Photography: John Force Racing / Gary Nastase / Auto Imagery
CONCORD, N.C. (SEPT. 21, 2025) – Austin Prock overcame illness and a full field of competitors gunning for the points leader en route to his eighth victory of the season, a sweep of the season’s three four-wide races and his third consecutive win at zMax Dragway in Sunday’s NHRA 4-Wide Carolina Nationals.
John Force Racing teammates Brittany Force (HendrickCars.com Top Fuel dragster) and Jack Beckman (PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet SS Funny Car) bowed out in Round 2 of the three-round four-wide format.
The reigning NHRA Mission Foods Funny Car Champion ran 3.912 seconds at 332.43 mph to defeat Matt Hagan’s run of 3.952 seconds at 324.12 mph, as well as the slowing car of Daniel Wilkerson and the red-lighting Chad Green. The Carolina Nationals victory was Prock’s 16th in just his second year of Funny Car competition and 20th overall (four in Top Fuel).
“That was a big win for this Cornwell Tools team, especially after everything that went on in the semifinals,” said Prock. “A few of the front runners went out and we capitalized on it. So, to get the win and the points was awesome, and it extended our lead a little bit going into St. Louis next weekend.
“The Prock Rocket was on point all weekend. Our package just seems suited for Bruton Smith’s racetracks. I wasn’t my typical self on the starting line this weekend. I was good but nowhere near what I wanted to be, but the car ran good enough. Our total package was good enough to win so I’m really proud of that.”
In Round 2, Prock cut a .060 light and ran low elapsed time of the matchup at 3.930 seconds at 328.78 mph. Also advancing was Wilkerson, who ran 4.072 seconds while Ron Capps suffered an engine explosion before the lights (4.358 seconds) and Bob Tascas III red-lit with a -.002 reaction time.
Prock won his Round 1 matchup with a run of 3.926 seconds at 329.34 mph while runner-up Bob Tasca III ran 3.930 seconds at 331.69 mph. Capps earned first lane choice for the second round with the low E.T. of the round at 3.894 seconds while Wilkerson ran 3.957 seconds.
“It was good to keep up our performance this weekend, extend our point lead, and get it done here in Charlotte for HendrickCars.com. Mr. H. (NASCAR Hall of Fame team owner Rick Hendrick) is pretty pumped right now. He’s a legend of the sport, and he’ll go down as one of the greatest people in motorsports, not just a team owner but as an individual in motorsports. He’s done it all, and to have him on the side of my race car is really special.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone hungrier to win in their hometown than Mr. H. He texted me yesterday and said, ‘Go get me another Wally.’ We did that, and as soon as it was in my hands, it was in the hands of someone with HendrickCars.com. They took it back to the race shop, so he’ll have a little treat for him when he gets there tomorrow.”
Beckman set low E.T. in his first-round matchup with a run of 3.939 seconds at 328.46 mph over second-place finisher Matt Hagan’s 3.949 seconds at 327.74 mph. The two had the first two lane choice picks in the second round against Spencer Hyde (3.944 seconds) and Chad Green (3.975 seconds).
The 2012 NHRA Funny Car Champion again ran 3.939 seconds at 325.69 mph in Round 2, but a .138 reaction time nullified the quickest run of his four-wide race, allowing Hagan (3.963 seconds) and Green (4.011 seconds) to advance to the final round.
“It was bad timing to have my worst light of, well, of the last year and a half,” said Beckman. “And there is no other way to spin it. We had the quickest car in our group, and I got beat on a double holeshot … 100% driver error. My job is to do the best I can every time I go up there. I got caught on a blinking light, squeezed the brake harder, and got out of sequence. Six-hundredths of a second doesn’t seem like a lot in life. In drag racing, it’s everything. That is all on my shoulders. It’s a big gut check. Thank goodness for the fans here; they still think that you’re awesome, even the days that you’re far from awesome. I’m sure glad I get a chance to start this again in five days.”
