Austin Prock left no doubt at Brainerd International Raceway, powering the John Force Racing Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car to his second straight victory and sixth of the season at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals. The reigning Funny Car world champion was sharp on both ends of the track all weekend, highlighted by a lights-out performance on the starting line that carried him to the winner’s circle.
After qualifying second, Prock marched through eliminations on Sunday with wins over Jim Campbell, Matt Hagan, and Chad Green before lining up in the final against J.R. Todd — the same driver who denied him victory at this event a year ago. This time, the outcome was different. Prock cut a brilliant .043 light, his quickest of the day, and charged to a 3.907 at 321.50 mph while Todd’s run went up in smoke. The win not only avenged last season’s final but also marked Prock’s 14th career Funny Car victory in just 33 starts.
“I was consistent throughout qualifying but I was about a hundredth slower than I wanted to be,” Prock said. “So, this morning I woke up and just all the stars aligned. I attacked the Tree and had probably one of my best driving performances leaving the starting line in either category, Top Fuel or Funny Car. That definitely makes me feel good, especially going into the U.S. Nationals.”
Prock’s reaction times on race day — .048, .048, .052, and .043 — averaged an impressive .047, a stat he called one of the best driving days of his career. For his Cornwell Tools crew, the Brainerd win was particularly sweet. Longtime team member Nate Hill had chased a Brainerd victory for 13 years alongside Prock’s father, Jimmy, and finally broke through on Sunday.
“All that hard work’s just starting to add up,” Prock said. “Hopefully, we can continue this, but I’m definitely hungry right now. You get one championship and all you want to do is win another one. This Cornwell Tools team is outstanding. I mean, I didn’t need to cut those reaction times today because they gave me such a great car.”
With the victory, Prock extended his commanding points lead to 242 over teammate Jack Beckman as the series heads to the sport’s biggest race, the Cornwell Quality Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, Aug. 27-Sept. 1.
This story was originally published on August 18, 2025. 
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