By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
Cornwell Tools Funny Car sponsored driver Austin Prock is the provisional No. 1 qualifier at Maple Grove Raceway. Prock leads the first day of the 2024 edition of the 39th annual Pep Boys NHRA Nationals with a 3.849 at 338.43 mph in Mohnton, Pennsylvania.
Prock, who is looking to secure his 11th No. 1 qualifier of the season, will hope that his time will hold up on Saturday. The teams will have two additional passes on what is expected to be a hot and humid day.
“That was some classic Reading drag racing right there,” said Prock. “This place is always fast, lot of trees around here, the air is always pretty mongo and they gave us a great racetrack tonight. That was pretty stout to go No. 1 again and run a career-best speed. It definitely got all of it. I’m really proud of this team, and it was a heck of a way to start the playoffs today.
“I knew it left hard, and just past the Christmas tree I felt the tire just a hair and it cleared up. I probably got about 200 feet out and I started feeling it trying to make that move inside, and I had quite a bit of wheel turning left all the way down the [track]. When I tossed the laundry, my brother [Thomas] got on the radio, they were going nuts and that was really special. It was great to hear and the team is really proud of that today.”
Bandero Tequila & Toyota sponsored driver Alexis DeJoria was the No. 2 qualifier. She went 3.867 at 336.40 mph.
PEAK-sponsored driver Jack Beckman is the No. 3 qualifier. Beckman, who is competing in his first race at Maple Grove Raceway since the 2019 season, went 3.869 at 330.80 mph.
The teams will have two additional qualifying passes on Saturday. Then, at 10:30 am on Sunday, eliminations will begin on the first Countdown to the Championship race.
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