LAS VEGAS, Nevada (Nov. 4, 2024) – John Force Racing swept the postponed 24th NHRA Nevada Nationals on Monday, claiming victories in both the Top Fuel and Funny Car categories. Austin Prock, driving for the Cornwell Tools team, and Brittany Force, piloting the Chevrolet Accessories Top Fuel Dragster, each secured wins from the No. 1 qualifying position, while their teammate Jack Beckman earned a semi-finalist result in his PEAK Chevrolet.
Prock’s victory marked a significant achievement, tying the record for the most Funny Car wins in a single season since 2000, when team owner and Hall of Famer John Force captured 11 victories. The win with teammate Brittany Force also marks the first double-up win since Prock and Robert Hight shared the winner’s circle at the Charlotte 4Wide on April 30, 2023.
In the final round of Funny Car, Austin Prock’s Chevrolet Camaro SS faced Paul Lee, echoing their matchup at the Northwest Nationals in Washington earlier this year. He maneuvered his Camaro to the 1,000-foot mark, in combat with Lee, and secured a decisive victory outperforming Lee in every metric on NHRA’s official timeslip. Prock recorded a reaction time of 0.065 seconds and an elapsed time of 3.830 seconds at 327.33 mph, surpassing Lee’s 0.089-second reaction time and 3.982-second elapsed time.
“I mean, this team has just been lights out this year.” said the former NHRA Rookie of The Year, “Outstanding job by each and every one of the Cornwell Crew. They all carry their weight and pick up weight from, you know, if a guy’s behind or struggling. They all got each other’s back, and that’s what makes a team. We win and lose as a team, and we won as a team today.”
The victory all but secures the first championship of the 29-year-old’s career. He enters the final race of the 2024 season just points shy of a perfect race over teammate Jack Beckman.
“That’s our main goal this year, is to win the championship. When I got in the race car, at the beginning of the year, my dad [crew chief Jimmy Prock] said, I want a world championship, so we’re getting really close. And to do it with my dad and brother [co-crew chief Thomas Prock], you know, all three of us Procks, would be really special, along with this whole Chevy team.”
Prock’s cross-class teammate Brittany Force was also victorious in Vegas. With guidance from crew chief David Grubnic, her Chevrolet Accessories Top Fuel team earned Force her third Nevada Nationals win and fourth overall at “The Strip” at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The victory marked a return to form for a team that once dominated the class, breaking a two-year absence from the winner’s circle since their last win at this event in 2022.
“This is definitely a special one, and it’ll always be a special one in our book.” said the 2x NHRA Top Fuel Champion, “Not just for me, but all of John Force Racing. It’s been a difficult season for us all. And I’ve been out of the winner’s circle for two years since this event here in Vegas. I felt good coming into this race. You know, our team’s really been pushing hard, and we’ve been seeing the progress on the track. It’s just incredible for our entire Chevrolet team, and all our sponsors. Monster Energy, Cornwell Tools, HendrickCars.com, all of them. To get them back in that winner’s circle is incredible, and a really special one because it was my dad’s first race back since his wreck. To be able to celebrate with him in the winner’s circle and a double up, I mean, this is one of the biggest wins in our camp, for sure.”
Force’s 3.703-second pass at 332.59 mph, moved straight down the groove as reigning champion Doug Kalitta smoked the tires off the line and shut it down early. The victory marked the 17th of her career and moved her team from eighth to seventh in the overall championship standings.
The Chevy dragster now sits 118 points behind leader Justin Ashley heading into the NHRA World Finals. When qualifying begins Nov. 15th for the In-N-Out Burger Finals at Pomona, Calif., she will be only 34 points out of fourth place in an event that pays 30 points for each round win instead of the usual 20.
Jack Beckman, filling in for sidelined team owner and driver John Force in the PEAK Chevrolet Funny Car, proved to be one of the fastest in their class.
Qualifying second overall, Beckman and his team had aimed to face teammate Austin Prock in the final round but ultimately settled for a semi-final finish. Lee claimed a holeshot win over Beckman with a career-best 3.834-second pass at 330.23 mph, edging the PEAK Chevy at the stripe by just 0.0024 seconds.
“Overall, it was a fantastic weekend for me and my PEAK Chevy Team.” said the winner of 2024’s Midwest Nationals. “It was really frustrating to lose. Paul Lee’s car was gonna run a mid-81 against us, we still laid down an .82 with the cylinder out. Even when our car is not perfect, it is still one of the best hot rods out here, and it gives me nothing but excitement pulling into Pomona for the last race. Our push right now is to close the season with a win, 1-2 for John Force.”
Beckman holds second place in the Funny Car championship standings behind teammate Austin Prock, trailing by 188 points with 191 points still up for grabs. To secure the title, Beckman will need a standout performance and some missteps from Prock, setting up an all-John Force Racing showdown in the season’s final stretch.
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