Drag Illustrated Issue 148, September 2019 | Page 38
Dirt
dropped six straight decisions, four to start the
current campaign.
This time, Force had the formula, using a time
of 3.909-seconds at 327.95 mph to get his blue
and white entry to the line first as Hight slowed
past half-track, finishing in 4.160 seconds at only
230.84 mph.
In the semifinals, racing against Jack Beckman,
a driver against whom he has struggled mightily,
Force’s 4.014 at 320.97 mph was good enough
to handle an up-in-smoke 4.480 at 197.65 mph.
Racing Capps for a title for the 20th time in
his career, Force sped through the traps in 3.971
seconds at 320.58 mph for the win, improving
to 62.41 versus Capps and 12-8 in final rounds.
The magnitude of Force’s accomplishment
cannot be overstated insomuch as no other pro
driver has won as many as even 100 races.
Second all-time is Warren Johnson, who
won 97 Pro Stock events before retiring in 2013.
Among active drivers, four-time NHRA Pro Stock
champ Greg Anderson has 93 wins. Eight-time
Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher, inactive
this season, has won 84 events. Ron Capps is
second on the Funny Car list with 62.
Even before he hoisted the Seattle trophy for a
record ninth time, second only to his 11 victories
in the Lucas Oil Nationals at Brainerd, Minne-
sota, the former Driver of the Year had secured a
record 35th consecutive Top 10 finish in NHRA’s
Mello Yello Series.
“I’ve crashed here at Pacific Raceways so many
times,” Force said. “I’ve won here so many times.
There are certain tracks I’m really happy at. I love
Indy, Pomona, I love Vegas – Seattle is special. I
have no complaints. I’m 70 years old and I do
it because I love the fans and God will tell me
when it’s time. You’ll know when your old body
says you’re done. I’m giving it all I got and I’m
glad I got 150.”
Force now has won at least one tour event in 32
of the last 33 seasons, although Sunday’s success
was his first with new crew chiefs Brian Corradi
and Dan Hood, who this year moved over to the
PEAK Camaro after last year directing Force’s
youngest daughter, Courtney, to four wins and a
sixth place finish in Funny Car points.
On the way to 150 wins, Force defeated 41 dif-
ferent final round opponents, most often besting
Cruz Pedregon (16 times), former teammate and
current FOX Sports analyst Tony Pedregon (13
times) and Capps (11 times).
Austin Prock, son of championship tuner Jim-
my Prock who crew chiefs Robert Hight’s car
and grandson to drag racer Tom Prock, secured
the first NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing victory
of his career taking out a slew of veteran racers
while he was at it.
“It’s unbelievable. Just have to thank the Lord
up above and John Force for giving me this op-
portunity. I told those Capco boys in Pomona
(season opener in February) I was coming for
them,” Prock said. “This is a dream come true.
I’ve wanted this since I was knee high, ever since
I could think I wanted to drive a Top Fuel car. To
get the win, my dad is one of the best crew chiefs
out there and to share a Wally with him working
on the same team is pretty incredible.”
Prock started race day qualified in the No. 12
position with a match-up against Leah Pritch-
ett. The Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain
Twist dragster sailed to a 3.761-second pass at
3256.95 mph narrowly defeating Pritchett’s 3.762
at 325.30.
Prock kept the consistency in the quarterfinals
with a 3.829-second pass at 323.74 mph that
was more than enough for a victory over Clay
Millican, who ran into trouble only putting up a
4.498-second pass at 163.20.
In the semifinals, Prock lined up with Mike Sa-
linas, who has already picked up two victories this
season. It was a holeshot victory for the rookie
who nailed the light at .047 to Salinas’ .094. Prock
would cross the line at 3.800 and 322.19, while
Salinas recorded a 3.777 at 324.12.
“I’ve been looking for a holeshot win since I
started this deal. That was really bad-ass to do
it. It’s just cool that it came on the day that we
made it to the finals,” Prock said. “Any time you
can help your team out and get round wins, that’s
how you win championships, that’s how you win
races is when the car is down you have to step up
and when the car is good you have to be there
too. It’s a team effort out here. It’s not one or the
other. Everyone’s got to do their job.”
In the final, Prock, in his first final round of
his career, would race Steve Torrence, the cur-
rent points leader, reigning world champion and
winner of eight events in 2019. Torrence would
take the starting line advantage, a rarity against
Prock, but went up in smoke early and couldn’t
pedal his way from behind. Prock would have a
straight, clean pass at 3.875-seconds and 307.86
mph for his first career victory.
“I wanted to race Steve in the finals. I said when
we get to our first final round, I want it to be
against Steve Torrence because I want to be the
guy that stops him. It’s pretty bad ass that the
rookie stopped the champ,” Prock said. “Steve did
school me up there. Dude went and pre-staged so
I went in and then he comes in and double-bulbs
me and obviously he knew I was nervous from
the get-go. He was maybe trying to play some
games because I was .030 and .040 in the rounds
before. I went in there and never let my foot off
the clutch pedal on my final stage procedure and
I ended up swapping feet and that’s why I was so
dang late. But when it’s your day, it’s your day.”
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