Austin Prock – Syndication Server

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.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1430]

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.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1430]

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.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1430]

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.

JFR grabs both nitro No. 1s in Vegas on John Force’s return to the track

With John Force returning to the track on Friday for the first time since his crash in June, team drivers Brittany Force and Austin Prock both went to the top in Top Fuel and Funny Car, respectively, securing the provisional No. 1 spots at the 24th …

Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the 19th of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and the fifth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

B. Force powered to an impressive run of 3.675s at 336.74mph in her Chevrolet Accessories dragster, putting the two-time world champion in line for her fifth No. 1 qualifier of the season and 51st in her career. Las Vegas has treated the standout driver well over the years and a win this weekend would certainly be a memorable one.

“Coming into this weekend, we knew it was going to be special, because my dad had planned to come out, and I think everyone was really looking forward to seeing him, especially me,” B. Force said. “I’m so excited for him. I think it’s great for him. This is just the best medicine for him.

“We’re always excited to come back to Las Vegas where we’ve had so much success in the past. We’re really looking to close out the season strong and get into the winner’s circle for our sponsors.”

Shawn Langdon is currently second after going 3.706s at 333.74mph and reigning world champ Doug Kalitta is third with a pass of 3.707s at 330.96mph.

In Funny Car, Prock delivered a standout run of 3.843s at 333.33mph in his Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS, as John Force Racing teammate Jack Beckman ran a stellar 3.859s at 332.43mph in the lane next to him. With J. Force looking on, the two drivers put on a thrilling side-by-side show, with Prock going to the top.

Should Prock, who held a commanding 147-point lead over Beckman heading into the weekend, qualify No. 1, he would break J. Force’s single-season record with his 14th No. 1 spot.

“That was a great way to welcome him back,” Prock said. “All three John Force Racing cars made tremendous runs and it was a good way to say, ‘Welcome back, boss.’ It’s just nice to have John back at the racetrack for the first time since Richmond. I’m glad that he’s back. I wanted to cry when I saw him this morning.

“That first run was really stout, obviously low of the session. We’ve got two more shots at it tomorrow, and conditions are going to be probably better. I don’t believe that 3.84s will hold. I think we’re going to have to improve on that”

Following Beckman in third is Ron Capps, who went 3.860s at 330.96mph.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1430]

Calling it a must-win weekend in Las Vegas, Pro Stock veteran Greg Anderson enjoyed a strong start in qualifying, taking over the No. 1 spot in the second session with a run of 6.597s at 207.02mph in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. That would give Anderson seven No. 1 qualifiers this season if it holds and 131 in his career, but Anderson knows he needs a victory to stay in championship contention.

He entered the weekend third overall and 90 points back of KB Titan Racing teammate Dallas Glenn. Anderson, a five-time world champ, picked up a handful of points on Glenn on Friday, but knows he’ll need much more this weekend to stay alive.

“Without a doubt I need to win this race,” Anderson said. “That’s all I can do at this point. Even if I do win the last two races that might not be enough to get [the championship] done. Our plan is to set the ladder up so it’s favorable but there is no happy spot on a Pro Stock ladder. At least I still have a shot and that’s all you can ask for.

“Things could change if I drop the ball. If that happens, I’ll do everything I can to help Dallas with the championship. I’ll do what’s best for the KB Titan team. That pole is not safe. The conditions figure to be a little better tomorrow and it’s supposed to be overcast so it’s not safe.”

David Cuadra’s 6.605s has him second, while Aaron Stanfield’s 6.609s at 205.66mph puts him third. Glenn is in fourth after running 6.615s at 205.29mph.

Need a big result to stay in the championship hunt, Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Matt Smith couldn’t have asked for a better Friday, making the best run in both sessions on his Denso Auto Parts/Matt Smith Racing Buell, including a run of 6.822s at 198.70mph in the second session. It would be Smith’s sixth No. 1 qualifier this season, but more importantly, he gained four points on leader and defending world champ Gaige Herrera.

That puts him 58 points back of Herrera heading into Saturday and the six-time world champ will look to make another move before a likely must-win situation on Sunday in Las Vegas.

“Our mindset this weekend is to just have no bad luck because we’ve had a lot of it lately,” Smith said. “In Reading I had a bad fuel pump and then in St. Louis we lost a crank trigger and in Dallas the bike wouldn’t shift. Those are three races we should have won and that would have been 60 points. We should be leading right now so I’m not asking for good luck. I just don’t want any more bad luck.

“We never quit. I know that I’m No. 2 and we’ve got the second best bike but we’re still in this. I do see this race as must win unless Gaige has some bad luck, which hasn’t happened yet.”

Herrera, the defending event winner in Vegas, is currently second after going 6.846s at 196.99mph and Angie Smith took third with a run of 6.850s at 197.59mph.

