STOP THE PRESSES!
John Force Racing is the featured subject of major stories in the current editions of two of drag racing’s leading publications.
In the April 2024 issue of National Dragster, team owner John Force and fellow Funny Car driver and JFR teammate Austin Prock are featured on the cover of the official NHRA publication.
The lead art is a photo of Prock’s Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car waiting to take off from the starting line at Phoenix. There’s also another photo of Force and Prock celebrating the back-to-back wins that weekend of Force (for winning the rescheduled/relocated final round of the Winternationals) and Prock.
For Force, it was the 156th win of his legendary career, while Prock earned his first Funny Car “Wally” (and fifth career NHRA win).
The cover headline reads “Force-ful Phoenix,” written by National Dragster editor Phil Burgess,” and talks about the rescheduled Winternationals final round that was relocated to Phoenix after it was rained out in Pomona, California.
“I told myself, ‘Get out there and fight the fight,’ and I did,” Force said in the article.
Meanwhile, Prock’s win in the Arizona Nationals – in just his third career NHRA Funny Car start – was well-documented in another story, also by Burgess.
“This is a huge win,” Prock said in the story. “To enter that league (he becomes only the 19th driver in NHRA history to have earned wins in both Top Fuel and Funny Car) with the Don Prudhommes, the Shawn Langdons, the J.R. Todds, the Kenny Bernsteins, who are legends and Hall of Famers, it’s pretty cool to be part of that.
“To do it with my family (Prock’s father, Jimmy, is crew chief on the Cornwell ride, while brother Thomas is assistant crew chief on the same car) makes it even more special. It was a beautiful day, a packed house, and we’re rolling out of here with some gold (the “Wally” trophy). What more could you ask for?”
Click here to read the story (you must be a member of NHRA).
———————————————
In its March/April 2024 issue, Drag Illustrated gave extensive coverage to the preseason exhibition race, the non-NHRA Pro Superstar Shootout, which was held in early March in Bradenton, Florida.
JFR’s Prock is featured both in the story, as well as on the cover photo – with the headline “Making a Statement: Erica Enders, Doug Kalitta, Austin Prock win big at PRO Superstar Shootout.”
The story, “A New Era Begins,” gives all the details of Prock’s win and is written by Drag Illustrated editor Nate Van Wagnen.
“I can’t even put it into words,” Prock said of his first Funny Car win. “It still doesn’t feel real. This team is just so exceptional. I was just happy to not mess it up for them. This is a championship-caliber team and a race-winning team.
“I just had to hang on to the wheel and make sure I got it A to B for them, and we did that today. I had a quote before we came in here, saying if I ended up winning my first-ever (Funny Car) race and it was the PRO Superstar Shootout, it would be legendary. I guess we’re that today.
“It’s so special. You’ll never top this one – our first win together.”
Heading into this weekend’s NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway in suburban Charlotte, N.C., Prock has already taken a big step towards winning the Funny Car championship, as he is the current points leader in the category.
“I’m just so lucky to be in the seat of this thing, racing with my family, racing with this team,” Prock said. “They’re a championship-caliber team and I’m going to try to win a championship for them.”
With John Force’s win at Phoenix (rescheduled from Pomona), Prock’s win also at Phoenix, Prock earning three No. 1 qualifiers in the first four races and the soon-to-be 75-year-old (May 4) and Force earning the provisional No. 1 Friday night at Charlotte – with a career-best and No. 10 quickest Funny Car run in NHRA history – John Force Racing is definitely off to one heck of a start to the 2024 season.
To read the full Drag Illustrated story on Prock, click here.
