kid, but win or lose, I still love this sport. At Indy two years ago I made my debut and at the time I thought it was a one race deal. Now, here we are two years and two championships later. I still can’t believe it.”

NHRA Finals temporarily halted due to plane crash in Pomona

A single-engine plane crash in a motorhome lot near the top end of the In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip halted Sunday’s championship finale for almost two hours. A call came in at approximately 11:11 a.m. local time by responders who were on the …

A single-engine plane crash in a motorhome lot near the top end of the In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip halted Sunday’s championship finale for almost two hours.

A call came in at approximately 11:11 a.m. local time by responders who were on the scene for the NHRA Finals. The plane made contact with multiple vehicles in the lot before hitting the ground. There were three visibly damaged vehicles at the crash scene — two pickup trucks and an SUV.

The plane ended up nose-first into an RV, which was moved out of place by the incident. The cause of the crash is unknown and the investigation continues. The NTSB and the FAA have been notified.

“From what we know, the units rendered life-saving emergency medical services as well as mitigating any fire potential from the surrounding vehicles, generators, and things of that sort,” engineer Jonathan Torres, the public information officer for L.A. County Fire, told media at the scene. “From what we know, we have two critical patients and two moderate that have been transported to local emergency rooms.”

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There were no known injuries to individuals on the ground. Local law enforcement, fire, and medical crews were on the scene. NHRA safety teams also responded.

Motorhomes are located past the grandstand on the left side of the dragstrip toward the top end of the facility. Both motorhomes and private vehicles were parked in the area. Brackett Field Airport sits to the right of the dragstrip.

“Today, a small single-engine airplane crashed at the Pomona Fairplex,” a statement from NHRA read. “The pilot and three occupants of the aircraft all suffered minor to moderate non-life-threatening injuries and are being treated at a nearby hospital. The NHRA has been working closely with the Pomona Police Department and L.A. County Fire Department and has been guided to continue racing.”

NHRA began its Sunday event at 11 a.m. local time. The action resumed at approximately 12:50 p.m. local.

From LinkedIn to lifting the trophy: Prock makes good on prediction

There is a LinkedIn profile belonging to Austin Prock that has not been updated since it was created. The page does not have a profile photo. There are no updates about work and life milestones. It simply has his name, experience listed as a race …

There is a LinkedIn profile belonging to Austin Prock that has not been updated since it was created.

The page does not have a profile photo. There are no updates about work and life milestones. It simply has his name, experience listed as a race car driver, Indianapolis location, and education. But it’s the “About” section that stands out.

Prock created the page when he was 19 years old. It says as much right at the start of what he wrote in the about section before saying he is the son of Jimmy Prock and attempting to live his dream of being a professional race car driver. It goes on to further describe how much he’s already done in his career. And then comes the clincher.

The last sentence reads, “I will one day set records of my own in the world of motorsports.”

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Saturday, Prock capped off doing just that in his rookie NHRA Funny Car season. At 29 years old, Prock claimed his first championship after qualifying for the NHRA finals in Pomona. In the process, he picked his 15th No. 1 qualifier on the season with the fourth-quickest run in class history.

“I was probably 10 when I had that thing,” Prock said of the LinkedIn page.

When reminded of what he wrote, Prock joked, “Well, I was pretty smart back then. Predicting the future.”

No one could have predicted what Prock did this season. The year started with Prock not having a seat after his Top Fuel team at John Force Racing disbanded because sponsorship ended. But when Robert Hight had to step out of his Funny Car for undisclosed health reasons, Prock was the next man up.

Prock began the year winning in his debut during the inaugural PRO Superstar Shootout at Bradenton Motorsports Park. In his first official NHRA weekend at Gainesville, Prock qualified No. 1 but lost in the final round. In the second race of the year, he lost in the first round.

But then the domination started to appear. Prock reeled off seven No. 1 qualifiers in the following nine races. He won four of those races. By the time the Countdown started in September, Prock had five wins and an 18-round lead in the points (before the reset). He’s won three of the five Countdown races.

Prock has a win/loss record of 50-11 going into the finale. It is one of the most dominant seasons in Funny Car history.

“That’s pretty crazy,” Prock said. “That was 10 years ago (writing on LinkedIn), and that was the year I won my national midget championship. So, I guess that all makes sense. That’s pretty cool.

“Back to growing up racing: I had to hustle my (for) own sponsors as well. So, we’ve always had to grind for it and those are the things that it takes to stick out. You said that point stuck out — and maybe it stuck out to one of our partners back then as well.”

