Funny Car’s Austin Prock Relishing Big Opportunities at Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – August 27, 2025 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – After an impressive first 13 races of the year, Austin Prock has the chance to put an incredible bow on a dominant regular season at this weekend’s Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

The defending world champion in Funny Car and the defending event winner at the world’s biggest drag race has been spectacular throughout the season, winning six races and racking up a massive points lead in his 12,000-horsepower Cornwell Quality Tools Chevrolet SS.

Heading into the Countdown to the Championship playoffs, Prock can do something historic at The Big Go, starting with clinching the regular season – and the $150,000 prize – during qualifying. There’s also the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday, the PlayNHRA Funny Car All-Star Callout on Sunday – where Prock is the No. 1 seed – and a chance to go back-to-back at Indy on Monday.

It’s a lot, but Prock is focused on all of it on drag racing’s grandest stage.

“We want to win the regular season championship in Indy; we want to win the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge in Indy; we want to win the Callout in Indy; we want to be No. 1 qualifier in Indy; and we want to win Indy. We have a chance to do something that nobody’s ever done,” Prock said. “We have an opportunity to be in all of these specialty races that involve Indy. We have a chance at the regular season championship and we definitely have a chance to win another U.S. Nationals.

“So, there’s a lot on the line there. We just have to go out there and do the same thing we’ve done in the past. We could do something really special there and especially with Cornwell Tools promoting the race. IRP has done some great renovations at the racetrack. We’re excited to get there.”

Last year’s Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals saw Prock (Funny Car), Clay Millican (Top Fuel), Aaron Stanfield (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) claim victories in a winner’s circle that featured four first-time Indy winners. This year’s race will once again be broadcast on FS1 and FOX, with Monday’s eliminations broadcast on FOX beginning at 2 p.m. ET.

It is the 14th of 20 during the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series – and the last race before the Countdown to the Championship playoffs – and plenty is on the line during the loaded weekend, including the regular season championship across the four professional categories.

Funny Car gets a marquee stage with the Callout, as eight drivers – Jack Beckman, Ron Capps, Matt Hagan, Bob Tasca III, J.R. Todd, Daniel Wilkerson and Cruz Pedregon – will look to win the specialty race.

Prock also would love to win it on Sunday and parlay that into another Indy event win. His victory last year was his first U.S. Nationals win, using that momentum to roll to his first world championship. He’s on an even better win pace this year, but Prock and his standout team remain focused on the challenging road ahead.

“We want to extend our lead through Indy just to show the competition how great our team is and how great the race car is,” Prock said. “At the end of the day, we need to go out there and execute and just try and do the same job that we’ve done all season long with the Cornwell Tools Chevy to get us to this point. We’ve been doing a good job of turning on win lights and it’s earned us a 242-point lead going into the last race of the regular season.”

In Top Fuel, Shawn Langdon holds a slim lead over Tony Stewart and Doug Kalitta, setting up a marquee showdown in Indy with a field that also includes Brittany Force, reigning world champion Antron Brown, Justin Ashley, Millican and Steve Torrence.

The Pro Stock field has been dominated by the KB Titan Racing duo of reigning world champion Greg Anderson and his teammate Dallas Glenn. Anderson has five wins to Glenn’s four, though Glenn holds a small nine-point lead in the race for the regular season championship.

The Pro Stock Motorcycle ranks are once again led by reigning world champion and 2024 Indy winner Herrera, who has a 70-point lead over teammate Richard Gadson.

Indy also offers something for every racing fan, including:

• Fans at the event who renew their tickets for the 2026 race will be given a special 75th anniversary replica championship ring. They will also be given the option to buy a commemorative ticket featuring several NHRA legends as NHRA looks to celebrate its diamond anniversary next season.
• The Deecell NHRA Competition Eliminator Cash Clash is back at Indy, giving Comp Eliminator drivers a shot at a big payout on drag racing’s biggest stage.
• The Sox & Martin Hemi Challenge returns as the longest-running continuous specialty race in NHRA history.
• Lucas Oil IRP will see more than 800 race cars competing for U.S. Nationals glory. From Top Fuel to Super Stock, there is a car for any racing fanatic.
• An unforgettable Top Eliminator Club experience, including NHRA driver appearances, food and drink, TEC gift bag, starting line seats and much more.
• Free parking for all fans in attendance for the entire weekend.
• SealMaster Track Walk before Monday’s eliminations.
• Autograph sessions throughout the weekend and a can’t-miss Hot Rod Junction.
• Children 12-and-under get in free, offering all-day entertainment for the family.

Also on the schedule is the final Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge race of the season, as drivers look to earn a bonus purse and bonus points for the upcoming Countdown to the Championship playoffs. Indy also features the world’s best in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown and NHRA Holley EFI Factory X.

NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature one round at 6:15 p.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 29, two rounds at 12:30 and 3:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 30 and the final two rounds of qualifying on Sunday, Aug. 31 at 12 and 2:45 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 10:00 a.m. ET on Monday, Sept 1.

Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 9:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, and eliminations at 12 p.m. on FS1 on Monday, shifting to FOX at 2 p.m.

The first round of the Funny Car All-Star Callout takes place at 12:45 p.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 31, with the semifinals at 2:15 p.m. and the final round at 4 p.m. A special broadcast of the Callout takes place at 5 p.m. ET on FS1 on Sunday.

To purchase tickets to the 71st annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals, fans can visit www.NHRA.com/tickets. All children 12 and under will be admitted free in the general admission area with a paid adult. For more information about NHRA, visit www.NHRA.com.

About Mission Foods

MISSION®, owned by GRUMA, S.A.B. de C.V., is the world’s leading brand for tortillas and wraps. MISSION® is also globally renowned for flatbreads, dips, salsas and Mexican food products. With presence in over 112 countries, MISSION® products are suited to the lifestyles and the local tastes of each country. With innovation and customer needs in mind, MISSION® focuses on the highest quality, authentic flavors, and providing healthy options that families and friends can enjoy together. For more information, please visit https://www.missionfoods.com/

About NHRA

NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 20 national events featuring the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown™, NHRA Holley EFI Factory X and Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock at select national events. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street Legal™. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street® program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League® for youth ages 5 to 17. With more than 100 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services® (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv®, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

Source: National Hot Rod Association 

####