Photo Credit: Gary Nastase / Auto Imagery
NORWALK, Ohio – Funny Car rookie Austin Prock extended his dominance of the 2024 Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge series Saturday, stopping reigning series champ Matt Hagan before beating Bob Tasca III in a classic stay-with-the-script replay of last week’s results from the Virginia Nationals.
It was the third consecutive #2Fast2Tasty win for Prock, his fifth of the season, boosting the overall John Force Racing bounty for the year to seven. The Funny Car rookie will have a chance Sunday to double-up for the third straight week by winning the Mission Foods tour event, in this case the 17th Summit Racing Equipment Nationals, and the Mission Challenge on the same weekend.
Back in the blue-and-white livery of the Auto Club, Prock re-set his own Summit Motorsports Park track record in the final round Saturday with a time of 3.853 seconds at a finish line speed of 329.10 miles per hour. That was good enough to turn back Tasca, who was good, but not gooe enough at 3.882 and 329.50 mph.
“Yeah, it’s very impressive,” Prock said of the performance of a hot rod Chevy prepared by his dad Jimmy and crew anchored by brother Thomas. “This AAA team is just a bunch of animals, plain and simple. I mean, I called it. I said ‘you’re gonna have to run low of the weekend to win this 2Fast/2Tasty deal. Because Tasca, he’s tough.
“You know he can throw down and you know he can leave on time as well. So, that was a good ‘ol drag race for the fans,” he said. “Got another 2Fast/2Tasty for (boss and teammate John) Force and keeping our thoughts and prayers with him and the family. But, you know, you hope turning on those win lights does help a little bit.”
Force remains hospitalized in Richmond, Va., with a traumatic brain injury suffered in a 302 mile-an-hour crash last Sunday.
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MISSION FOODS 2FAST/2TASTY NHRA CHALLENGE
Semifinals –Austin Prock, AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS, 3.87, 8, 330.55 mph, def. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.903, 332.50 mph; Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 3.888, 326.56 mph, def. Blake Alexander, Ford Mustang, 4.529, 185.26 mph.
FINAL – Prock, 3.853, 329.10 mph, def. Tasca III, 3.882, 329.50 mph.