The Funny Car championship triumph comes with the organization that gave Prock a chance in drag racing. But more importantly, it comes with a team featuring his father, Jimmy, and brother, Thomas.

It has been well-documented all year how much it’s meant to the Prock family to race together. For Austin, he knew from the beginning of the year what the goal was because his father, who never speaks so outright, stated he wanted to win the championship.

Prock was never fazed.

“Honestly, I didn’t really feel much pressure at all — all season long,” he said. “Bradenton, obviously, I was nervous (about) getting into a totally different race car, a totally different beast, and expecting to perform. Or I was expected to perform as a rookie. I guess you could call that pressure. But it was what I dreamed of. So, pressure, I feel like, only makes you worse. Those players in sports, or racers in motorsports, perform (well) under pressure because they don’t feel the pressure. I just tried to block all that out and focus on what I needed to do.

“I study my craft every day. Every run I make, I go back and watch the videotape in slow-mo and see things I could do better, practice my reaction times, and just try to be a machine. I know I can drive a race car; it was just a matter of if I could do it at the highest level. I knew this car was going to be behind me and I knew all these guys were behind me, and if I did my job at least decent, we would have a shot at winning races. Everyone did a great job this year as a team.

“We had the quickest race car and one of the quickest drivers off the starting line, and that’s what it takes to win these races.”

Force makes quickest No. 1 run of 2024 at NHRA Finals in Pomona

Brittany Force made the quickest Top Fuel run of the 2024 season on Saturday at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, qualifying No. 1 for the fourth time in the past five races at the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals. Austin Prock (Funny Car), Greg Anderson …

Austin Prock (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also qualified No. 1 at the last of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and the sixth race in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

Force, who won the most recent race in Las Vegas, went an impressive 3.643s at 336.65mph in her Monster Energy/Chevrolet dragster, collecting her sixth No. 1 of the season. After enduring her share of struggles this season, Force and her team have come on strong to close out the season as she looks to end the year with a second straight win. She’s 108 points out of first, giving her an outside shot at a championship as well, but Force is thrilled with how her team has persevered to get back on track.

Steve Torrence went 3.644s just moments earlier on Saturday, but Force and her team laid down an incredible run to close out qualifying.

“We ran a 3.64s and that’s huge. I’m very proud of [crew chief] David Grubnic and John Collins, and the whole Monster Energy team. I wanted as many bonus points as we could get,” Force said. “[The number of cars in the 3.6s] says the competition is fierce. It’s killer out there. I didn’t know how quick I ran but when I pulled off the track there were cameras in my face so I thought it might be better than it felt.

“I’m not disappointed [in being a championship longshot]. Everything happens for a reason and it all helps pull our team together. We win as a team and we lose as a team.”

Torrence’s 3.644s at 334.90mph puts him second, while defending world champion Doug Kalitta is third after a 3.650s at 334.98mph. Shawn Langdon took fourth with a 3.653s at 331.45mph, jumping into second in points.

He’s currently 43 behind points leader Justin Ashley, who is looking for his first world championship. Ashley will open eliminations in an epic first-round matchup against Antron Brown, who is only 46 points behind the young standout. Kalitta and Torrence are 78 and 79 points behind, respectively, while Clay Millican also remains in contention at 95 points out of first heading into the opening round of eliminations.

In Funny Car, Austin Prock closed out qualifying with an incredible track-record run of 3.804s at 334.57mph in his AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS. Prock clinched his first career world championship in qualifying, making the quickest Funny Car run in seven years and the fourth-quickest in Funny Car history. It is his 15th No. 1 qualifier in 2024, the most in Funny Car history.

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Pro Stock’s Greg Anderson stayed alive in the championship chase, making two strong runs of 6.50s on Saturday, including a category-best 6.505s at 211.20mph in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. It is the eighth No. 1 qualifier of the season for the five-time world champion, who also remained in contention for the world title. He’s currently 48 points behind leader Aaron Stanfield, with a potential semifinal matchup looming between the contenders.

He could also meet KB Titan Racing teammate Dallas Glenn in the championship round in what would be a winner-take-all final round. It’s a scenario that has the veteran and the all-time wins leader in the category excited for Sunday, as an epic championship finale could be in store at Pomona.

“Qualifying means everything. To be able to control our own destiny on Sunday is all you can ask for,” Anderson said. “The way the ladder is set up is a prayer answered. I can’t remember a time when we had three cars within two rounds of the championship going into Sunday.

