John Force Racing driver Austin Prock has secured his first career Funny Car world championship at the storied In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.
In front of an eager crowd, Prock piloted his AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS to a track-record run of 3.804 seconds at a blistering 334.57 mph, marking the quickest pass in Funny Car since 2017 and the fourth-quickest in the class’s storied history.
Prock has celebrated eight wins and significant victories at the prestigious NHRA U.S. Nationals this season. Reflecting on these accomplishments, Prock stated to the media:
“I’ve been working towards this for 19 years,” Prock said.
Brian Bahr/Getty Images for Infineon Raceway
“I started driving race cars when I was 10 years old and all I could think of was being a professional race car driver in any manner and winning the world championship, and we got it done this year. The main job is finished, finally, but we want nine wins before we end this 2024 season, and we definitely have the hot rod to do it right now.
“This thing’s been on kill this weekend, and in the last few years, this race car hasn’t performed all that well here in Pomona, but all the stars are aligning right now. We made three really, really quick runs and I’m doing a good job keeping it in the middle of the groove here.”
He added:
“I was nervous coming into this weekend, but everything’s just working right, just like it has all year,” Prock said. “We’re looking forward to tomorrow. We’re going to do a little bit of celebrating tonight, but we’ll all be ready to go in the morning and try and go for that ninth Wally.”
Prock began his racing career at the tender age of 10, and after making his mark with four wins and a Rookie of the Year title in Top Fuel in 2019, he transitioned to Funny Car racing. This move was necessitated by Robert Hight’s medical sidelining, enabling Prock to join John Force Racing where he aligned with his father, Jimmy Prock, a multi-time championship crew chief, and his brother Thomas.
Statistically, Prock’s exceptional season is undeniable. He maintained nearly 80 percent of runs under power throughout the season and was ranked second in class average for reaction times. His performance places him among an elite group of NHRA drivers—one of only five—who have won eight or more events in a single season, a feat not achieved since 2000 when John Force claimed 11 events.