Qualifying continues at 12:30 p.m. PT on Saturday at the Ford Performance NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Force, Prock, Anderson, Herrera qualify No. 1 at NHRA Texas FallNationals

Two-time Top Fuel world champion Brittany Force clinched her 50th career No. 1 qualifier on Saturday at Texas Motorplex, hanging on to the top position at the 39th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals. Austin Prock (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) …

Two-time Top Fuel world champion Brittany Force clinched her 50th career No. 1 qualifier on Saturday at Texas Motorplex, hanging on to the top position at the 39th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals.

Austin Prock (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also qualified No. 1 at the 18th of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and the fourth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

Force’s run of 3.667s at 338.19mph from Friday in her HendrickCars.com/Chevrolet dragster wasn’t challenged on Saturday, handing the 16-time event winner her fourth No. 1 qualifier of the year. She will open eliminations against Spencer Hyde, looking to pick up her first victory since the 2022 season. Force was thrilled to earn a 50th career No. 1 qualifier, but her focus remains on going four rounds on Sunday.

“Just to hear ‘50,’ that’s such a big achievement,” Force said. “It’s a big achievement by all of John Force Racing. It’s something I’m very proud of. It seems like an impossible number and to have that in my career, to be able to accomplish that is huge and something I’m very proud of. The cool thing is, it was a collective thing. It was done with so many different teams and crew chiefs that I’ll always look up to. They all taught me things along the way that I still use to this day. I’m very thankful to them that they’re part of my career and getting that 50.

“To see three [No. 1s] in the last [five] races, it shows that this team is gaining momentum and that we’re moving in the right direction. We’re starting to move on to something positive. But ultimately, we want to perform well on Sunday.”

Shawn Reed qualified second with a 3.676s at 330.71mph and Texan Steve Torrence took third thanks to his pass of 3.721s at 332.03mph. Points leader Antron Brown qualified fifth and will face off with Justin Ashley, who is 34 points behind in second, in a must-see opening round.

In Funny Car, Prock matched his boss and legendary Funny Car driver John Force for the most No. 1 qualifiers in a single season in class history, earning his 13th No. 1 spot of the 2024 season when Friday’s track-record run of 3.813s at 333.09mph in his AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS wasn’t challenged on Saturday, ensuring a John Force Racing sweep in qualifying.

Friday’s run was also the eighth-quickest in Funny Car history for the dominant points leader, who will look to extend his lead on Sunday. He will start raceday against Terry Haddock as he seeks an eighth victory in 2024.

“It’s pretty special. I had no idea that there was a record until a few weeks ago and we’ve knocked off a few more, and we eventually tied them today,” Prock said. “It’s pretty special to be added to that list, and to do it in 18 races is pretty incredible. It speaks volumes about this team, my dad, my brother, Nate Hildahl, everyone that’s on this AAA/Cornwall Tools car. I’m really proud of this team and happy to be driving this race car.

“I did talk to John last night and he was he was so ecstatic to see our race car and his daughter’s race car go No. 1 qualifier. He was watching all evening long, and he was really proud. It was nice to hear his voice and know that he was watching and he’s proud, and hopefully we can make them proud the rest of the season.”

Defending event winner and reigning world champion Matt Hagan took second after Friday’s 3.823s at 335.20mph and Jack Beckman, who is second in points, finished third with a 3.825s at 331.49mph.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1430]

Pro Stock’s Greg Anderson heads into race day with plenty of momentum after his 6.524s at 208.99mph in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro from Friday was enough to hand the five-time world champion his sixth No. 1 spot of the season and the 130th in his standout career. Anderson, who is currently fourth in points, made a pair of solid runs on Saturday as well. To stay in the title hunt, Anderson knows he will need a big day on Dallas.

Enders qualified second thanks to Friday’s 6.526s at 209.09mph and David Cuadra took third with a 6.532s at 208.60mph. Aaron Stanfield and leader Dallas Glenn – are fourth and fifth, respectively. The top two in points could meet in the second round, with a potential matchup with Anderson looming in the semifinals.

“Three of us are one side. Erica happened to end up on the other side and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing for her. We’ll see how it plays out tomorrow,” Anderson said. “There’s only going to be one of the three left in the semifinal on our side of the ladder. Without something like that happening at one of these races I probably wouldn’t have a chance to make up ground because if we all four keep making the semifinals, you’re not going to make up much ground. It’s really the only chance I’ve got.

“We’ll see how the cards fall tomorrow, but it’s an opportunity. I like that. We’re going to be fast. I’m excited to race, and it could be a turning point of the season. It’s time to either get it done or go home.”

