John Force Racing Top Fuel Dragster driver Austin Prock would like to soon forget 2020. The season was shut down due to the COVID pandemic. Then John Force Racing announced they wouldn’t be fielding any cars once the NHRA returned to action in May. Now, for the first time since March 2020, Prock will return to the seat of a race car in the 2021 Chili Bowl.
New @cbnationals design for @ProckRocket_TF @MontanaBrand and @HMotorsports19 pic.twitter.com/DvDTQZsMWX
— BLACKBEARD LTD (@BLACKBEARDltd) December 25, 2020
Getting Back in the Seat
His long duration outside of the seat will come to a close when the Chili Bowl kicks off in Tulsa. The former sprint car and midget racer will return to his roots and make a return trip to Tulsa. The thought of getting back in a race car alone excites him. Mix in the fact he’s going to be racing on dirt really gets him going.
“Just the fact that I’m able to strap back in a race car. This has been the longest time that I’ve ever sat out of a race car,” said Prock. “It’s coming up on ten, eleven months and just to get that feeling and that adrenaline rush. You know us racers we run off that fix every weekend… What better way that to start off ’21 with going to the Chili Bowl and kind of going back to my roots.”
The 2019 Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future award winner, that goes to NHRA’s top rookie, will go back to his roots for the first time in three years. Prock hadn’t been in a dirt race car since he pursued the opportunity to drive for John Force.
With his experience on dirt and racing with Tony Stewart Racing in his early years, Prock created friendships. Those relationships created this opportunity to race in this year’s Chili Bowl despite all the downside that 2020 had.
“The Chili Bowl has always been one of the biggest races of the year and one of the tops on my list. I’m super grateful to be going back. 2020 was a long year, especially with John Force Racing sitting the majority of the season,” said Prock. “This was just an opportunity that I had. A good friend of mine Brody Hayward, who owns the race car, gave me the opportunity to go race and I couldn’t turn it down. Especially being out of the seat for ten months and everything aligned just right. Something came good out of this COVID deal and I’m getting the opportunity to go back after four years.”
Montana Brand and Rocky Mountain Twist are his sponsors on the 330 mph Top Fuel dragster. They decided to help fund his trip to the Chili Bowl this year and get Prock back in a car. Add in the fact that BlackBeard LTD put together a very solid scheme that Prock is excited to run everything seems to have come together nicely.
“Frank Tiegs, he’s an awesome individual. I can’t thank him enough for backing our Top Fuel car. Then for him to come over for the Chili Bowl and represent him well and me well, it’s pretty cool for NHRA as well. So I have to thank him big time.
“The car looks great. BlackBeard did a great job designing it. Lot of people are loving it and those T-shirts are getting a lot of excitement as well.”
Starting this year off right! 😍 https://t.co/iuicPnXOLT
— Austin Prock (@ProckRocket_CG) January 6, 2021
Returning to the Roots
In his one full season in the Top Fuel car, Prock picked up one victory at Seattle, on the same day John Force won his 150th career race.
Prior to his NHRA driving days, Prock was a pavement and dirt sprint car driver. He began his racing career at age 10 and won his first race at age 12. In 2012 he was named National Pavement Midget Rookie of the Year and ran full time for the first time in 2014. During that 2014 season, Prock collected four victories and the STARS National Pavement Midget Championship before jumping to dirt.
During his circle track career he won 27 times in 139 starts and had 84 top five finishes. At the end of the day, though, Prock’s goal was to get into drag racing. He wanted to follow the footsteps of his grandfather, Tom, and father, Jimmy who is the Crew Chief for Prock’s Funny Car teammate Robert Hight. With that goal in mind, Prock went to work at JFR and started climbing through the John Force Racing developmental program. He made his debut in the 2019 season for the team.
Prock credits his dirt and pavement success to helping him secure the ride at John Force Racing. Driving dirt midgets and sprints as well as pavement cars for Tony Stewart Racing helped him become a better driver and ultimately helped him get into the John Force Racing ‘Next Generation’ program.
“I raced out of Tony Stewart Racing for five years and before that I started in quarter midget and raced for five to seven years, climbing up the ranks. The midgets and sprint cars really set the tone for my career,” Prock said. “Taught me a lot about racing and the mentality you need. You know if I would have never competed in those series, I would have never gotten an opportunity with John Force. I definitely think all of that circle track racing, pavement and dirt, has all helped with all the success we’ve had in a Top Fuel car.”
Motorsports Crossover
Prock will be attending his third Chili Bowl and will look to exceed his previous starts in the famous event. Returning to the Chili Bowl is something Prock has wanted to do but the deal was never available. It took a pandemic to get him the chance to run it again but he’s happy to be back. Not only does it give him the chance to go back to his racing roots. He seems to be treating it as a reunion of sorts.
With so many drivers from different facets of racing coming together, especially this year, the Chili Bowl has grown. The 2021 version will see many nationally known drivers, including Prock. This is something he actually is looking forward to.
Being able to see many of the other drivers from other forms of motorsports is something he feels is so cool. Prock says it’s because all racers are built the same, they want that excitement and will driver anything.
“That’s the coolest part about the Chili Bowl is how all forms of motorsports unite in one building. You get to see everybody showcase their talent and step outside of their element,” Prock said. “For me it’s a big step from driving 300 in a straight line to slinging dirt and driving sideways. I have a lot of experience smoking the tires and pedaling the race car so hopefully that pays off.”
Creating New Fans, Dirt and Drag Racing
Since Prock is making his return to the Chili Bowl, he will also be bringing a bit of a following along. Now that he is on the national stage running the Top Fuel car, Prock has built his own fan base up. He feels that fan base will follow him and want to see what he’s able to do on dirt.
What makes it special, some of Prock’s fans didn’t know what the Chili Bowl even was. Being able to see their favorite straight line driver make an appearance on dirt has his fans chomping at the bit to see him sling dirt with some of the best in the world.
“I would say that the fan base is very excited about the opportunity,” Prock said. “Some of them had no idea what the Chili Bowl was. So to open their eyes to another form of motorsports that is a great event, that’s pretty cool. Hopefully the viewership will be up and hopefully we can hold it down for the drag racers.”
Prock will make his return to the Chili Bowl in Thursday night’s preliminary race. The action all week can be seen live on FloRacing.
