Austin Prock, the points leader, emerged victorious in the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals, which featured an all-John Force Racing Funny Car final. Additionally, Antron Brown, Aaron Stanfield, and Hector Arana Jr. secured wins in the opening race of the Countdown to the Championship.
Prock secured his sixth win of the season by qualifying as the top racer for the 11th time in 15 races. He clocked in at 3.896 seconds at 332.51 mph in his Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS, surpassing Jack Beckman's 3.951 at 330.88. This victory further extends Prock's lead in points, as he clinched his second consecutive win and marked his 10th career victory.
By defeating Mike Smith, Chad Green, and Bob Tasca III, he advanced to the finals and continued his strong performance in the last round. This victory makes him one of the few drivers to have won in both Top Fuel and Funny Car at Maple Grove Raceway. With this win, Prock now leads Tasca by 86 points as they head into the final five races.
Prock expressed his satisfaction with accumulating points and widening the gap over the second position once more. Securing the No. 1 qualifier spot and consistently earning points in each round was an ideal start to the Countdown for him. He praised the Cornwell Tools team for their role in his success, acknowledging their support in achieving another victory.
Yesterday, we spotted the ladder and noted that we have two cars that could potentially face each other in the final round. That was our objective for today, and we managed to carry it out flawlessly. Jack put in an exceptional performance behind the wheel, and I am extremely proud of him. He is gaining confidence and proving to be a formidable force in his car. He was consistently performing well and his car was running as smoothly as any other vehicle in the competition. It's truly satisfying to witness him and the team achieving success right from the start.
Driving for John Force, Beckman made it to his first final since his return in Brainerd by defeating Joe Morrison, J.R. Todd, and then Alexis DeJoria in an exciting and unforgettable pedal fest.
In the exciting Top Fuel final round, Antron Brown secured his fourth victory of 2024 and the 78th of his career driving his 11,000-horsepower Matco Tools/Toyota dragster with a remarkable run of 3.798 at 327.27 in the championship face-off against Shawn Langdon. This win intensified the competition in the highly competitive category, with Brown now trailing leader Justin Ashley by just one point. Additionally, Langdon, after reaching the final round, is only six points behind Ashley in the standings.
However, Sunday was dominated by Brown, who excelled during the elimination rounds. He clocked a superb 3.723 in the first round to beat Jasmine Salinas, and then defeated Tony Schumacher and Dan Mercier to advance to the final. Against Langdon, Brown showcased a remarkable .043 reaction time and managed to hold off Langdon in an intense side-by-side race, securing his third victory at Maple Grove Raceway as he pursues his fourth world championship.
As we prepared for race day, we were confident in our performance, but the track conditions turned out to be more challenging than expected. It was extremely difficult out there, with many competitors struggling to maintain traction. Despite the tough conditions, we managed to navigate the track successfully," Brown explained. "Thanks to the efforts of Brian Corradi, Mark Oswald, and the entire Matco team, I had a car that performed exceptionally well. We proved to be superior to all our opponents in the races leading up to the final, where we anticipated tough competition.
Anticipating that Shawn would run a similar elapsed time, I focused on getting a good start. Surprisingly, I managed to stay composed, gained a slight advantage off the line, and my car outpaced his. Securing the victory with a smooth run down the track was satisfying, especially considering the importance of starting strong in the championship race.
Langdon advanced to the final round for the seventh time this season and the 45th time in his career after defeating Ida Zetterstrom, Tony Stewart, and Ashley. Doug Kalitta, who was the points leader entering the Countdown, dropped to fourth after a first-round loss.
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