Herrera was the only provisional No. 1 qualifier to improve on Saturday, delivering a run of 6.749s at 202.52mph in Pro Stock Motorcycle on his RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki. It hands the points leader his eighth No. 1 qualifier in 2024 and the 22nd in his career, and Herrera will look to win in Dallas for a second straight year. Herrera was impressed with his team’s ability to improve on Friday’s run as he looks to extend his points lead on Sunday.

“The only thing that made it possible was tail wind,” Herrera said. “You just had to catch it at the right time. It was a cross tail so I didn’t think being in the right lane would affect us as much as it did, but it did. That was a good pass. Tomorrow we’re going to be racing in this kind of weather. I think it’s going to be a direct, straight tail wind instead of across. Probably see a pretty good mile an hour tomorrow and it’ll be a good day of racing.

“The biggest thing I focus on is the here and now. You can’t predict what’s going to happen. You can’t try to make stuff happen. You just have to go out there and do what you have to do and it’s going to turn out how it’s going to be.”

Matt Smith jumped up to second in the final session after going 6.756s at 201.77mph and Jianna Evaristo took third thanks to Friday’s 6.777s at 201.81mph.

Eliminations for the 39th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals begin at 12 p.m. CT on Sunday at Texas Motorplex.

Prock, Force, Anderson Herrera go No. 1 on Friday at NHRA Texas FallNationals

Funny Car points leader Austin Prock made the quickest Funny Car run in seven years on Friday at Texas Motorplex, setting the track record and taking the provisional No. 1 spot for John Force Racing at the 39th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals. …

Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the 18th of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and the fourth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

A special “Friday Night Live” meant more than $40,000 in bonus money on the line as well. The low qualifier under the lights on Friday night handed the Top Fuel and Funny Car stars $15,000 each in bonus money, with $7,500 going to the quickest qualifier in Pro Stock and $5,000 in Pro Stock Motorcycle.

Prock left no doubt who would get the $15,000 bonus money in Funny Car, as he went a blistering 3.813s at 333.09mph in his AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS, eclipsing the track record by a huge margin and making the quickest run in Funny Car since 2017. If it holds, Prock would earn his 13th No. 1 spot of the season, which would tie him with John Force for the most No. 1 qualifiers in a single season in Funny Car history.

“I was definitely jacked up for this one,” Prock said. “I knew the conditions were there and this AAA team was going to push. I’m really proud of them. This track is really difficult to drive, especially at night, [but] I stood on the gas and felt like I was pretty centered up. I think I got a little close to the center line, but it was still a pretty great run. I’m looking forward to getting back to the pit and scoping it out and seeing what I can learn from that.

“We’re always on kill, I would say, but we know we have to be at our absolute best these last three races to try to wrap this deal up. We’ve put a lot of hard work in this year, but three races, that’s a long way to go in this Countdown. We have to keep making smart decisions, play off our notebook, and try to do the best we can and see how everything plays out.”

Defending event winner and reigning world champion Matt Hagan is second after a run of 3.823s at 335.20mph and Jack Beckman, who is second in points, was right behind with a pass of 3.825s at 331.49mph.

In Top Fuel, Brittany Force made it a John Force Racing bonus double-up on Friday, delivering a stellar run of 3.667s at 338.19mph in her HendrickCars.com/Chevrolet dragster to earn the $15,000 bonus check. It was the second-fastest run of the year in Top Fuel and puts Force in a great position to collect her fourth No. 1 qualifier of the year and the 50th in her standout Top Fuel career. Looking for her first victory since 2022, Force is eager to build on a memorable Friday night at Texas Motorplex.

“That was just an amazing run for our team to come out here. We’ve had a tough year and that 3.66s and 338mph, that’s David Grubnic and this HendrickCars.com team,” Force said. “We’ve been pushing all season long to have a run like that. Getting the check and the cowboy boots really boosts the team morale, and we’re ready to attack the rest of the weekend.

“We won’t give up until it’s done. We’ll keep on pushing. Our game plan is to win this event here. We try not to get too far ahead of ourselves, we’re focused on moving up on that ladder and getting back in that winner’s circle. It’s been far too long. When I head back to my pits right now, I know the guys are going to be pumped. We all kept pushing. It gets hard, but we continue to push to be the best that we can. To do that today, it gives us a boost. We want to keep doing that.”

Shawn Reed is currently second after going 3.676s at 330.71mph and Texan Steve Torrence is third thanks to his pass of 3.721s at 332.03mph.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1430]

Anderson closed out Pro Stock qualifying in standout fashion, taking the $7,500 bonus and the provisional No. 1 spot with a run of 6.524s at 208.99mph in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. Erica Enders set the bar early in the session, but Anderson closed it out on top as he seeks his sixth No. 1 qualifier of the year and the 130th in his tremendous career. Anderson, who is currently fourth in the Pro Stock points standings, has enjoyed several terrific moments at Texas Motorplex over the years and he added to that on Friday under the lights.

