Photography: John Force Racing / Gary Nastase / Auto Imagery
SONOMA, Calif. (July 27, 2025) – The vulnerability suggested by an erratic qualifying performance proved to be an illusion Sunday at Sonoma Raceway where Mission Foods point leader Austin Prock and his Cornwell Tools crew put together a near flawless race day performance to win the 37th NHRA Sonoma Nationals.
The 29-year-old son of crew chief Jimmy Prock took down Cruz Pedregon, Paul Lee and No. 1 qualifier Matt Hagan before outpacing Canadian rookie Spencer Hyde in the final to win for the first time in wine country and extend his point lead.
“This is huge with the crowd here all weekend long,” he said. “It was outstanding. I never realized how many fans I had here in Sonoma County. We struggled in qualifying and struggled in Seattle last weekend, so we had a lot of work to do.
“We had four different setups that we were trying throughout the weekend, and we finally came across something that showed a little potential.”
When the Mission Foods tour moves to Brainerd, Minn., August 15-17 for the Lucas Oil Nationals, the former quarter midget and sprint car driver will lead Hagan by 201 points and John Force Racing teammate Jack Beckman by 205.
Beckman’s bid ended in bizarre fashion in the penultimate round when his PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet lost traction and touched the centerline while driving away from Hyde’s Ford Mustang. Under NHRA’s new guidelines, that’s a violation resulting in a disqualification.
“Very difficult loss because we got to the finish line first,” said the cancer survivor and U.S. Air Force veteran. “The tire touched the centerline and that’s the rule for 2025. If it touches that line, you’re disqualified. Last year, you had to cross that line, which we didn’t do. It’s frustrating because the 30-point penalty puts us down a notch in the points. So, we’re just going to have to go fight harder the next race.”
While it was a disappointing ending for the 37-time Funny Car winner, there was cause for celebration insomuch as his first-round win over Jason Rupert made him just the 26th professional in NHRA history to win as many as 500 rounds.
“I’d have to live to 103 to catch Greg Anderson, much less John Force,” Beckman said of his achievement, acknowledging the only two drivers to have won as many as 1,000 rounds.
As for Prock, he made good on his Saturday prediction that a Cornwell crew led by his dad, his brother Thomas and Nate Hildahl would have things figured out on race day after his Chevy failed to reach the finish line under power on two of his four qualifying attempts.
“When we stumble one or two runs, everyone thinks the world’s ending,” he said after qualifying No. 5, “and, you know, we’re not that messed up. We’ll have it turned around by tomorrow and I’m looking forward to a great Sunday.”
The reigning series champion’s “great” day included a best-of-eliminations 3.833 at a track record speed of 340.90 mph against Pedregon followed by winning runs of 3.887, 3.927 and, finally, 3.904.
“I stepped on the gas (and) it drove me straight to the centerline,” Prock said of his record-setting first round. “I was trying to process how the tire was feeling in case I did have to pedal it, along with trying to get it back to the center of the groove. So, I was glad it hung on. And to get an E.T. and a speed like that definitely makes you feel good starting out the day.”
For two-time Top Fuel World Champion Brittany Force, it was a day of disappointment at the wheel of a Monster Energy dragster that had powered her to the 55th No. 1 qualifying position of her career in a track record-setting 3.645 seconds as well as to an NHRA national speed record for the second time in two weeks.
Nevertheless, the 343.16 mph finish line speed that made her the fastest man-or- woman race car driver on the planet was non-existent Sunday in a first-round showdown with point leader Shawn Langdon, who inexplicably qualified only tenth in a short field of dragsters.
Although she led at the 660-foot marker, her Monster Energy dragster suffered a malfunction shortly thereafter, slowing to 3.721 seconds at only 289.26 mph, more than 50 mph slower than the velocity she achieved Friday night. Langdon won in best-of-the-day 3.688 seconds at 336.65 mph.
“First round was unfortunate for us,” said the only woman to have won as many as 300 rounds in the sport’s signature category. “The car was on a killer run and we were out ahead, but it burned a piston and the pan pressure automatically shut my car off.
“I was out 800 feet with no power, coasting and then I saw Shawn blow past us,” she said. “We were on a good run, should have turned the win light on, but we’ll just have to take that home, learn from it and focus on the positives that did come out of this weekend.
“We qualified No. 1 and were consistent all weekend long, won our first Mission Foods 2Fast/2Tasty challenge of the season and put up a 343.16 mph blast on the board for the fans.”
