Photography: John Force Racing / Gary Nastase / Auto Imagery
EPPING, N.H. (May 30, 2025) – Jack Beckman was the picture of consistency in the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet SS in which John Force won last year’s New England Nationals, but it was teammate and Funny Car point leader Austin Prock who left New England Dragway Friday as the provisional No. 1 qualifier.
Beckman, a winner two weeks ago at the Route 66 Nationals at Chicago, hustled down the left lane in 3.908 seconds at 326.87 miles per hour in Friday’s first session before duplicating that time to the thousandth Friday evening with a speed of 313.44 mph. He was a solid fourth in the first day order.
“Second quickest car of the first session and third quickest car in the second session,” he beamed, “and that was putting two cylinders out. It is so rewarding to know that even when we miss it, our tuning window is so wide (that) we’re still one of the quickest cars on the racetrack.
“I don’t know if tomorrow is going to give us more shots at the racetrack. There’s a lot we can do to pick our car up and I think we’ve got a great shot of being able to take over No. 1, I just don’t know if Mother Nature is going to permit that,” said the U.S. Air Force veteran who is making his 14th appearance since taking over from Force in August of last year.
Meanwhile, Prock put a first session misstep behind him with a thundering 3.860 at 331.69 mph that powered the Cornwell Tools Chevy SS to the top of the order in advance of two final qualifying sessions on Saturday.
“It was a great rip,” he said of the 3.86. “It took a lot to get it tamed down (after the first session), but the guys did a great job diagnosing it and we laid down a really nice lap. It was nervous going by the Christmas Tree, but it definitely made up some E.T. through the middle. It was pulling pretty hard. Always fun to run in the .80s in a nitro Funny Car.
“John Force Racing has had a lot of success here,” Prock said. “Last year (when he lost to Force in an all-JFR final) was a really special moment in my life and all I’ve ever wanted to do is drive a Funny Car. I always try to do the best I can every time I get in this Cornwell car because that’s what these guys deserve, what our team deserves and what our partners deserve. I’m just trying to get in there and drive to the best of my ability.”
The reigning series champion is seeking his second No. 1 start of the season and the 17th of his brief 27-race Funny Car career. Last year, he broke Force’s single season record when he qualified the Cornwell Chevy No. 1 15 times in 20 events.
Friday’s late run not only earned Prock the maximum three qualifying bonus points, but it also earned him and a crew led by his dad Jimmy, brother Thomas and Nate Hildahl a lobster dinner courtesy of NAPA as part of a special race promotion.
“This is what this sport is all about,” he said. “It really is a team effort. We spend a lot of time together, working at the shop, at home, being on the road together, you know, entertaining together.
“So, this is really cool what NHRA and NAPA have done to put this on and reward all the guys who do all the hard work. I get all the action shots and get to be on TV, but those are the guys that put in the work, so we’ll definitely enjoy this one together,” said the man who has made both the quickest and fastest runs in Funny Car history.
Two-time World Champion Brittany Force sits in the provisional No. 3 position after Day 1 on the strength of a 3.713 second effort at 334.42 mph in the first session. In fact, she was at the top following that run, sliding back two positions in the evening when he Monster Energy Chevrolet slowed to 7.359 at only 78 mph.
“We’re always chasing that No. 1,” said the 17-time tour winner. “We always want to better ourselves so that’s a great start. It was a fun day. At the top end, they interviewed me (after the 3.71) and I got to hold a lobster and got a picture with my guys.
“Glad to be in this part of the country,” she said. “It pulls in a whole different crowd and it’s fun to be here. In the second session, we were pushing. We were trying to put a high (3).60 on the board. We wanted to go low but our car didn’t make it down there; our earlier run keeps us top three, though.”
When Prock and Beckman go back to work on Saturday, they will do so within the framework of the Mission Foods 2Fast/2Tasty Challenge, a bonus series that reprises the semifinal rounds from the most recent event in the series, in this case the Route 66 Nationals.
Prock, who won last year’s 2Fast/2Tasty Challenge championship in a romp, will face off against Matt Hagan in one challenge race while Beckman will oppose Cruz Pedregon in the other. The winners will return to race for the title as the last two down the all-concrete track in Q4.
