Sun, 03 Nov 2024, 00:08 AM Prock Sets Single-Season No. 1 Qualifier Record in Funny Car

Courtesy of NHRA Communications Photo copyright 2024 NHRA/National Dragster B. Force, Anderson & Herrera also Take Top Spots at Ford Performance NHRA Nationals

Austin Prock

LAS VEGAS - Funny Car points leader Austin Prock broke John Force's record for most No. 1 qualifiers in a single season on Saturday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, powering to his 14th top spot of the 2024 season at the 24th annual Ford Performance NHRA Nationals.

Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also qualified No. 1 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.

Prock just missed a track E.T. record on Saturday in his 11,000-horsepower Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS, going 3.817-seconds at 327.98 mph to secure his 14th No. 1 position in 19 races for John Force Racing.

It's a thrilling moment for Prock, who has seven wins this season, and it has a chance to be an event bigger weekend for the points leader. He'll open eliminations against Tim Gibbons on Sunday, with a chance to also clinch his first career Funny Car world championship. Prock will take a 148-point lead over Jack Beckman into Sunday. If he finishes three rounds ahead of Beckman, he will clinch the championship in Las Vegas.

"It's really special for the team, my dad, Thomas, and Nate Hildahl have been doing a great job," Prock said. "I don't really feel it's fair that I get all the glory. Those are the guys that made it happen. They gave me a great race car to drive all 14 of those races, and I'm really happy to get the job done for them.

"We have a great car. We have one of the best cars on the property right now, and we have a potential to do really good tomorrow. The job's not finished. We're close, but there's a long ways to go, so we just have to keep fighting. I've been driving really good this weekend and they've been doing a great job tuning so we just got to do that tomorrow."

Beckman made a strong run in the final session under the lights, going a career-best 3.821 at 330.47 to qualify second. Paul Lee took third after going 3.845 at 327.35.

Brittany Force

Force went even quicker on Saturday, securing a double-up in qualifying for John Force Racing with a pass of 3.660 at 334.98 in her 11,000-horsepower Chevrolet Accessories dragster. It also handed Force her fifth top spot of the season - and the third in the past four races - and the 51st in her career, and the two-time world champion made a pair of stellar runs on Saturday.

That bodes well for Sunday, as Force looks for her first win since the 2022 campaign. She'll open eliminations against Josh Hart, looking for yet another Las Vegas triumph. Force dipped into the 3.60s three times in qualifying and with favorable temperatures on Sunday, the standout would love to have four runs in that range during eliminations.

"David Grubnic, John Collins, this entire Chevrolet team we're very happy with our performance this weekend," Force said. "We qualified No. 1 and three out of the four runs we got down there in the .60s, so that's pretty outstanding. That's what our team used to do, so we're definitely getting back to our older team.

"After not getting this team to a winner's circle, now two years, and to do it here at a racetrack where we've had success, would be great. I have a lot of good memories here, not just wins, but No. 1 qualifiers, watching my sisters win here, my dad win here, so to get a win here, that's what we're chasing now. We've been chasing a win all season long. We have two races left our team. All we want to do is get to that winner's circle. My dad's here this weekend, so I know we're all fighting for that."

Shawn Langdon qualified second with a 3.672 at 328.30 in the final session under the lights, while defending world champion Doug Kalitta made a big move in the fourth session, qualifying third with a 3.674 at 334.57. Points leader Justin Ashley qualified seventh and will take a 44-point lead into raceday over Antron Brown and a 65-point advantage over Langdon, who gained 11 points in qualifying.

Greg Anderson

In Pro Stock, Greg Anderson enjoyed an even better day in what he has deemed a must-win weekend, going even quicker as he clinched the No. 1 qualifying spot with a run of 6.596 at 206.89 in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. That came during the opening session on Saturday, giving the five-time champ his seventh No. 1 spot this season and 131st in his career.

It has a chance to be a great weekend for the winningest driver in class history on Sunday, but Anderson will need to go four rounds for that to be the case. He'll start raceday against Chris McGaha, looking for his first win since April. More importantly, it's a chance to track down KB Titan Racing teammate and points leader Dallas Glenn, who will open raceday with a 48-point advantage over Aaron Stanfield and 84 points more than Anderson, who made up six points in qualifying.

"We made three great runs before the last one so my race car in on point," Anderson said. "Tomorrow is going to be a hell of a battle. This late in the year the intensity is ratcheted up and by the end of the day, my season will either be alive or over. I like pressure. I live for these moments and I need four 20-point rounds tomorrow to stay in this. When I wake up, I hope I feel like an 18-year old kid and I hope I drive like one.

"It's so much tougher to win now. There are 16 cars qualified and it wouldn't be a shock to see any of them win. Right now, [the competition] is the best it's ever been and it's great to be a part of it."

David Cuadra secured the second spot with a run of 6.605 at 206.51 and Stanfield took third after a run of 6.609 at 205.66. Points leader Glenn qualified fifth.

Gaige Herrera

Pro Stock Motorcycle's Gaige Herrera made a strong move on Saturday as he looks to get closer to a second straight world championship, taking the No. 1 position with a run of 6.813 at 198.20 on his RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki. That gives the points leader his ninth No. 1 qualifier of the season and his 23rd over the past two seasons. He made the quickest run in both sessions on Saturday, taking back any advantage Matt Smith had on Friday.

Herrera will open eliminations against Kahea Woods, adding to his points lead on Saturday. He's now 63 points ahead of Smith and the two standouts could be headed for a final-round showdown in Las Vegas on Sunday.

"We struggled a bit yesterday with an engine malfunction in Q2, so when we came out this morning and ran 6.81 I was a little shocked," Herrera said. "That run actually felt slow. We did score some little [qualifying] points. We gained one point on Matt and that's big.

"We always say we don't count points and I try not to take it too seriously but at the end of the day, we all want that grand prize. It's hard to block out but your do your best. I've been enjoying this year a lot more than last. I'm trying to have fun and the championship is a bonus at the end of it."

M. Smith qualified second with a 6.822 at 198.70 and Angie Smith took third after a run of 6.850 at 197.59.

Eliminations for the Ford Performance NHRA Nationals begin at 11 a.m. PT on Sunday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.