Austin Prock Earns No. 1 Qualifier in Funny Car Debut
Austin Prock earned No. 1 qualifier in his Funny Car debut at the PRO Superstar Shootout at Bradenton Motorsports Park. The Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS tuned by his father Jimmy, brother Thomas, and Nate Hildahl recorded a 3.851-second elapsed time during Thursday night’s qualifying session, which put Prock third in the 13-car field. Prock and team maintained his spot in the top three after second and third qualifying sessions as many cars did not improve during the heat of the day. The Cornwell Tools team saved their best for last and threw down a 3.825-second pass at 337.41 mph in the final qualifying session to earn the top spot and $10,000 bonus. Prock drew Alexis Dejoria, who qualified seventh with a 3.893-second elapsed time, in the chip draw to determine Saturday’s 8-car race day ladder.
“My dad told me before we even rolled up there, we’re going for it because it’s the only way we’re going to absolutely get lane choice,” said Prock. “We were going for it and that put a little pressure on me because this was only my second night run. On my first I lifted early because I was losing track of the blocks down there, so I had to be perfect, and that was the best run I made all weekend. It was a hell of a package and just so proud of this Cornwell team, my dad brother Nate dog, and everyone that’s part of it.”
John Force and his PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS team put down a stout run in the first qualifying session with a 3.849-second elapsed time at 332.59 mph which put them in second at the end of day one. The team did not see an improvement in day two across three qualifying sessions but finished in the number three spot. The chip draw resulted in a fan-favorite matchup with Force set to line up against Cruz Pedregon, who made it into the final qualifying position during the fourth qualifying session with a 3.903-second run.
After a 3.740-second pass in the first qualifying session, Brittany Force ended day one in seventh in the 12-car Top Fuel field. The team improved to a 3.736 elapsed time in Q3, however when Force pulled the Monster Energy dragster up to the team’s final qualifying try, they had been bumped out of the top eight. The David Grubnic and John Collins-led team were met with tire smoke early in the run and did not qualify for the Top Fuel race on Saturday.
Both Austin Prock and John Force will race for a purse of $250,000 on race day on Saturday while Brittany Force will participate in the Top Fuel vs. Funny Car shootout. She will compete for the Don Schumacher Nitro Superstar Award and $10,000 bonus. The race will consist of two rounds with the first matchup assigned on race day and the quickest of each car advancing to the final.
The PRO Superstar Shootout continues with eliminations on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. Live streaming is available on FloRacing.
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