The Prock Rocket shows no signs of slowing down.

After winning the Lucas Oil Nationals a week ago from the No. 1 qualifying spot in Phoenix, nitro Funny Car driver Austin Prock is well on his way to replicating the feat at the 4-Wide Nationals at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Prock, piloting a John Force Racing Camaro, clocked a 3.904-second elapsed time at 321.42 mph in Q3 on Saturday and held on through Q4 to snare the No. 1 qualifying position at The Strip.

During Q4, he also won the Misson#2Fast2Tasty Challenge for the first time in his career, with his 3.915-second run at 326.95 mph. He defeated Paul Lee (3.939), Blake Alexander (3.963) and Daniel Wilkerson (4.359).

“This gives you a lot of confidence going into Sunday morning, running like we are,” Prock said. “I’m champing at the bit to get in the first round (Sunday) and hopefully we can go three more. It is really cool to get the first 4-Wide (Misson#2Fast2Tasty Challenge) win is pretty special. It is pretty crazy. I have been in a handful of these things (Misson#2Fast2Tasty Challenges) and never been able to get it done. We did the job (Saturday) and I really appreciate everything that Mission Foods is doing for the series and that 10 grand helps pad our crew guys pockets who put in all the work to make this happen.”

This was Prock’s sixth career No 1 qualifying position – and third this season as he was No. 1 at the season-opening Gatornationals and the Arizona Nationals. Prior to competing in the NHRA Funny Car ranks this season – subbing for world champion Robert Hight, who is out with a health matter – Prock qualified No. 1 in Top Fuel for John Force Racing three times – in Dallas (2022) and Sonoma and Pomona in 2023.

“You just got to act like it is normal,” Prock said about competing in a Funny Car in the 4-Wide format. “(Friday) I wasn’t terrible on the tree, but I wasn’t where I wanted to be. (Saturday) I had a new aim, new focus and it worked. I had two pretty stellar lights and I need to keep that up (Sunday) for sure because we are going to have the best conditions that we have seen all weekend, and the track is going to be the most even and you’re going to see a lot of great runs. Wins might be decided on the starting line, I’m just saying.”

Prock has four Top Fuel wins on his resume and now he will go for career win No. 6 on Sunday. Prock will be in a first-round quad with Alexander, Alexis DeJoria, and Jeff Diehl.

​

“I kind of like the Funny Car because you don’t have as much vision,” Prock said. “In the dragster, you can see someone jumping up and down in the grandstands, where the Funny Car you are shrouded off more. I like everything about the Funny Car more and racing with my family, it has been a great year so far.”

Prock’s Funny Car is tuned by his father, Jimmy, a world championship crew chief and his brother Thomas.

Austin started the season by winning the PRO Superstar Shootout on Feb. 10 in Bradenton (Fla.) and a $250,000 paycheck, has kept things rolling in the NHRA season.

Austin is ready to keep on winning – especially after what he was able to accomplish Saturday.

“I really enjoy it," he said of being in raceday mode on Saturday. “We always love competing and it does help you get in that zone. Hopefully I didn’t waste any of it (Saturday) for (Sunday). We will see. This team has had a lot of success (in Las Vegas) in the past and they are showing it again. I just have to keep being a sponge and keep learning and keep doing the best I can, and I know this team is going to give me an awesome Hot Rod.”

Prock acknowledged he enjoys going blow for blow in qualifying with drivers like Bob Tasca III.

“That Tasca team, they do a great job, and that car is bad fast,” Prock said. “We have been duking it out all year. (Friday), we ran in front of him, and he nipped us, and he got out at the top end and jokingly said, ‘Thanks for showing my crew chiefs what was out there.’ Then he made a nice run in front of me before that last qualifying session and I’m like well the track is pretty good and along with my boss John Force (who qualified second with a 3.908-second run), it showed there was potential out there to make a really good run.”

With the weather forecast scheduled to be much cooler Sunday in Vegas, Prock knows things will be plenty exciting at The Strip.

“My team has done a great job in these hot conditions, we are really getting a handle on these hot weather conditions and that was our goal this year, to really dial that in,” Prock said. “It (his car) is typically really fast when it is cool out so it is going to cool down, and I don’t know if you will see an 81 by any means, we are not in the fall yet, but it will definitely be the quickest runs you will see all weekend (on Sunday). I would almost put money on that, but I don’t gamble. I spend my money on food.”