“Win the race and win the championship. If I can pull that off, it might be the biggest thing I’ve done in this sport. We’ve got it all set up. I just hope I wake up on the right side of the bed. For the last dozen races I’ve had the strongest horse out here but I just haven’t closed the deal. Tomorrow, I hope the sun shines on me and if it doesn’t, I hope it shines on my teammate, Dallas Glenn.”

Glenn is 29 points behind Stanfield, qualifying second with a run of 6.512s at 209.82mph, pulling to within a round of Stanfield heading into eliminations. He could potentially meet Stanfield in a winner-take-all final round as well, while Stanfield qualified fourth with a 6.517s at 209.98mph.

Matt Smith kept Gaige Herrera from his second straight championship on Saturday, securing enough qualifying bonus – as well as the No. 1 spot – to extend the championship race into Sunday. He qualified in the top spot for the sixth time this year, going 6.721s at 202.64mph on his Denso Auto Parts/Matt Smith Racing Buell. With that, he closed the gap to 119 points against Herrera, though Smith will need plenty of help to secure a seventh world championship on Sunday.

If Herrera knocks off Clayton Howey in the opening round of eliminations, Herrera will claim his second straight world title. Smith’s only path to a championship is if Herrera loses in the first round and Smith wins the race. If that doesn’t happen, Smith would at least like to end the year with a victory.

“We came here to try and get the win and we’re in a spot to do that,” Smith said. “We’re still alive [for the championship] but we made too many mistakes during the Countdown to battle Gaige [Herrera] for the championship.

“Funny, but I’m going to finish No. 2 in the championship and I’ve never been No. 2 in my career. I’ve either won the championship or been third or fourth or lower. It would be huge for us to win the race tomorrow or for Angie [Smith], John Hall or Jianna [Evaristo] to win it. I’d love to see one of them win it. It would be a great way to end the season.”

A. Smith qualified second with a 6.758s at 201.43mph and Herrera is third after going 6.765s at 201.22mph.

Eliminations for the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals begin at 11 a.m. PT on Sunday at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.

Prock clinches dominant first Funny Car title in Pomona qualifying

Funny Car’s Austin Prock clinched his first career NHRA world championship on Saturday at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, securing the world title for John Force Racing during qualifying at the 59th annual In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals. Prock …

Prock finished as the No. 1 qualifier with a track-record run of 3.804s at 334.57mph to close out the day in his AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS, making the quickest run in Funny Car since 2017 and the fourth quickest in class history. It’s another magical moment in what has been an incredible and dominant first year in Funny Car for the young standout.

He has put together one of the most impressive Funny Car seasons in history, winning eight races thus far and clinching his 15th No. 1 qualifier, the most in a single season in Funny Car history. Prock has been just as terrific in the Countdown to the Championship, culminating in his first world title and a magical moment in his young career.

“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 could think of was being a professional race car driver in any manner and winning the world championship, and we got it done this year. The main job is finished, finally, but we want nine wins before we end this 2024 season, and we definitely have the hot rod to do it right now.

“This thing’s been on kill this weekend, and in the last few years, this race car hasn’t performed all that well here in Pomona, but all the stars are aligning right now. We made three really, really quick runs and I’m doing a good job keeping it in the middle of the groove here.”

Prock, who had previously raced in Top Fuel, winning four times and being named Rookie of the Year in 2019, got the opportunity to join his father, multi-time championship crew chief Jimmy Prock, and his brother, Thomas, on the John Force Racing Cornwell Tools Funny Car team after its normal driver, thee-time world champ Robert Hight, was sidelined for medical reasons before the season started.

A. Prock made his presence known almost immediately, scoring a runner-up in Gainesville and collecting his first Funny Car victory in Phoenix.

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He held the points lead for the bulk of the season, taking the lead for good after finishing as runner-up to Force in Epping. Prock was the near-perfect driver to match a fast hot rod, ranking second in class average for reaction times while completing nearly 80 percent of all runs under power.

Prock enjoyed success in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge and ran well in almost any weather conditions, picking up victories in Bristol, Richmond and Seattle in the regular season. He also won the prestigious NHRA U.S. Nationals for the first time in his career this year, rolling to playoff wins in Reading and Charlotte following that.

He enjoyed 14 straight round wins at that point in the season, taking a commanding lead down the stretch of the Countdown to the Championship playoffs. Prock followed with a victory in Las Vegas – part of a JFR double-up with Brittany Force – and finished the job in qualifying in Pomona.

