POMONA, Calif. — It was only a matter of months ago that Austin Prock’s racing plans for 2024 weren’t clear.
Eight wins and 15 No. 1 qualifiers later and Prock’s future is clear as day.
On Saturday, Prock received his long-awaited championship trophy alongside his John Force Racing team following a 15th No. 1 qualifier in spectacular fashion — laying down the fourth fastest Funny Car run in NHRA history at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.
While Prock unofficially clinched the title on Friday via attempting one qualifying run, he had to wait until all sessions were complete on Saturday evening.
“All I’ve ever wanted to do since I could think is be a professional race car driver in any manner and win the world championship, win the title and we got it done this year,” Prock began. “I got to do it with my family, my dad turning the knobs, with my brother as the assistant crew chief and this Nate Hildahl And this whole Cornwell Tools team and AAA Auto Club team as well this weekend.
“So, really proud of that. To run the fourth quickest ET in the history of NHRA in the Funny Car category to top it off Saturday night and get up on the stage and get rewarded that trophy. We definitely did it in style this year.”
Prock and his JFR team’s title bid wasn’t without turmoil. After he and boss John Force looked to be running away from the Funny Car field midway through the season, Force’s nasty wreck in June at Virginia Motorsports Park rocked the team.
It brought tears to countless individuals both on the legendary team and across the drag racing community.
However, JFR remained strong.
As Force continued to recover from his injuries, Prock, along with his father and brother, Jimmy and Thomas Prock, stepped up their game and continued the ‘Brute Force’ mentality.
A historic victory at the 70th U.S. Nationals and a single-season record for most No. 1 qualifiers (set by Force in 1996) were the highlights as Prock never relinquished his Funny Car points lead despite the Countdown to the Championship points reset in September.
“It’s pretty wild,” Prock said. “I mean, this whole year has just been filled with so much emotion. Good, bad and everything in between. Like I said, it’s what we expect. That’s what John Force Racing expects. We have the best parts and pieces.
“We have the best partners and we have some of the greatest crew members and tuners on the property. So, it’s expected and that was my goal. It was like, I was not going to be the weak link. I told myself I was going to work hard and figure out how to get the job done, and we finally did it.”
In near-storybook fashion, the final two weeks of the NHRA season were filled with lifetime memories for JFR. A double-up victory at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with Prock and Top Fuel teammate Brittany Force with John Force on-site for the first time since his accident.
To cap it off, JFR’s leader was in attendance for the championship ceremonies at Pomona and the crowning of the team’s future.
For Prock, the future is something he doesn’t have to worry about after one of his primary sponsors, Cornwell Tools, extended with the team and committed to having Prock as its driver full time for the foreseeable future earlier this month.
“I’m excited for tomorrow and I’m excited for next year and the next three years with Cornwell Tools,” Prock beamed. “That’s a hell of an opportunity for myself. I’ve never had security like that in my entire 19 years of racing.
“To be able to sleep this offseason will be great. Being not stressed out and worrying and wondering and doing all the other things. I’m proud to be a part of John Force Rracing and definitely proud to be a part of Cornwall tools in the partnership that we have.”
While the 29-year-old will certainly be celebrating on Saturday night, he and JFR are still aiming for one final Wally in Sunday’s NHRA Finals.
“We want to win another race,” Prock said. “All jokes aside, we’re rolling into this weekend just like any other and we want to leave here with with some more gold. So that’s the main focus. We want to get this red, white and blue, AAA of Auto Club car in the winner’s circle.”