Prock, Ashley, Enders & M. Smith Open Playoffs with Provisional No.1 Spots at Pep Boys NHRA Nationals

READING, PA – September 14, 2024 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – Funny Car points leader Austin Prock made the fastest run in his career on Friday at Maple Grove Raceway, powering to the provisional No. 1 spot for John Force Racing at the 39th annual Pep Boys NHRA Nationals.

Justin Ashley (Top Fuel), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the 15th of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season. It is also the first of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

Prock, who has been the No. 1 qualifier 10 times in the first 14 races this season, went 3.849-seconds at 338.43 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS, posting a career-best speed and just missing out on the track record. Prock opens the Countdown to the Championship playoffs in the points lead, looking for his sixth win of the season. He comes in on a good note after winning the U.S. Nationals in Indy and put on a spectacular show on Friday at Maple Grove Raceway.

“That was some classic Reading drag racing right there,” Prock said. “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.”

Alexis DeJoria enjoyed a strong pair of qualifying sessions, qualifying second with a 3.867 at 336.40, while Prock’s JFR teammate, Jack Beckman, is third after his pass of 3.869 at 330.80.

Racing close to home, Top Fuel’s Justin Ashley put on an impressive show under the lights on Friday, bolting to the provisional No. 1 spot with a run of 3.713 at 333.49 in his 11,000-horsepower Scag Power Equipment/Toyota dragster. If that holds, it would be Ashley’s first No. 1 qualifier of the season and the sixth in his career. Ashley enters the Countdown to the Championship…