Now, Prock has a chance to cement his year as arguably the best in recent history. Only five drivers in NHRA history have won eight or more events before this season and Prock still has the opportunity to win a ninth national event, a feat that hasn’t been done since Force did it in 2000 with 11.

“I was nervous coming into this weekend, but everything’s just working right, just like it has all year,” Prock said. “We’re looking forward to tomorrow. We’re going to do a little bit of celebrating tonight, but we’ll all be ready to go in the morning and try and go for that ninth Wally.”

Eliminations for the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals begin at 11am PT on Sunday at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.

Pro Stock’s Glenn distanced himself from racing before NHRA Finals in Pomona

Dallas Glenn competes for his first NHRA Pro Stock championship Sunday in Pomona, but he hasn’t spent time thinking about it. Glenn, in fact, has tried to do anything but think about racing. “I’ve been more on [the] not trying to overthink anything …

Dallas Glenn competes for his first NHRA Pro Stock championship Sunday in Pomona, but he hasn’t spent time thinking about it.

Glenn, in fact, has tried to do anything but think about racing.

“I’ve been more on [the] not trying to overthink anything [agenda],” Glenn said this week. “I know what I need to do when we get there, and all I can hope for is the car makes eight solid good runs or at least as many as we can. I think I’ve gone golfing three times this week and tried to relax and hang out in Las Vegas with my parents. I’m just trying not to overthink anything.”

The previous NHRA event took place in Las Vegas two weeks ago. Glenn and his KB Titan Racing team experienced a first-round loss that allowed Aaron Stanfield to take the points lead, as he won the event for Elite Motorsports. Stanfield leads Glenn by 32 points entering the finale at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.

Pomona is a points-and-a-half race. There will be 30 points awarded for each round instead of the traditional 20.

“I think in my mind it’s pretty simple: if I just go out there and try to make eight good quality runs and try to win the race, wherever it falls, it’ll fall, and I can’t be mad at what kind of season I’ve had,” Glenn said. “No matter what happens in Pomona, I’ve got to leave there with my head high, and I feel like I’ve done a pretty good job all season long. If it comes to Aaron or Greg [Anderson] just did a little better job than me in the last six races, then so be it.

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“But if I go there and give it everything I got, then I can’t complain about anything.”

Anderson is third in the championship hunt, sitting 56 points behind. Glenn and Anderson, the latter of whom is going for his sixth championship, are teammates at KB Titan.

Glenn has already put together a career year. He has five victories through 19 races with a win/loss record of 46-14 and twice was the No. 1 qualifier.

A four-win season in 2023 had been his previous single-season high. Glenn went from long-time crew member to driver in 2021, quickly winning three races and finishing third in points. He’s won 13 races since his debut.

It might need to be more of the same Sunday for the championship.

“In all honesty, I’m just going to roll in there and just try to be as aggressive as I can,” Glenn said. “I feel like I’m in a good place in the race car; I can hit the tree decently and hit shift points. As long as I do my job, hopefully, all the dominoes fall, and the planets are aligned correctly. Anyone who says they can win one of these without luck, I think, is lying to themselves. Hopefully the luck is on our side.

“I know Aaron is going to be very tough. This absolutely could come down to the very last round, so I’m just going to go up there and try to do what I’ve done all season and just be aggressive.”

Beckman fastest as rain shortens Friday qualifying at NHRA Finals

Racing was called on Friday due to weather during the first qualifying session at the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip. The opening session of Funny Car was completed and a portion of Top Fuel took place before rain …

Racing was called on Friday due to weather during the first qualifying session at the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.

The opening session of Funny Car was completed and a portion of Top Fuel took place before rain ended racing action. No runs were made in Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle on Friday. Qualifying will resume at 11:30am PT on Saturday, with two qualifying sessions set for Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle.

Funny Car’s Jack Beckman took the provisional No. 1 spot on Friday in the category, while Shawn Reed took the provisional top qualifier among the nine cars that ran at the last of 20 races in the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and the sixth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

Beckman went 3.828s at 334.82mph in his PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS. His John Force Racing teammate, Austin Prock, will officially clinch the world championship on Saturday.

Shawn Reed posted a run of 3.712s at 320.36mph in his GESi dragster as he seeks his first career No. 1 qualifier.

Friday ticket holders can use their ticket credit toward the purchase of a Saturday or Sunday ticket, or the purchase of a 2025 In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals ticket.