The Top 10 in Funny Car are: 1. Austin Prock, 2,298; 2. Matt Hagan, 2,219; 3. Ron Capps, 2,204; 4. Jack Beckman, 2,200; 5. Paul Lee, 2,171; 6. Cruz Pedregon, 2,146; 7. Daniel Wilkerson, 2,142; 8. Spencer Hyde, 2,132; 9. J.R. Todd, 2,116; 10. Alexis DeJoria, 2,107.
Force, who earned her 57th No. 1 Qualifier on Saturday, rebounded from a slow reaction time (.100) with low E.T. of her four-wide race at 3.758 seconds and 338.34 mph. Tony Stewart advanced to the second round with a run of 3.766 seconds at 326.79 mph. Force earned first lane choice for Round 2 against Stewart, Shawn Langdon (3.792 seconds), and Justin Ashley (3.811 seconds).
In Round 2, the two-time NHRA Top Fuel Champion cut an .066 light, second-best of the race, and ran 3.773 seconds at 338.26 mph, the second-quickest run of the race. However, the round winner was Ashley who had the slowest elapsed time (3.788 seconds) but the quickest reaction time (.036), while Langdon cut on .068 light and ran 3.761 seconds to earn the right to move on to the second round.
“This HendrickCars.com team isn’t hanging our heads after that second-round loss,” said Force. “I was there on the tree. I was second best in the quad. And, you know, we put a killer number on the board. It just wasn’t meant for us. So, we pack up, we head straight to St. Louis, but we focus on the positive. We were number one qualifier and made six solid runs down the drag strip. That’s pretty good going into the next race weekend.”
Force moved up one position in the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Top Fuel point standings and is now in sixth place after the second of six rounds in the Countdown to the Championship. The Top 10 are: 1. Doug Kalitta, 2,287; 2. Justin Ashley, 2,249; 3. Shawn Langdon, 2,228; 4. Tony Stewart, 2,219; 5. Clay Millican, 2,192; 6. Brittany Force, 2,179; 7. Shawn Reed, 2,156; 8. Steve Torrence, 2,151; 9. Antron Brown, 2,128; 10. Josh Hart, 2,085.
NEXT RACE
Round 17 of 20 of the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series is the Sept. 26-28 NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Ill.
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CONCORD, N.C. (SEPT. 21, 2025) – Austin Prock overcame illness and a full field of competitors gunning for the points leader en route to his eighth victory of the season, a sweep of the season’s three four-wide races and his third consecutive win at zMax Dragway in Sunday’s NHRA 4-Wide Carolina Nationals.
John Force Racing teammates Brittany Force (HendrickCars.com Top Fuel dragster) and Jack Beckman (PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet SS Funny Car) bowed out in Round 2 of the three-round four-wide format.
The reigning NHRA Mission Foods Funny Car Champion ran 3.912 seconds at 332.43 mph to defeat Matt Hagan’s run of 3.952 seconds at 324.12 mph, as well as the slowing car of Daniel Wilkerson and the red-lighting Chad Green. The Carolina Nationals victory was Prock’s 16th in just his second year of Funny Car competition and 20th overall (four in Top Fuel).
“That was a big win for this Cornwell Tools team, especially after everything that went on in the semifinals,” said Prock. “A few of the front runners went out and we capitalized on it. So, to get the win and the points was awesome, and it extended our lead a little bit going into St. Louis next weekend.
“The Prock Rocket was on point all weekend. Our package just seems suited for Bruton Smith’s racetracks. I wasn’t my typical self on the starting line this weekend. I was good but nowhere near what I wanted to be, but the car ran good enough. Our total package was good enough to win so I’m really proud of that.”
In Round 2, Prock cut a .060 light and ran low elapsed time of the matchup at 3.930 seconds at 328.78 mph. Also advancing was Wilkerson, who ran 4.072 seconds while Ron Capps suffered an engine explosion before the lights (4.358 seconds) and Bob Tascas III red-lit with a -.002 reaction time.
Prock won his Round 1 matchup with a run of 3.926 seconds at 329.34 mph while runner-up Bob Tasca III ran 3.930 seconds at 331.69 mph. Capps earned first lane choice for the second round with the low E.T. of the round at 3.894 seconds while Wilkerson ran 3.957 seconds.
