Austin Prock of the Funny Cars took the lead at the 70th annual Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals on Saturday at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, unseating the temporary leader.
At the 14th of 20 events in the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock), and John Hall (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers.
Prock clocked the fastest time in both qualifying sessions, setting a weekend record in a Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS with a time of 3.855 seconds at 328.38 mph. In the first 14 rounds, Prock, who is aiming to win at the U.S. Nationals, would secure his 10th No. 1 qualifier of the season if that remains true.
“It’s been an outstanding weekend so far,” Prock said. “Everybody has just been having fun in this Cornwell Tools pit this weekend and I feel like we have a good attitude about the U.S. Nationals and going into the playoffs. It’s been an exciting weekend so far, and to lock up that Mission #2Fast2Tasty Championship says a lot about this race team and how consistent this racecar is with the job that they’re doing.
“Through life you have your ups and downs, but after [Brainerd], I feel like I have a brand new attitude and new mindset that can’t be shook. I’ve been annihilating the Christmas Tree this weekend which makes me feel really good and the hard work that I’ve been putting in is paying off. It’s a great start to the weekend. I’m just so proud of my family and this whole Cornwell Tools team and all of John Force Racing. We’ve been outstanding all weekend, all three race cars are just flying and it’s a great time to be doing it.”
Bob Tasca took over the second spot with a 3.871s at 336.23mph and Jack Beckman is in third after going 3.877s at 329.10mph.
Selections were also made for the opening round of the Pep Boys Funny Car All-Star Callout. Top seed Tasca selected Cruz Pedregon, while Ron Capps picked Paul Lee and Matt Hagan chose Alexis DeJoria, setting J.R. Todd and Chad Green as the final first-round matchup.
After a strong start to her weekend, Top Fuel’s Brittany Force enjoyed another standout day, improving on Friday’s time and staying as the provisional No. 1 qualifier with a run of 3.693s at 333.08mph in her Chevrolet Accessories dragster. Needing a big weekend after coming into Indy 10th in points, Force has done that so far, accumulating some much-needed qualifying bonus points in the process. She remains in prime position to pick up her second top qualifier of the season and the 48th in her career.
“There is a lot on the line this weekend, so to be able to improve and step up – our No. 1 spot was taken from us in Q2, and we knew we had to step it up. That was already David Grubnic’s plan, so to go from a 0.74s to a 0.69s was pretty awesome for this team,” Force said. “We’re very proud of that and very happy. We’re moving ahead, and we’re going to try to grasp as many points as we can get.
“The momentum is building for the entire team. We’re excited to be here, it’s the biggest race of the season. We’re sitting 10th and there is so much coming this weekend, so much pressure, but having three good runs down the racetrack really amps us up that much more. We’re excited to be here, but we’re waiting to get to Monday.”
Tony Stewart made a strong improvement as well, racing to the second spot with a pass of 3.707s at 331.04mph, while T.J. Zizzo is third with a 3.716s at 332.67mph.
Greg Anderson believed there was more in his car and that proved to be true on Saturday at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, making a major improvement with a run of 6.588s at 206.20mph in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. He stays in the No. 1 spot for a second straight day and there was plenty for the five-time champion to like. Anderson, who has won the U.S. Nationals seven times, made the quickest run during both sessions on Saturday, putting him on a strong path to collect his fifth No. 1 qualifier of the season.
“I knew if we didn’t do something like that, we wouldn’t be No. 1,” Anderson said. “The guys did a fantastic job. My car was No. 1 to 60-foot, I didn’t quite expect that, and that’s what got us the provisional pole. Everything has to go perfect for you to get a No. 1 spot and win rounds anymore. We did a great job but we’re only halfway through the weekend, still have another whole day of qualifying left and it looks like tomorrow is going to be a tick better again.
“The pole is not safe. You’ll have to find a way to do a better job again. They’re all nipping at my heels, without a doubt, and anybody can get that pole. There are a lot of people capable of taking it, so we’ll have to give it all we’ve got and try to be perfect. We’re three for three so far, it’ll be quite a feather in the cap if we can go five for five in qualifying and bring momentum into Monday.”
Erica Enders remained in second, improving to a 6.592s at 207.11mph, while Jerry Tucker nearly dipped into the 6.50s as well, moving to third with a 6.600s at 207.59mph.
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Matt Smith Racing continued to have a strong weekend at Indy, with John Hall making a big move to the No. 1 position with a run of 6.830s at 198.76mph on his Denso Auto Parts Buell. Hall made the best run of both sessions on Saturday, putting him in a great position to earn his first career No. 1 qualifier. Hall is a previous U.S. Nationals winner and knows full well what success at this race means.
“In this weather, I think a 6.83s is pretty good,” Hall said. “Normally, the Friday run would have been the best, but it was hot yesterday, so we had an opportunity to pick up today. I was in a similar spot in 2013 but this time I have more confidence than ever and that’s the No. 1 thing you can have. This is the biggest race of the year and the one you really want. We want to win all of them, but this is the one that sticks with you for life. I was fortunate to win once but I’d love to have two.”
Points leader Gaige Herrera moved up to third place with a 6.850s at 196.64 mph, while Matt Smith is presently second after running 6.836s at 199.35 mph.
At Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, the Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals will start final qualifying on Sunday at 12 p.m. ET.
