ENNIS, Texas — Funny Car points leader Austin Prock made the quickest Funny Car run in seven years on Friday at Texas Motorplex, setting the track record and taking the provisional No. 1 spot for John Force Racing at the 39th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals.
Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the 18th of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and the fourth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
A special “Friday Night Live” meant more than $40,000 in bonus money on the line as well. The low qualifier under the lights on Friday night handed the Top Fuel and Funny Car stars $15,000 each in bonus money, with $7,500 going to the quickest qualifier in Pro Stock and $5,000 in Pro Stock Motorcycle.
Prock left no doubt who would get the $15,000 bonus money in Funny Car, as he went a blistering 3.813 seconds at 333.09 mph in his 11,000-horsepower AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS, eclipsing the track record by a huge margin and making the quickest run in Funny Car since 2017. If it holds, Prock would earn his 13th No. 1 spot of the season, which would tie him with John Force for the most No. 1 qualifiers in a single season in Funny Car history.
“I was definitely jacked up for this one,” Prock said. “I knew the conditions were there and this AAA team was going to push. I’m really proud of them. This track is really difficult to drive, especially at night, [but] I stood on the gas and felt like I was pretty centered up. I think I got a little close to the center line, but it was still a pretty great run. I’m looking forward to getting back to the pit and scoping it out and seeing what I can learn from that.
“We’re always on kill, I would say, but we know we have to be at our absolute best these last three races to try to wrap this deal up. We’ve put a lot of hard work in this year, but three races, that’s a long way to go in this Countdown. We have to keep making smart decisions, play off our notebook, and try to do the best we can and see how everything plays out.”
Defending event winner and reigning world champion Matt Hagan is second after a run of 3.823 at 335.20 and Jack Beckman, who is second in points, was right behind with a pass of 3.825 at 331.49.
In Top Fuel, Brittany Force made it a John Force Racing bonus double-up on Friday, delivering a stellar run of 3.667 at 338.19 in her 11,000-horsepower HendrickCars.com/Chevrolet dragster to earn the $15,000 bonus check. It was the second-fastest run of the year in Top Fuel and puts Force in a great position to collect her fourth No. 1 qualifier of the year and the 50th in her standout Top Fuel career. Looking for her first victory since 2022, Force is eager to build on a memorable Friday night at Texas Motorplex.
“That was just an amazing run for our team to come out here. We’ve had a tough year and that 3.66 and 338 mph, that’s David Grubnic and this HendrickCars.com team,” Force said. “We’ve been pushing all season long to have a run like that. Getting the check and the cowboy boots really boosts the team morale, and we’re ready to attack the rest of the weekend.
“We won’t give up until it’s done. We’ll keep on pushing. Our game plan is to win this event here. We try not to get too far ahead of ourselves, we’re focused on moving up on that ladder and getting back in that winner’s circle. It’s been far too long. When I head back to my pits right now, I know the guys are going to be pumped. We all kept pushing. It gets hard, but we continue to push to be the best that we can. To do that today, it gives us a boost. We want to keep doing that.”
Shawn Reed is currently second after going 3.676 at 330.71 and Texan Steve Torrence is third thanks to his pass of 3.721 at 332.03.
Anderson closed out Pro Stock qualifying in standout fashion, taking the $7,500 bonus and the provisional No. 1 spot with a run of 6.524 at 208.99 in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. Erica Enders set the bar early in the session, but Anderson closed it out on top as he seeks his sixth No. 1 qualifier of the year and the 130th in his tremendous career. Anderson, who is currently fourth in the Pro Stock points standings, has enjoyed several terrific moments at Texas Motorplex over the years and he added to that on Friday under the lights.
“I love coming here, I absolutely love it,” Anderson said. “It’s all the Meyer family. They make it special, and it matters to us. It makes you rise to the next level. We got it done by .002 and how fitting. That’s the battle we’ve been having lately, it’s who makes the sweetest, most perfect run. That was pretty mean. I knew that was the target and it was going to be close, and it certainly was. Fortunately, we were able to keep her in the center of the racetrack and got the check by .002. It all ended up great, it’s a great night in Texas.
“These bonus points mean everything. It’s going to be extremely hard to make up ground on any one of them, let alone three of the four of them. They’re not making mistakes. They’re racing error-free, they’re fast. It’s going to be very hard to make up some ground. I’m not in a great spot, but I’m not going to give up. I’m going to keep trying. Mission accomplished today, a perfect Friday.”
Enders took the second position, just missing the top spot after a run of 6.526 at 209.09 and David Cuadra’s 6.532 at 208.60 puts him third. The top two drivers in points – Aaron Stanfield and leader Dallas Glenn – are fourth and fifth, respectively.
Herrera shattered records a year ago in Pro Stock Motorcycle at Texas Motorplex and enjoyed another impressive Friday to open the weekend this season, making the quickest run of each session, including a 6.757 at 201.21 under the lights on his RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki. The run nets Herrera $5,000 and also puts the defending world champion and current points leader in line for his eighth No. 1 spot this season and 22nd in his career.
Herrera moved back into the lead thanks to his win at the most recent race in St. Louis and he looks to strengthen in a major way with a second straight victory in Dallas.
“You come here, you get a different vibe,” Herrera said. “It’s a very welcoming, ‘have fun’ vibe, and that’s what we’re doing. We’re having fun and getting to race at the same time. It’s awesome to get that bonus money on Friday night. I can’t thank the Meyer family enough for all they do for us racers at Texas Motorplex. My bike ran good coming off the trailer, so we were happy to get that and get a little extra change.
“There are a lot of fast motorcycles right now between the whole class. We just have a consistently fast motorcycle at the moment. We’re trying to get every little point that we can. It’s all about consistency right now.”
Jianna Evaristo is second after going 6.777 at 201.81 and Angie Smith is third thanks to a run of 6.808 at 201.41.