“I love coming here, I absolutely love it,” Anderson said. “It’s all the Meyer family. They make it special, and it matters to us. It makes you rise to the next level. We got it done by 0.002s and how fitting. That’s the battle we’ve been having lately, it’s who makes the sweetest, most perfect run. That was pretty mean. I knew that was the target and it was going to be close, and it certainly was. Fortunately, we were able to keep her in the center of the racetrack and got the check by 0.002s. It all ended up great, it’s a great night in Texas.

“These bonus points mean everything. It’s going to be extremely hard to make up ground on any one of them, let alone three of the four of them. They’re not making mistakes. They’re racing error-free, they’re fast. It’s going to be very hard to make up some ground. I’m not in a great spot, but I’m not going to give up. I’m going to keep trying. Mission accomplished today, a perfect Friday.”

Enders took the second position, just missing the top spot after a run of 6.526s at 209.09mph and David Cuadra’s 6.532s at 208.60mph puts him third. The top two drivers in points – Aaron Stanfield and leader Dallas Glenn – are fourth and fifth, respectively.

Herrera shattered records a year ago in Pro Stock Motorcycle at Texas Motorplex and enjoyed another impressive Friday to open the weekend this season, making the quickest run of each session, including a 6.757s at 201.21mph under the lights on his RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki. The run nets Herrera $5,000 and also puts the defending world champion and current points leader in line for his eighth No. 1 spot this season and 22nd in his career.

Herrera moved back into the lead thanks to his win at the most recent race in St. Louis and he looks to strengthen in a major way with a second straight victory in Dallas.

“You come here, you get a different vibe,” Herrera said. “It’s a very welcoming, ‘have fun’ vibe, and that’s what we’re doing. We’re having fun and getting to race at the same time. It’s awesome to get that bonus money on Friday night. I can’t thank the Meyer family enough for all they do for us racers at Texas Motorplex. My bike ran good coming off the trailer, so we were happy to get that and get a little extra change.

“There are a lot of fast motorcycles right now between the whole class. We just have a consistently fast motorcycle at the moment. We’re trying to get every little point that we can. It’s all about consistency right now.”

Jianna Evaristo is second after going 6.777s at 201.81mph and Angie Smith is third thanks to a run of 6.808s at 201.41mph.

Qualifying continues at 12 p.m. CT on Saturday at the Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex.

Zizzo, Prock, Enders, Herrera go No. 1 at NHRA Midwest Nationals

In a Top Fuel field filled with championship contenders, it was part-time racer T.J. Zizzo who impressed the most for the second time this season in front of a capacity crowd on Saturday at World Wide Technology Raceway for the 13th annual NHRA …

Austin Prock (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also qualified No. 1 at the 17th of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and the third of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

Zizzo raced to the No. 1 spot with a run of 3.714s at 327.66mph in his Rust-Oleum dragster. It’s the second career No. 1 qualifier for the veteran, who earned his first career top spot earlier this year in Chicago. He put together a similar performance on Saturday in St. Louis, holding off an absolutely loaded Top Fuel field.

He’ll open race day against Billy Torrence, looking to pick up his first career Top Fuel victory, and Zizzo had plenty to be excited about after two strong runs on Saturday.

“It’s spectacular. Our all-volunteer team, we do this because we love the sport. We love the sport of NHRA championship drag racing,” Zizzo said. “We come out here and qualify No. 1 twice now. As far as the mindset of a driver, it puts way more pressure on me. That’s what a good race car does. I can’t go up there and lollygag anymore, I have to go up there and get after it.

“The 16 (cars) that are qualified for the show, no joke, any one of us can win. It would be near and dear to my heart to be able to qualify No. 1 and then go four rounds tomorrow, but I know that’s a tough feat.”

Eight-time world champ Tony Schumacher impressed on Saturday as well, qualifying second with a 3.718s at 325.22mph and Brittany Force is third after going 3.722s at 314.39mph. Points leader Antron Brown, who has won the first two races in the Countdown, qualified 10th and will open eliminations Jasmine Salinas.

Funny Car points leader Prock rolled to his 12th No. 1 qualifier of the season for John Force Racing and just missed the track record set by Robert Hight in 2017, going 3.836-sat 330.72mph in his AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS. His 12th No. 1 qualifier this season also pulls him to within one No. 1 spot of tying John Force for the most top qualifiers in a single season in Funny Car history.

Prock has picked up 12 No. 1 qualifiers in the first 17 races and he remains focused on his quest for a first career world championship. The young standout has won the first two playoff races, holding a 129-point lead entering the weekend, and will try to pick up his eighth win of the year on Sunday.

“This whole team, they’re so incredibly smart and dialed in right now,” Prock said. “It sure is fun to drive. We were low both sessions and I’m really proud to be driving this AAA Camaro this weekend.