“It was good to keep up our performance this weekend, extend our point lead, and get it done here in Charlotte for HendrickCars.com. Mr. H. (NASCAR Hall of Fame team owner Rick Hendrick) is pretty pumped right now. He’s a legend of the sport, and he’ll go down as one of the greatest people in motorsports, not just a team owner but as an individual in motorsports. He’s done it all, and to have him on the side of my race car is really special.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone hungrier to win in their hometown than Mr. H. He texted me yesterday and said, ‘Go get me another Wally.’ We did that, and as soon as it was in my hands, it was in the hands of someone with HendrickCars.com. They took it back to the race shop, so he’ll have a little treat for him when he gets there tomorrow.”
Beckman set low E.T. in his first-round matchup with a run of 3.939 seconds at 328.46 mph over second-place finisher Matt Hagan’s 3.949 seconds at 327.74 mph. The two had the first two lane choice picks in the second round against Spencer Hyde (3.944 seconds) and Chad Green (3.975 seconds).
The 2012 NHRA Funny Car Champion again ran 3.939 seconds at 325.69 mph in Round 2, but a .138 reaction time nullified the quickest run of his four-wide race, allowing Hagan (3.963 seconds) and Green (4.011 seconds) to advance to the final round.
“It was bad timing to have my worst light of, well, of the last year and a half,” said Beckman. “And there is no other way to spin it. We had the quickest car in our group, and I got beat on a double holeshot … 100% driver error. My job is to do the best I can every time I go up there. I got caught on a blinking light, squeezed the brake harder, and got out of sequence. Six-hundredths of a second doesn’t seem like a lot in life. In drag racing, it’s everything. That is all on my shoulders. It’s a big gut check. Thank goodness for the fans here; they still think that you’re awesome, even the days that you’re far from awesome. I’m sure glad I get a chance to start this again in five days.”
The Top 10 in Funny Car are: 1. Austin Prock, 2,298; 2. Matt Hagan, 2,219; 3. Ron Capps, 2,204; 4. Jack Beckman, 2,200; 5. Paul Lee, 2,171; 6. Cruz Pedregon, 2,146; 7. Daniel Wilkerson, 2,142; 8. Spencer Hyde, 2,132; 9. J.R. Todd, 2,116; 10. Alexis DeJoria, 2,107.
Force, who earned her 57th No. 1 Qualifier on Saturday, rebounded from a slow reaction time (.100) with low E.T. of her four-wide race at 3.758 seconds and 338.34 mph. Tony Stewart advanced to the second round with a run of 3.766 seconds at 326.79 mph. Force earned first lane choice for Round 2 against Stewart, Shawn Langdon (3.792 seconds), and Justin Ashley (3.811 seconds).
In Round 2, the two-time NHRA Top Fuel Champion cut an .066 light, second-best of the race, and ran 3.773 seconds at 338.26 mph, the second-quickest run of the race. However, the round winner was Ashley who had the slowest elapsed time (3.788 seconds) but the quickest reaction time (.036), while Langdon cut on .068 light and ran 3.761 seconds to earn the right to move on to the second round.
“This HendrickCars.com team isn’t hanging our heads after that second-round loss,” said Force. “I was there on the tree. I was second best in the quad. And, you know, we put a killer number on the board. It just wasn’t meant for us. So, we pack up, we head straight to St. Louis, but we focus on the positive. We were number one qualifier and made six solid runs down the drag strip. That’s pretty good going into the next race weekend.”
Force moved up one position in the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Top Fuel point standings and is now in sixth place after the second of six rounds in the Countdown to the Championship. The Top 10 are: 1. Doug Kalitta, 2,287; 2. Justin Ashley, 2,249; 3. Shawn Langdon, 2,228; 4. Tony Stewart, 2,219; 5. Clay Millican, 2,192; 6. Brittany Force, 2,179; 7. Shawn Reed, 2,156; 8. Steve Torrence, 2,151; 9. Antron Brown, 2,128; 10. Josh Hart, 2,085.
NEXT RACE
Round 17 of 20 of the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series is the Sept. 26-28 NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Ill.
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