Even if he hadn’t won the pre-season PRO Superstar Shootout; even if he hadn’t won the Mission Foods regular season championship in runaway fashion; even if he hadn’t qualified the Cornwell Quality Tools Chevrolet No. 1 10 times in 14 events; and even if he hadn’t won the world’s biggest single drag race two weeks ago at Indianapolis, Ind., Austin Prock likely still would have been the Funny Car favorite in this week’s 39th Pep Boys Nationals.
That’s because the team that manages the power on his blue-and-black Camaro is the same team that sent Robert Hight to the winners’ circle the last two years at Maple Grove Raceway.
Furthermore, while Prock will be making his first Funny Car appearance in the Pep Boys Nationals, he already knows the way to the winners’ circle. Two years ago, he was the Top Fuel winner at Maple Grove, initiating an unprecedented Countdown run during which he improved his standing by a record-tying nine positions.
This year, all he has to do is hold on to the spot from which he starts.
“We’ve been hard at it in the race shop preparing for the Countdown,” said the 2019 Rookie-of-the-Year. “It’s been a great year so far and we’re looking to keep it up for this six-race dash. Our Cornwell Camaro has been hot all year long and (it) definitely feels good rolling into the playoffs off a win (in the Labor Day U.S. Nationals).
“I really, truly enjoy drag racing,” gushed the 29-year-old who began racing in quarter midgets and sprint cars. “I loved running the Top Fuel car, but Funny Car is where I belong. I always dreamed of driving one like my grandpa (Tom Prock, a top tier 1970s Funny Car driver).
“I love the challenge. I love sitting behind the engine; I love the body dropping (down) and, to top it off, I’m doing it with my family.”
Prock’s dad, Jimmy, is crew chief and his brother, Thomas, is an assistant crew chief on the Chevy that carried him to a record six straight wins and the season championship in the Mission Foods 2Fast/2Tasty Challenge series within the series.
“This is storybook stuff,” Prock said of his situation, made possible when Hight, the three-time former World Champ, took a leave of absence for medical reasons. “This is stuff they write for movies, but it’s actually happening in real life. It’s really special.”
The challenge, now, is to stay on script.
“Our attention is ahead,” Prock said, “one moment at a time.”
This story was originally published on September 12, 2024. 