“We’re definitely not changing our mindset, we’re not laying up at all. We’re going out there and racing like what got us to this point. We want to get as much of a points lead as we can possibly have going into Pomona, and we’ve been doing a good job of that today. We racked up all the qualifying points today. It was another great day – stout runs, and we have a good hot rod for tomorrow.”

Chad Green jumped to the second spot during the final qualifier with a run of 3.876s at 325.77mph and Ron Capps took third on the strength of a 3.878s at 333.33mph.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1430]

Looking to make a late-season run, St. Louis might be the place for defending Pro Stock world champ Erica Enders to do it and she made the most of Saturday’s two sessions, taking the No. 1 qualifier for the seventh time this year after a run of 6.565s at 208.01mph in her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance/Scag Power Equipment car. Enders thriving at World Wide Technology Raceway should be no surprise, as the six-time world champion has more wins at the facility than any driver in NHRA history.

Entering the weekend third in points, she’ll look to win for the seventh time in St. Louis on Sunday, opening raceday against Chris McGaha. Enders hasn’t won since the season-opening race in Gainesville and Sunday would certainly be an ideal time as she tries to track down points leader Dallas Glenn and Elite Motorsports teammate Aaron Stanfield.

“The [qualifying] points always add up, I’ve said that from the beginning of our career, and they made a huge difference in both of our ‘14 and ‘15 championship chases,” Enders said. “I imagine it will be the same this year, but to come off the trailer after a long day yesterday and go to the No. 1 spot, you want to run great but be good enough to get down. We made a huge error in the second qualifier but were still second for the session, and we’ll take that into Sunday and see what we can do with it.

“It’s extremely important to get down and go as fast as you can because you want those points, but you have to be conservative enough to not go out there and blow the back window out. It’s a fine line to be fast and a little bit out of control. I’m glad they got the track ready today and it was awesome for us.”

Glenn qualified second with a 6.570s at 207.66mph and his KB Titan Racing teammate Greg Anderson took third after going 6.578s at 207.91mph.

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Gaige Herrera delivered a stellar run to open qualifying on Saturday, going 6.796s at 197.74mph on his RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki, earning his seventh No. 1 spot of the season. Herrera, the defending world champ, entered the weekend in an unfamiliar spot, as Matt Smith took over the points lead last weekend with his victory in Charlotte.

Smith has been terrific in St. Louis over the years, but Herrera won the event last year and will attempt to make it two in a row at the pivotal playoff race.

“This is what makes it fun — between Vance & Hines and [Matt Smith Racing], we’re going back and forth, and that’s how it should be going through the Countdown,” Smith said. “The points are very tight, within one round, so I’m glad to get that No. 1 qualifier and see if we can continue this tomorrow and throughout race day. That’s all that counts.

“My mindset is just trying to go round-by-round. I really don’t look back at last year or yesterday, I just try to go out there and go A-to-B as a rider. It’s going to play out how it’s going to play out.”

Smith finished right behind in second thanks to a 6.807s at 198.12mph and Richard Gadson, who has advanced to the finals in each of the first two playoff races, is third after going 6.840s at 195.28mph.

Eliminations for the NHRA Midwest Nationals begin at 11 a.m. CT on Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Brown, Prock, Glenn, Smith win NHRA Carolina Nationals

Three-time Top Fuel world champion Antron Brown moved into the points lead for the first time since 2017, winning his second straight playoff race on Sunday at zMAX Dragway after defeating Doug Foley in the final round of the 16th annual NHRA …

Austin Prock (Funny Car), Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won the 16th of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and the second of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

In the final round, Brown went 3.848s at 319.90mph in his Matco Tools/Toyota dragster to beat Foley’s 3.862s at 316.08mph, powering to his fifth victory this season and 79th in his career. It was also his 63rd Top Fuel win, as Brown passed Larry Dixon for the second-most Top Fuel wins in NHRA history.

After qualifying 10th, Brown put together a workmanlike Sunday, defeating Steve Torrence, Billy Torrence and reigning world champion Doug Kalitta to reach the final round. He then led wire-to-wire against Foley, taking over the points lead for the first time in more than seven years. His points lead stands at 53 and 62 points over Justin Ashley and Shawn Langdon, respectively. Kalitta is 67 points behind.

“When you race somebody like Doug Foley, you don’t falter and say, ‘Well, I can’t mess up.’ That’s when you set yourself up for failure,” Brown said. “We go out there and run what we can run, and give it all we got, and it fell our way. We just keep working hard and digging, no matter what. You’ve got to show up on race day and we have that mindset to stay humble and stay hungry.

“We still have four races left. Drag racing’s math. There’s 16 rounds left on table to win and our goal is go out there wins many of those rounds as possible. We won the first eight, so we’ve got a third of them.”

