Austin Prock leaves no doubt en route to dominant NHRA Funny Car championship season Courtesy of NHRA

Prock left no doubt , turning in one of the most incredible seasons in recent Funny Car history , blistering track records , setting national marks , and making the fastest run in NHRA history in the process .

It was everything Prock dreamed of – and much , much more – when he made his Funny Car debut this season . Filling in for John Force Racing President Robert Hight , a three-time world champion , Prock had big shoes to fill , but it ’ s an opportunity he relished . Prock raced alongside star crew chief and his father , Jimmy Prock , and his brother , Thomas , fulfilling a dream that only seemed to get better as the season went on .

Prock won eight races , tying him with Hight and Ron Capps for the most in a single season in Funny Car since 2000 , with his playoff victory in Las Vegas putting him in position to clinch the world title during qualifying in Pomona . The 2019 Rookie of the Year did that and then went 3.804-seconds – the quickest run in Funny Car since 2017 and the fourth-quickest in history – to close out qualifying and his championship season with an emphatic exclamation point in his Cornwell Tools / AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS .

“ If you have a dream , go for it ,” Prock said . “ If you ’ re passionate about something , go after it . You ’ re not going to be the best if you don ’ t put in the most work and the most effort , and all I ’ ve ever cared about is driving a race car . We ’ ve

always been passionate about it and we ’ ve always been surrounded by great people .

“ I didn ’ t feel much pressure at all , all season long . I was nervous getting into a totally different car , but this is what I ’ ve dreamed of . I just tried to block everything out and focus on what I needed to do . I study my craft every day and see things I can do better . I know I can drive a race car ; it was just a matter of if I could do it at a championship level . I was not going to be a weak link . I told myself I was going to work hard and get the job done , and we did it .”

Prock grabbed everyone ’ s attention immediately in Gainesville , qualifying No . 1 with a stout 3.820 and advancing to the final round . His first career Funny Car victory came two races later in Phoenix , following it with a runner-up to his boss , John Force , in Epping , and a victory in Bristol .

The following race was an emotional one , but Prock won in Richmond following Force ’ s devastating crash in eliminations . He added another victory in Seattle and then closed out the regular season in style , picking up his first career U . S . Nationals victory . In that span , Prock was building something special in qualifying , too , putting him close to a record Force set nearly 30 years ago .

Force took 13 No . 1 qualifiers that year , but Prock sped past that , tying the mark in Dallas with a 3.813 and then setting the Funny Car ( and nitro ) record for top qualifiers in a season with a 3.817 in Las Vegas . He added one more for good measure thanks to his 3.804 in Pomona , giving him 15 No . 1 qualifiers in 20 races .

The championship was always the main goal and Prock left no doubt there , either . He won the first two playoff rounds and put together 14 straight round wins at one point from Indy through St . Louis . The championship was practically sewn up in Vegas and by Saturday night in Pomona , Prock was able to exhale with the trophy in his hands .

“ You always come into a race season wanting to do well and everyone on this team just did an outstanding job ,” Prock said . “ We all kept our heads down through the good moments , the bad moments and that ’ s what it takes to be a champion . This year has just been filled with so much emotion .

“ I ’ ve been working towards this for 19 years . 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 . I got to do it with my family , with my dad turning the knobs with my brother . I ’ m really proud of that .”

The numbers speak for themselves , as Prock enjoyed six of the seven quickest runs in Funny Car this season . He qualified No . 1 in five of the six Countdown races , advancing to 12 final rounds and racking up a spectacular 53-12 record in 2024 . To fully finish off the season with a remarkable bow , Prock went an amazing 341.68 mph during eliminations in Pomona , making the fastest run in NHRA history . It was a lasting parting shot for the season , but if Prock has his way , it won ’ t be his last .

“ We don ’ t plan on letting up anytime soon ,” Prock said . “ We plan on getting better in the off-season , and we want to get these Camaros quicker and faster . I ’ m excited for next year and it ’ s a heck of an opportunity . I ’ m proud to be part of John Force Racing and all the great partnerships we have .” DI

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF NHRA

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