PROCK, LANGDON AND ANDERSON WIN NHRA ARIZONA NATIONALS IN FRONT OF SELLOUT CROWD
PHOENIX (April 7, 2024) – Austin Prock powered to his first career Funny Car win on Sunday at Firebird Motorsports Park for John Force Racing, driving past Alexis DeJoria in the final round in front of a sellout crowd at the 39th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals.
Shawn Langdon (Top Fuel) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) each won at the third of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Sunday also marked the second straight sellout crowd this weekend.
Prock, who was also the No. 1 qualifier, went 3.952-seconds at 320.74 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS to get past DeJoria in his second final round this season. After defeating Buddy Hull, Daniel Wilkerson and points leader J.R. Todd to reach the finals, Prock led wire-to-wire against DeJoria, becoming just the 19th driver in NHRA history to win in both Top Fuel and Funny Car.
It marked a memorable moment for Prock, especially winning with his father, Jimmy, as the crew chief, and his brother, Thomas, as the car chief.
“This is a huge win,” Prock said. “This car has been running great and we started the year out strong and struggled a little bit last week in Pomona. We had to get some revenge this weekend and we definitely did that. That was a great run in the final round there. That’s a run we were trying to do that all weekend long and just couldn’t piece it all together. For it all to finally come together to get my first Funny Car win means a lot.
“To enter that league (of winning in Top Fuel and Funny Car) with the Don Prudhommes, the Shawn Langdons, the J.R. Todds, the Kenny Bernsteins, who are legends and Hall of Famers, it’s pretty cool to be a part of that. To do it with my family makes it even more special. It was a beautiful day, a packed house and we’re rolling out of here with some gold. What more could you ask for?”
DeJoria reached the finals for the first time this season thanks to round wins against Bob Tasca III, Paul Lee and Blake Alexander.
Shawn Langdon picked up his second Top Fuel win in three races to open the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season, this time knocking off Justin Ashley in the final round on Sunday with a run of 3.760 at 318.69 in his 11,000-horsepower Kalitta Air Careers/Toyota dragster. It’s the first career Top Fuel win at Firebird Motorsports Park for Langdon, who also denied Ashley a double-up victory this weekend in Phoenix. Langdon defeated Josh Hart, Antron Brown and No. 1 qualifier Steve Torrence to reach the final round and then posted a brilliant .050 reaction time against Ashley to pick up his 19th career victory.
It’s the first time Langdon has led the points three races in a row since the 2015 campaign as he continues to roll early in the year, again crediting the job first-year crew chief Brian Husen has done.
“When you run a Justin in the final, you know what he’s capable of. He’s the best leaver in the class bar none, so my only focus was just leave with him. and then leave it up to Brian because I have that much confidence in Brian and my guys,” Langdon said. “So when I hit the gas, we left with him, I said, ‘Well, we’ve got a shot,’ and so I just tried to hold it straight and saw the win light and the rest is history.
“It feels great, obviously. I’m just really proud of everybody and all the hard work that went into the offseason. It’s been hard for the last couple of years to struggle. but you just keep your head down, just keep working hard, and eventually, the tide’s going to roll the other way. At some point, you don’t know how long that will be but it’s paying dividends right now.”
Ashley reached his second straight final and 21st overall on the strength of round wins against Tony Schumacher, Doug Kalitta and Tony Stewart, who won his first rounds in Top Fuel on Sunday.
In Pro Stock, Greg Anderson grabbed his first victory of the season in impressive fashion, taking down teammate Dallas Glenn in the final round with a 6.582 at 208.97 in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. It’s also the 104th career victory for Anderson and his third career win in Phoenix, winning at Firebird Motorsports Park for the first time since 2017. Anderson defeated Eric Latino, Troy Coughlin Jr. and then No. 1 qualifier and longtime rival Jeg Coughlin Jr. to reach the championship round, posting an impressive .022 reaction time to lead wire-to-wire against his KB Titan Racing teammate.
The early-season win is also a breath of fresh air for Anderson, who remains focused on winning a sixth career world championship. He didn’t pick up a victory last year until late in the season but made sure that didn’t happen again on Sunday in Phoenix.
“This feels great and, honestly, it feels as good as the first,” Anderson said. “It’s just so hard to win in this class anymore and to have the day I had, the weekend I had, I actually a good job behind the wheel. I’m really thrilled with that, but that’s what it takes to win in this class anymore. You have to have the whole total package, you have to have the best car, you have to have the best crew and you have to drive it well.