Foley reached his second career final round after beating Tony Schumacher, Ashley and Clay Millican.

Funny Car’s Austin Prock continued his absolute dominant run in the loaded category, winning his third straight race and seventh overall in an incredible 2024 campaign, racing past defending world champion Matt Hagan in the final round with a run of 3.924s at 326.48mph in his Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS. There appears to be no stopping Prock, who has opened up a commanding 129-point lead in the Funny Car ranks through the first two playoff races after delivering his 11th career win.

He reached the championship round on Sunday thanks to wins against Alexis DeJoria, Ron Capps and John Force Racing teammate Jack Beckman. Hagan and Prock then delivered a thriller in the finals, with Hagan leaving first and going 3.958s at 324.98mph. But Prock was able to track the reigning champ down, adding another monumental performance in a season filled with spectacular runs and victories.

“We left the door open to get beat today a couple times and then my team made wholesale changes going into the semifinals, stuff I would say 95 percent of the crew chiefs wouldn’t change going into a round, and it went up there and flew,” Prock said. “It stuck. It was on a mission, and I did the same thing in the final round.

“I’m just trying to take it one moment at a time, one round at a time. And if you do that, you don’t get caught up in being the leader, being the chaser, just go up there and do the best that you can do, because each person on the team has a specific job to do, and they have to do it perfect to have the success. We’ll celebrate tonight and then get my head back in the game and go and try again, one run at a time.”

Hagan, who qualified No. 1, reached the finals for the ffith time this year and 92nd time in his career with round wins against Dave Richards and Bob Tasca III. Hagan was looking for a sweep of both Charlotte races this year. Tasca is second in points, while Beckman trails his teammate by 136 points.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1430]

Pro Stock’s Dallas Glenn, who was the points leader for most of the regular season, jumped back to the top spot on Sunday, slipping past Aaron Stanfield in the finals after going 6.626s at 207.18mph in his RAD Torque Systems Camaro. It’s the fourth win of the season in eight trips to the finals for Glenn, who now leads Stanfield by just eight points with four races remaining this season.

To reach the finals, Glenn had to get past Mason McGaha, Matt Hartford and reigning world champion Erica Enders. That set up a marquee duel with two of the category’s top young standouts, with Glenn posting a 0.026s reaction time and holding off Stanfield at the finish line.

“Aaron has a fast car and he’s a great driver and doesn’t make mistakes,” Glenn said. “So, it’s a deal where you can’t make a mistake against him. The crew chiefs have to do their job and give me the best car they can. I’m glad that Aaron and I put on a good show for the fans in the final. I hate not having a close race against him.

“In the Countdown, every lap I go up there in eliminations, I’m on kill. I’m trying to do everything I can. I can’t make any mistakes. I’ve got to try to make sure I get every last bit in case it does shake a little bit and I lose whatever performance advantage I have. I’m on kill 100 percent of the time.”

Stanfield, who had won back-to-back races, knocked off Chris McGaha, Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Greg Anderson to reach the finals for the eighth time in 2024 and 23rd time overall. Enders is 53 points back in third, while Anderson trails his KB Titan Racing teammate Glenn by 74 points.

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Matt Smith took a big step towards a possible seventh world championship, picking up his second win of the year on his Denso Auto Parts Buell when rookie Richard Gadson went red in the final round. Smith rolled to a run of 6.846s at 199.35mph, scooping up his 40th career win and moving into the points lead for the first time this year in the process.

To get to the final round, Smith defeated his wife, Angie, and Matt Smith Racing teammate Jianna Evaristo, clinching the home track win when Gadson left the starting line a touch too soon. He now leads defending world champion Gaige Herrera by 25 points, finishing off a hugely-rewarding weekend that saw Smith also qualify No. 1. He’s now laser-focused on trying to become the first rider in NHRA history to win seven Pro Stock Motorcycle championships.

“I was just trying to stay good and tough against Richard and when I went through the lights, I didn’t see my win light and I didn’t know if I won or not,” Smith said. “It’s never a good feeling when you can’t see a win light because you thought you had a good deal, but you don’t ever know. But all in all, what a weekend, what a day.

“I like being under pressure. It doesn’t matter what you do in the regular season. You always have to be good the last six races, and I’ve always been pretty good last six races, and that’s how I won my championships, and that’s how we’re going to continue to race.”

Gadson reached his second straight final round after defeating Ron Tornow, Chase Van Sant and Herrera. He remains third in points, 27 back of Smith.

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action Sept. 27-29 with the 13th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway in St. Louis.

NHRA domination wasn’t Prock’s plan for 2024…until it was

There is only one acceptable ending to the NHRA Funny Car season for Austin Prock – hoisting the championship trophy. “If they hadn’t reset the points, we’d pretty much have it locked up by now,” Prock told RACER ahead of the NHRA Carolina Nationals …

There is only one acceptable ending to the NHRA Funny Car season for Austin Prock — hoisting the championship trophy.

