POMONA, Calif. — Day two of the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals at the Pomona Dragstrip featured one championship trophy hoisted at the end of qualifying with plenty of storylines and thrilling action.
Here’s some of our observations from Saturday’s events at Pomona:
Prock Locks It Up
It was only fitting that Austin Prock’s championship-sealing performance was a jaw-dropping pass.
After Ron Capps reset the Pomona ET record a round earlier, the second-to-final run of the day in Funny Car saw Prock throw down a whopper — 3.804-second ET at 334.57 mph. It was the quickest Funny Car run since 2017 and fourth fastest all time.
With qualifying completed, Prock officially clinched the title in his first year aboard a Funny Car.
He’ll gun for a ninth victory on Sunday to cap off one of Funny Car’s finest seasons in recent memory.
Sights & Sounds
• After an odd Friday for weather featuring sporadic periods of rainfall and an early cancellation of racing action, Saturday saw bright-blue skies and Southern California weather that would make folks in the Northeast downright jealous in November.
• Sponsor activation is everything in motorsports. In-N-Out Burger certainly makes its presence felt at the In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip. At least a half-dozen food stands sat outside the pits with fans flocking for its world-famous burgers.
Side note, the double patty gets this writer’s approval on all fronts.
Doug Kalitta strapping in for qualifying 👊@TeamKalitta | #NHRA #NHRAFinals pic.twitter.com/hGWIZgtDKr
— SPEED SPORT (@SPEEDSPORT) November 16, 2024
• There’s a reason the NHRA season begins and ends in Pomona. From near-perfect weather (aside from a hail storm in the spring) to fan turnout, the dragstrip is a prime example of a thriving race track.
The pits were clamoring with fans wanting a taste of nitro and the behind-the-scenes look that NHRA prides itself on — every ticket is a pit pass.
• Doug Kalitta’s 3.650 ET (No. 3 in qualifying) saw the defending Top Fuel champion become the second driver in history to go 300 mph at 660 feet (330.53 mph).
Prior to Prock’s blistering run in Q2, Ron Capps brought the crowd to a roar with a 3.821 ET at 332.75 mph in Q1.
This pairing just broke the Pomona track record in Funny Car 💪
— SPEED SPORT (@SPEEDSPORT) November 16, 2024
3.821 ET at 332.75 mph for @RonCapps28 & @TeamRonCapps 💥
Capps on top for now with more to come…#NHRA #NHRAFinals pic.twitter.com/MWTAHCOqAs
Tight Battles
There’s a lot of uncertainty and excitement surrounding the Top Fuel and Pro Stock title battles.
Beginning in Pro Stock, while Aaron Stanfield struggled to secure points in Q1, the Elite Motorsports driver rebounded to qualify fourth while main title rival Dallas Glenn qualified second.
The focus may be on those two, however, Greg Anderson has quietly snuck into the picture. After securing his 132nd No. 1 qualifier, Anderson is only 48 points back of the lead. All Anderson has to do is knock down four win lights on Sunday and the title is his.
Over in Top Fuel, drivers outside of Justin Ashley and Antron Brown have to be licking their chops. With Ashley (points leader) and Brown (third, -46) facing off in the first round, one driver will be eliminated right off the bat.
That leaves Shawn Langdon, Steve Torrence and Clay Millican’s path to a title clearer.
Something to keep an eye on — the winner of the Ashley vs. Brown duel could go head-to-head with Langdon in the second round. Langdon faces Josh Hart in the first pairing.