“We were able to put all three together today on a very, very tricky racetrack. It’s a tough one, but I love those challenges. My crew loves those challenges. You had to be on your toes, so now we’re going to Vegas with a little bit of momentum.”
Glenn, who won the postponed Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals on Saturday in Phoenix, reached the finals for the 19th time in his career and second time this season thanks to round wins against Mason McGaha, Cristian Cuadra and Aaron Stanfield.
The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action April 12-14 with the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
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CHANDLER, Ariz. — Final finish order (1-16) at the 39th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals at Firebird Motorsports Park. The race is the third of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.
TOP FUEL:
1. Shawn Langdon; 2. Justin Ashley; 3. Steve Torrence; 4. Tony Stewart; 5. Doug Kalitta; 6. Shawn Reed; 7. Billy Torrence; 8. Antron Brown; 9. Tony Schumacher; 10. Clay Millican; 11. Terry Totten; 12. Josh Hart; 13. Travis Shumake; 14. Brittany Force; 15. Jasmine Salinas; 16. Krista Baldwin.
FUNNY CAR:
1. Austin Prock; 2. Alexis DeJoria; 3. J.R. Todd; 4. Blake Alexander; 5. John Force; 6. Daniel Wilkerson; 7. Bobby Bode; 8. Paul Lee; 9. Cruz Pedregon; 10. Matt Hagan; 11. Chad Green; 12. Buddy Hull; 13. Ron Capps; 14. Jim Campbell; 15. Bob Tasca III; 16. Jeff Diehl.
PRO STOCK:
1. Greg Anderson; 2. Dallas Glenn; 3. Aaron Stanfield; 4. Jeg Coughlin; 5. Erica Enders; 6. Jerry Tucker; 7. Troy Coughlin Jr.; 8. Cristian Cuadra; 9. Deric Kramer; 10. Chris McGaha; 11. Eric Latino; 12. Brandon Foster; 13. Mason McGaha; 14. Matt Hartford; 15. Kenny Delco; 16. David Cuadra.
CHANDLER, Ariz. — Sunday’s final results from the 39th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals at Firebird Motorsports Park. The race is the third of 20 in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series:
Super Stock — Ryan McClanahan, Chevy Cobalt, 8.471, 154.86 def. Brad Burton, Pontiac Firebird, 9.340, 135.27.
Stock Eliminator — Tony Marconi, Plymouth Demon, 10.927, 116.44 def. Mike Cotten,Plymouth Duster, 11.042, 118.72.
Super Comp — Madison Payne, Dragster, 10.840, 88.24 def. Tim Parker, Dragster, Broke.
Super Gas — Evan Kowalski, Chevy Corvette, 9.926, 156.34 def. John Dexter, Corvette, 9.966, 144.97.
Super Street — Keith Manogue, ChevyNova, 10.892, 140.23 def. Matthew Bong, Ford ustang, 10.856, 134.28.
Top Sportsman — Allen Firestone, Chevy Camaro, 6.420, 207.98 def. Bryan Warr, Camaro, 6.755, 203.65.
Top Dragster — Thomas Bayer, Dragster, 6.151, 211.89 def. Dylon Hough, Dragster, 6.662, 199.17.
Pro Modified — Kevin Rivenbark, Ford Mustang, 5.746, 249.76 def. Ken Quartuccio, Chevy Camaro, 5.828, 238.47.
Legends Nostalgia Funny Car presented by Modern Warriors — Geoff Monise, Pontiac Firebird, 4.755, 238.68 def. Bobby Cottrell, Chevy Camaro, 4.810, 230.02.
CHANDLER, Ariz. — Final round-by-round results from the 39th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals at Firebird Motorsports Park, the third of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series:
TOP FUEL:
ROUND ONE — Billy Torrence, 4.733, 160.79 def. Krista Baldwin, 10.331, 75.81; Shawn Reed, 3.791, 324.36 def. Jasmine Salinas, 6.880, 83.16; Justin Ashley, 3.804, 328.22 def. Tony Schumacher, 3.791, 325.69; Tony Stewart, 4.163, 260.56 def. Brittany Force, 6.396, 94.92; Doug Kalitta, 3.993, 247.25 def. Terry Totten, 3.978, 285.53; Steve Torrence, 3.829, 327.90 def. Travis Shumake, 4.504, 191.73; Antron Brown, 3.804, 327.35 def. Clay Millican, 3.898, 271.35; Shawn Langdon, 18.546, 53.50 def. Josh Hart, Foul – Red Light;
FINAL — Anderson, 6.582, 208.97 def. Glenn, 6.618, 208.91.
