| Test in the West this week an important step leading into annual trek to Pomona |
| DETROIT (Feb. 8, 2022) – Austin Prock has competed in three National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Fuel events since November 2019. Is he a bit anxious heading into preseason testing Feb. 10-12 at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Arizona? “I couldn’t be more excited,” the 2019 NHRA Rookie of the Year said. Prock returns to the circuit in the Montana Brand Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster as a teammate to 2021 Top Fuel championship runner-up Brittany Force at John Force Racing. He filled in for Clay Milliken at Norwalk last season and drove in two races to start the 2020 season before the team shut down on-track operations because of the COVID-19 pandemic. |
 “I have sat out for two years, but the rust will come out quick. It’s like riding a bike,” said Prock, who notched his maiden Top Fuel win at Seattle in ’19. “At Phoenix, it’s about getting more comfortable, just getting everything ironed out so we can go out there Q1 (in the opener) and go low ET. This (car) is going to be in contention for wins every weekend.” The season begins Feb. 18-20 with the NHRA Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in California.Prock, 26, will be backed by the experience of co-crew chiefs Joe Barlam and Rahn Tobler, who was enticed to come out of retirement to assist a family friend. “I thought, ’how cool would it be to race with Austin.’ I’ve known him forever; I’ve known Jimmy (Prock, Austin’s father) for a long time. We’re very good friends on and off the track. I just thought it was a great fit.” Barlam, who was part of John Force’s BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car crew in 2021, characterizes Tobler as “an old-school racer with a lot of savvy.” He could be describing himself, too. “It’s going to be pretty exciting to see how this partnership grows,” said Force, who enters the season with 154 career Funny Car victories. He, Brittany Force in the Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet dragster and Robert Hight driving the Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car will also make passes this weekend. |
 Chevrolet Pro Stock drivers, including reigning champion Greg Anderson, 2021 NHRA Rookie of the Year Dallas Glenn and championship runner-up Erica Enders, will share track time during the test. “You can’t give up thousandths (of a second) in this class, and if you don’t get in a car before Friday at Pomona, you’ll probably mess up on the driving end of it a little bit, give up thousandths and give up qualifying spots. So, this is a way to get the drivers prepared, the teams and the engines absolutely what we think will be perfect before we get to Pomona,” said Anderson, who drives the HendrickCars.com Camaro SS. The KB Racing team, which will support six full-season Pro Stock entries, made a few offseason car swaps. Glenn moves from the oldest model in the fleet to a newer Camaro SS. “We have to get some runs on them. Kyle (Koretsky) and I are in the same cars, but we’ve made some engine changes – not major changes – but you have to go prove that out and find the right tune-ups,” said Anderson, who will be in pursuit of career win No. 100 at Pomona. The sessions hosted by the Professional Racing Organization will be closed to the public except for Feb.12, when fans who have purchased tickets to the NHRA Arizona Nationals will have the opportunity to purchase |