“If they hadn’t reset the points, we’d pretty much have it locked up by now,” Prock told RACER ahead of the NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway. “I think we needed to do well, maybe one more weekend and it’d be locked up. We had a 348-point lead that got put down to 39 points; 348 points equates to 18 rounds of competition, so yeah, we want to win the championship.”

Prock tore through the Funny Car class in his John Force Racing Chevrolet Camaro. The 29-year-old quickly took to the machine Robert Hight had been driving when Hight was sidelined this year to address his health. In his debut at Gainesville, Prock went to the final round and lost to J.R. Todd.

It took three races before Prock had his first Wally. Since then, he’s racked up five more wins, 11 No. 1 qualifiers and a win-loss record of 38-9 through 15 races.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1430]

“My dad said at the beginning of the year when they asked him what the expectations were and he said, ‘I want to win the championship,’” Prock said. “I’ve never heard my dad talk like that before. He’s quiet and humble and when he said that, I was like, ‘Whoa, he means business.’ It’s definitely shown this year.”

The younger Prock is the driver, with his father, Jimmy Prock, the crew chief. Also working on the team is Thomas Prock, Austin’s brother — the assistant crew chief. The family affair has not only been one of the most talked about highlights of the drag racing season but one that means just as much to the Prock family. Being able to race together was a dream for Austin.

John Force Racing has always been a family operation, but the Procks have taken it to a whole new level. NHRA photo

Domination, however, is something that’s taken everyone by surprise. Prock had never competed in a Funny Car before this season. A victory in the opener of the Countdown at Maple Grove Raceway (Sept. 15) pushed his advantage back to 86 points ahead of the competition.

“I’ve always said my whole drag racing career, ‘It’s the same for everyone,’” Prock said of the points reset. “That’s always how I’ve looked at the Countdown. I was always on the outside looking in, and now, when [it’s you], it’s not the same for everyone. Plain and simple, it’s just not. You [go] from an 18-round lead to less than two rounds.

“We knew that coming in it all gets reset. You just have to have the same goal and the same mindset of taking it one round at a time and see how the cards fall.”

A championship would be Prock’s first in NHRA competition. Top Fuel had been his focus the last few years, but his career, although filled with promise, has been anything but steady.

He won a race in 2019, his first season, and then only ran three races between 2020 and 2021. He returned in 2022 to a two-win season and a career-best third place in the championship. Last year, Prock won his fourth career race in the Top Fuel class.

John Force Racing announced Prock would drive the Funny Car in mid-January.

“It’s been an outstanding year,” Prock said. “I said last week, I’ve had more success in this one single season than I have in my whole career. This sport can be tough when you’re not doing well. I like to say that drag racing is either a lot of fun or no fun at all because there is one winner and the rest are losers.

“You’ve just got to enjoy the moments when you’re running well because it can all change just like that. [The team has] done a great job all season keeping it up, and it’s been a blast working with my family and everyone on this team.”

Prock wins NHRA Reading Nationals in all-JFR Funny Car final

In an all-John Force Racing final round in Funny Car, points leader Austin Prock powered past Jack Beckman on Sunday at Maple Grove Raceway, picking up his sixth victory of the season at the 39th annual Pep Boys NHRA Nationals. Antron Brown (Top …

Antron Brown (Top Fuel), Aaron Stanfield (Pro Stock) and Hector Arana Jr. (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won the 15th of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season. It is the first of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

Prock, who also qualified No. 1 for the 11th time in 15 races, went 3.896s at 332.51mph in his Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS to get past Beckman’s 3.951s at 330.88mph. It extends the points lead for Prock, who won his second straight race and also earned his 10th career victory.

He defeated Mike Smith, Chad Green and Bob Tasca III to reach the finals, and then delivered another consistent run in the final round, becoming one of only a handful of drivers to win in both Top Fuel and Funny Car and Maple Grove Raceway. Prock’s lead now stands at 86 points over Tasca heading into the final five races.

“It feels great to rack up some points and get a little bit of a gap over second again. It definitely feels good,” Prock said. “This is the best way you can start out the Countdown – No. 1 qualifier, we got points almost every round and the car was flying today, and we ended up holding another Wally. Kudos to this Cornwell Tools team for allowing me to do this.

“We saw the ladder last night and said we have two cars capable of meeting in the final round and that was the goal today and we executed perfectly. Jack drove his tail off today, and I’m really proud of him. He’s getting comfortable and becoming lethal in that car. He was mowing the tree down and that thing runs as good as any of these cars out here. It’s great to see him and the team having success right off the bat like they are.”

Beckman, who is driving for John Force, reached his first final since returning in Brainerd after defeating Joe Morrison, J.R. Todd and then Alexis DeJoria on a wild and memorable pedalfest.