CHANDLER, Ariz. — Point standings (top 10) following the 39th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals at Firebird Motorsports Park, the third of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series –
Kitty O\'Neil from Fillmore, California USA 1977 - Category: ROCKET, Type: RN, Class: Rocket Dragster, Div: 5 "Rocket Kat" Owned by Ky Michaelson from Bloomington, Minnesota USA '75 Dragster by Ky Michaelson | Powered by a Unknown thrust engine 1/4 Mile ET: 3.220 at El Mirage Palmdale CA 7/06/77 | 1/4 Mile MPH: 392.54 at […]
Jack Ehrmantraut from Mansfield, Ohio USA 1991 - Category: WHEELIE, Type: WN, Class: Wheelstander, Div: 3 "Hurst Hemi Under Glass" Owned by Jack Ehrmantraut from Mansfield, Ohio USA '86 Dodge Daytona by an Unknown chassis builder | Powered by a Unknown cubic inch Chevrolet with automatic transmission 1/4 Mile ET: 9.387 at Englishtown 7-Eleven/Jamesway US […]
Keith Stark from Danville, Illinois USA (Comp Number: 312) 1996 - Category: AFUELDRAG, Type: XN, Class: A/FD, Div: 3 "Clark Motorsports" Owned by Keith Stark from Danville, Illinois USA '94 Dragster by Don Long | Powered by a 500 cubic inch Fontana Hemi with 2 speed manual transmission 1/4 Mile ET: 5.381 at NHRA Finals […]
Randy Anderson from Ontario, California USA (Comp Number: 700) 1996 - Category: ALKYFC, Type: CN, Class: TA/FC, Div: 7 "Parts America" Owned by Brad Anderson from Ontario, California USA '95 Pontiac Firebird by an Unknown chassis builder | Powered by a 511 cubic inch BAE Keith Black Hemi by Brad Anderson with 3 speed manual […]
Tony Bartone from Bayside, New York USA (Comp Number: 177) 1996 - Category: ALKYFC, Type: CN, Class: TA/FC, Div: 1 "Roger Dean Racing" Owned by Roger Dean from Webster Springs, West Virginia USA '95 Pontiac Firebird by an Unknown chassis builder | Powered by a 519 cubic inch BNR Hemi with 3 speed manual transmission […]
Marcello Mastroianni from Brookville, New York USA (Comp Number: 175) 1996 - Category: PM-OUTLAW, Type: ZN, Class: NPSA, Div: 1 "Mastroianni Racing" Owned by Marcello Mastroianni from Brookville, New York USA '91 Pontiac Trans Am by an Unknown chassis builder | Powered by a 630 cubic inch Pontiac with 4 speed manual transmission 1/4 Mile […]
Mike Ashley from Melville, New York USA (Comp Number: 1211) 1991 - Category: PM-NITROUS, Type: NN, Class: Pro Modified, Div: 1 "Nickel\'s Performance" Owned by Mike Ashley from Melville, New York USA '91 Chevrolet Lumina by an Unknown chassis builder | Powered by a 707 cubic inch Pontiac by Scott Shafiroff with 4 speed manual […]
Mike Ashley from Melville, New York USA (Comp Number: 3225) 1990 - Category: SPORTSMAN, Type: HN, Class: Top Sportsman, Div: 2 "Williams Racing" Owned by Pete Williams from Huntsville, Alabama USA '87 Oldsmobile Cutlass by an Unknown chassis builder | Powered by a 615 cubic inch Pontiac with 4 speed manual transmission 1/4 Mile ET: […]
Mike Ashley from Melville, New York USA (Comp Number: 1211) 1990 - Category: PM-NITROUS, Type: NN, Class: Pro Modified, Div: 1 "Mike Ashley" Owned by Mike Ashley from Melville, New York USA '90 Chevrolet Beretta by Jerry Haas | Powered by a 622 cubic inch Oldsmobile by Scott Shafiroff with 4 speed manual transmission 1/4 […]
Mike Ashley from Melville, New York USA (Comp Number: 1211) 1991 - Category: PM-OUTLAW, Type: NN, Class: Pro Modified, Div: 1 "Nickels Performance Warehouse" Owned by Mike Ashley from Melville, New York USA '90 Chevrolet Beretta by Jerry Haas | Powered by a 622 cubic inch Oldsmobile by Scott Shafiroff with 4 speed manual transmission […]