Photography: John Force Racing / Gary Nastase / Auto Imagery
BROWNSBURG, Ind (Sept. 17, 2025) – Austin Prock and the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car team head to zMax Dragway for this weekend’s NHRA Mission Foods NHRA 4-Wide Carolina Nationals knowing they’re the defending event champions as well as having the opportunity to create history as well.
The 2025 Funny Car points leader heads to into the second race of the Countdown for the Championship knowing that, with wins earlier this year in the Spring races at the Las Vegas and Charlotte, he has the opportunity to become the first driver in win three consecutive 4-Wide races as well as a third straight at zMax Dragway.
Prock leads John Force Racing teammate Jack Beckman by 25 points, Ron Capps by 29, Paul Lee by 35 and Matt Hagan by 55 points.
Notes
- Austin Prock and Shawn Langdon are the only two drivers to win four-wide events in both Top Fuel and Funny Car.
- In only 10 total four-wide appearances, Austin Prock has three wins, tying him for fourth most overall.
- In 22 NHRA races contested in the four-wide format, JFR drivers have won 11 times, three times in Top Fuel and eight times in Funny Car. Of those wins, nine have come at ZMax Dragway.
Quotes
Does your race plan change in the Countdown, especially this early when you’re the points leader?
“I don’t think we adjust our approach. We go up there and we try and kill it every time we stand on the gas, so I don’t think we adjust our approach. We just have to do the best we can and, hopefully, it’s good enough to turn on the win light. Believe it or not, we have a bigger point lead than we did go into Reading, by five points, which is shocking. We got lucky and caught a break there. it would’ve been nice to capitalize on it but it’s that stuff’s going to happen, unfortunately.
You’re going for three straight wins at zMax Dragway and three straight wins at four-wide tracks. Is there something about Four-Wide racing that that you like or is it just you and the team doing what you always do it just happened to work out that way?
“I think that it’s just all the stars have been aligning. This Cornwell Tools race car typically runs good at Charlotte and Las Vegas. It’s just kind of shaken out in our favor. It would be outstanding to get a win in the Countdown, but to go three straight in Charlotte and be the first to ever win three 4-Wides in one year would be pretty special.”
What are your thoughts on the first three races of the countdown being in consecutive weeks?
“I like having the races back-to-back, you know. I just love being in the seat. You know any weekend that I can get behind the wheel of this Cornwell Tools Chevrolet, I’m excited about it. Having three in a row to get the Countdown started is a lot of fun but those off weekends during the Countdown is what’s painful, especially when you’re in the heat of the championship battle and you know you have off time to just sit and stew and think. I think I could say for any of us that we’d all rather be at the race track.”
zMax Dragway Fall Race Statistics
| Austin Prock | Race Result | Qualified | Event Round Record |
| 2019 (TF) | 2nd round | 13th | 1-1 |
| 2020 (TF) | DNC | DNC | DNC |
| 2021 | DNC | DNC | DNC |
| 2022 (TF) | 1st round | 10th | 1-2 |
| 2023 (TF) | Semi-finals | 10th | 3-3 |
| 2024 (FC) | Winner | 2nd | 7-3 |
Quickest time: 3.833 seconds, Sept. 20, 2024
Fastest speed: 332.84 mph, Sept. 20, 2024
Number starts: 4
No. 1 qualifier: 0
Final rounds: 1
Victories: 1
Won-Lost Record: 7-3
Track & TV Schedules (all times Eastern)
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series will feature two qualifying rounds at 4 and 6:15 p.m. ET on Friday, Sept. 19, and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, Sept. 20 at 12:30 and 3:00 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 21.
Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 10 a.m. ET and then live coverage eliminations at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 21.
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