‘Team owner blues’ finally kicking in for Capps

Ron Capps knew it was coming. It didn’t happen the first year, 2022, when Capps won his second consecutive – third overall – NHRA Funny Car championships. It didn’t happen in 2023 when he and the NAPA team picked up three wins and finished fourth in …

Ron Capps knew it was coming.

It didn’t happen the first year, 2022, when Capps won his second consecutive – third overall – NHRA Funny Car championships. It didn’t happen in 2023 when he and the NAPA team picked up three wins and finished fourth in the championship. But it has arrived in year three: the ownership struggle.

“I just didn’t think it was going to be as trying as it has this year,” Capps told RACER at Pomona ahead of the season finale. “But I always wondered when I worked for Don Prudhomme and Don Schumacher, if I could be a team owner, how would I handle that? So, it’s been trying, but I’m lucky. I’ve got a great partner with NAPA, and that was key because it could have been a lot different. A lot more pressure. As it is, I haven’t slept a whole lot. But, overall, it’s been fun.”

Capps branched out on his own in 2022 and wasn’t naïve to what lay ahead. It helped that he immediately had the support of Schumacher, whom he spent 17 years with, and John Force, who called him weekly. Rick Hendrick offered advice any time it was needed.

There was even a group text that featured Prudhomme, Hendrick, and Jeff Gordon before his first year of ownership began. It was bizarre, to Capps, to have those legends offering anything he might need in his next venture.

When the 2022 season ended and Capps had won the championship, he admitted to thinking, “This is not so hard.” Even though he knew that as soon as something behind the ropes – something new – came along, it was going to create a challenge.

And that’s where Capps now finds himself in what he describes as perhaps a rebuilding year.

It starts at the end of the previous season; after the awards ceremony hangover wears off and the compliments from their fellow competitors fade away, Capps and Dean ‘Guido’ Antonelli, his crew chief, have a ritual of going through the season. Why did they win the championship? Where did they win it? But then, inevitably, comes the other side of things that fell short.

“After (winning) back-to-back championships,” Capps recalls, “Guido said, ‘If we’re going to get ahead of everybody, we can keep running what we’re running, but all of these teams have caught us. We need to get a step ahead. I’ve got to try this certain thing in the clutch area, and we might hit it right off the bat, or we might not. And then I got a new fuel pump I want to try.’

Capps’s team struggled to find its sweet spot during the first half of the season. NHRA photo

“So, that happens, and you don’t start so well, and you’re like, ‘OK, I’m behind you 100%.’ And it keeps going. You can’t go back to data from last year and go, OK, I’ve changed this, but here is where I’ve had all this. It doesn’t work that way in these cars, and I know that from being a driver all these years. So, we needed to get ahead and step out.”

It was Sonoma in late July when Antonelli started to feel comfortable with the setup in Capps’s car. Capps went to the final round that day and in two other events since.

But in a sense, it’s a little too late, and why Capps doesn’t necessarily want to see the season end. With the team finally hitting its stride, Capps has been frustrated and disappointed to have not been able to battle Austin Prock, the class of the field this year, if his team was at its usual standard.

It was most striking to Capps during the NAPA employee appreciation event he attends every season. Capps, along with other NAPA-sponsored drivers like Chase Elliott in NASCAR, are on hand and it was never a problem for Capps “to roll in there with many, many trophies and wins” that the executives track and remind the drivers about.

Capps has been to a total of six final rounds in 19 races. The bad news is that he’s winless.

“And I could tell you every single one we could have won and should have,” Capps said. “There were times my reaction time wasn’t as good as the person I was racing in the final. There were times the car went out and did something funny that it hadn’t all day, and we were favored to win in the final. But all of them were close.

“It’s tough. The first couple were like, I’m glad to be in the final. I feel better. It’s OK. Then we kept going to the finals and losing, and it’s like, ‘Oh man, it hurts worse.’ It hurt worse than not getting to the finals.”

And yet, Capps is third in the championship standings with a chance to move to second to end the year. The first goal in Pomona is to out-qualify Jack Beckman, who is driving John Force’s car, which is second in points. The second goal is to not go winless in a second for the first time since 2008.

“In the grand scheme of things, whatever,” Capps said. “It’s going to be written somewhere if we don’t (win). The storybook ending would be to win this weekend, and that would make (this) interview even cooler. It’s frustrating, too, because that’s a pretty cool streak to have a win at least once a season.”