It’s been six years since Austin Prock made his first pass in a nitro Funny Car.
His quickest run back then? 3.93 seconds.
After earning his Funny Car license in 2018 as part of a driver development program with John Force Racing, Prock’s main experience with the 11,000-horsepower machines was as a crew member on the team.
Prock, who is the son of world-champion tuner Jimmy Prock, worked on the Funny Cars steered by Courtney Force and Robert Hight during the gaps in his driving career. When Prock finally got the chance to sit in a cockpit at JFR, it was as a Top Fuel driver.
Since 2019, Prock has completed three full seasons in the nitro-burning dragster class, with four wins and four runner-up performances.
However, over the offseason, Prock’s Funny Car career was given new life. When Hight decided to temporarily step away from driving duties to focus on his health, the reins to the Cornwell/AAA Chevrolet Camaro were handed to Prock, who willingly accepted them.
So far, the 28-year-old has made the transition look easy.
In his debut Funny Car run at the PRO Superstar Shootout at Florida’s Bradenton Motorsports Park, Prock won the $250,000 grand prize. What was even more impressive was that he beat Matt Hagan, the reigning NHRA Funny Car champion, to do it.
Prock’s grand entrance to the Funny Car class continued at the season-opening Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals last weekend, as he set the track record at Florida’s Gainesville Raceway during the first qualifying session.
He traveled the quarter-mile in 3.820 seconds at 334.65 mph. In addition to recording a track record, the run was also the 10th quickest in Funny Car history. Much sharper than the early days of 3.93-second passes.
Despite making it look like a breeze, Prock made it clear there are still plenty of differences to adjust to with his new Funny Car.
“This thing’s very violent leaving. It hits the tire hard. Getting the thing aimed properly to minimize my steering efforts in the first 300 feet of the run (is a challenge),” Prock said. “(But) when you make a really nice run in this Funny Car, you don’t turn the wheel much.”
Understanding when to “manhandle” the car and when not to is another learning curve the third-generation racer is navigating.
He added, “This is the only race car I’ve ever driven where you actually sit at the back of the race car. That’s very odd for motorsports, but it’s been a fun experience to learn.”
There are plenty of new challenges ahead of Prock in his rookie Funny Car season, but one point of comfort is when it comes to the John Force Racing team, he is the only new variable.
At the core, the Cornwell/AAA team is still a championship-winning crew with many of the same faces. Prock’s father has remained on as the lead crew chief, while his brother (Thomas Prock) and Nate Hildahl are assisting.
“We know this car can win races, we know it can run low ET. I’m just in there hanging on and trying to do the best I can — essentially just trying not to screw it up,” Prock said.
In his NHRA competition debut at the Gatornationals, the Michigan native drove his “Prock Rocket” all the way to the Funny Car finals. He lost traction on the start, which relegated him to a runner-up finish, while J.R. Todd flipped the win light.
“We all are competitors. It definitely is frustrating not to get the job done. We had an outstanding car all weekend. I mean, we were almost flawless,” Prock said. “There should be nothing to hang our heads about.”