Reigning World Champion Austin Prock doesn’t have to look very far for reasons to celebrate this week’s return to Pacific Raceways, the track on which he and his national record-holding Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS are favored to repeat as Funny Car champions in the 36th NHRA Northwest Nationals.
“Excited to be in Seattle this weekend,” said the 29-year-old who is seeking his third straight victory on the Mission Foods tour. “This is a track that has a special place in my heart. Winning my first event here in Top Fuel back in 2019 while the boss (John Force) captured his 150th was a memory for the books.”
That breakthrough Top Fuel win, which came at the expense of then World Champ Steve Torrence, was the catalyst in securing NHRA Rookie-of-the-Year recognition for the fourth-generation racer.
“I’m ready to get back in the office and I’m itching for that first session on Friday night,” Prock said of his return to the Northwest. “The fans are in for a treat. The conditions should be good. The trees (that surround the track) will be letting off some fresh O2, the Gs’ will be high, and the front end will be light on the ‘Prock Rocket.’”
That’s a recipe that has produced success not only for Prock, who is racing Funny Cars for just the second season, but also for his predecessor in the Cornwell Chevrolet, three-time World Champion Robert Hight.
The common denominator is a crew led by Austin’s dad, Jimmy, that, since the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season, has sent a Cornwell Chevy to the final round in 40 of 113 races with 26 wins, two of them at Pacific Raceways where Hight hoisted the trophy in 2022.
“I really, truly enjoy drag racing,” Prock said, alluding to his past success driving quarter midgets and sprint cars out of Tony Stewart’s shop with the help of his brother, Thomas, now a key member of the Cornwell crew. “I loved running the Top Fuel car (in the 2019, 2022 and 2023 seasons), but Funny Car is where I belong.
“I’ve said before that I always dreamed of driving one like my grandpa (1970s era Funny Car driver Tom Prock), and I am having an absolute blast,” he beamed. “I’m loving every second of it. I love the challenge of these cars. I love sitting behind the engine. I love the body dropping. And to top it off, I’m doing it with my family.”
Since first sliding into the seat of the Cornwell Chevy to start the 2024 season, Prock has won 12 times while racing to the fastest speed in NHRA history, a national record-setting 341.68 miles per hour last fall at In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip, and posting the quickest unofficial time ever at 3.793 seconds last March in testing at Bradenton, Fla.
Before he begins his Seattle title defense on Sunday, the professionally trained chef will participate in the Mission Foods 2Fast/2Tasty Challenge that provides semifinalists from the most recent event in the series a “do-over” opportunity during Saturday qualifying that pays off in both points and cash.
This story was originally published on July 16, 2025. 