The Top Fuel final round was a thriller, too, as Antron Brown picked up his fourth win of 2024 and the 78th in his career in his Matco Tools/Toyota dragster thanks to a run of 3.798s at 327.27mph in the championship round against Shawn Langdon. It made a tight field in the loaded category even tighter, as Brown pulled to within one point of leader Justin Ashley. With his final-round appearance, Langdon is just six points behind Ashley as well.

But Sunday ultimately belonged to Brown, who again came to life during eliminations. He went a Sunday-best 3.723s in the opening round to defeat Jasmine Salinas and then knocked off Tony Schumacher and Dan Mercier to reach the final round. Facing off with Langdon, Brown delivered a stellar 0.043s reaction time and then held off Langdon in a terrific side-by-side race to win for the third time at Maple Grove Raceway as he aims to try and win his fourth world championship.

“Going into race day, we knew we were going to have something, but the track got a little bit trickier than we thought it was. It was medieval out there. A lot of people were spinning the tires, but we made it far enough down the track,” Brown said. “Brian Corradi, Mark (Oswald), all of our Matco boys gave me a car that went the distance. We were just better than everybody that we raced at that time. When we got to the final, we knew it was going to be a monster matchup.

“I knew Shawn was going to run about the same E.T. and it was going to be who can leave the starting line. Lo and behold, I was able to keep my head down and we got a little bit of an advantage right there and the car outran him. It was one of those deals, we got the win and the car was smooth down the racetrack. It felt really good when that win light came on, we needed a start like that if we wanted to be in this race to win this championship.”

Langdon advanced to the final round for the seventh time this season and the 45th time in his career after defeating Ida Zetterstrom, Tony Stewart and Ashley. Doug Kalitta, who was the points leader entering the Countdown, dropped to fourth after a first-round loss.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1430]

In Pro Stock, there seems to be no stopping red-hot Aaron Stanfield, as he won for the fifth time this season, going 6.569s at 209.26mph in his Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance/Janac Brothers car to defeat Elite Motorsports teammate and defending world champion Erica Enders on a holeshot in the final round. It’s also Stanfield’s second straight win and he moves into the points lead for the first time this season after picking up his 13th career win.

To reach the final round, Stanfield defeated Troy Coughlin Jr., Chris McGaha and Dallas Glenn to reach the final round and set up the teammate versus teammate matchup. Stanfield went an impressive 0.017s on the starting line – on a day where he was also 0.012s and 0.014s in eliminations – and held off Enders at the finish to continue his recent roll. Stanfield has now won five of the last seven races.

“It feels great. Momentum is real,” Stanfield said. “Things have been rolling our way and we’ve been getting those round wins when we need them to go our way. We did our job today, Erica and I and all our guys. We put both of our JHG/Melling cars in the final round there, and that was the goal.

“When you start out No. 2, you know you’ve got a shot. I know the equipment I’m in, and I know how hungry my guys are to win. We definitely have a shot here, we just need to keep this momentum that we’ve got rolling.”

Enders went to the final round for the fourth time in 2024 and the 82nd time overall after defeating Mason McGaha, Matt Hartford and longtime rival Greg Anderson. Stanfield’s lead now stands at nine points over Dallas Glenn, with Enders 35 points back.

Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Hector Arana Jr. enjoyed a spectacular Sunday at Maple Grove Raceway, finishing it off with a 6.839s at 198.38mph on his GETTRX Buell to defeat Richard Gadson in the final round. It is Arana’s first victory of the season and 19th in his career, and he had to go through some standouts to get it.

Arana knocked off Jianna Evaristo and Angie Smith to reach the semifinals, and then got past points leader and defending world champion Gaige Herrera when Herrera went red. That set up a final-round duel with Gadson and Arana quickly tracked him down, winning at his home track for the third time in his career. The victory also pushed Arana into fourth in points, setting up the potential for a memorable late-season run for the veteran.

“We have a great team and we have a great motorcycle that everybody works hard,” Arana Jr. “We tried a bunch of things this year leading up to the Countdown and now it’s time to turn it on. We collected everything, got it together, and here we are in the winner’s circle holding up a Wally. I couldn’t imagine a better day.

“Fortunately for us, we were able to stay green and here we are in the winner’s circle. But we have some more power to make to fight with them. I came in here with confidence. We had a great bike and I said it all weekend, you have to have a good consistent bike in order to win the race, and that’s what we did.”

Gadson advanced to the final round for the second time in his rookie season, defeating Geno Scali, Chase Van Sant and defending event winner Matt Smith. Herrera remains in the points lead, holding an 17-point advantage over M. Smith. Gadson is 19 points behind in third.

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action Sept. 20-22 with the 16th annual NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte.