Prock to Substitute for Hight in JFR Funny Car
A medical issue is changing the face of NHRA’s Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Funny Car category. John Force Racing (JFR) announced, early January 15 that Austin Prock will take over the driving duties of the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS flopper from Robert Hight, who is standing down as this season begins to address such issue.
Hight, a three-time champion in the Flopper category, owns 65 career victories in the class and set the national record for speed and elapsed time in class in 2017 at Sonoma Raceway, en route to earning his second national title. He has the third-most wins in Funny Car, behind John Force’s 155 and Ron Capps’ 75. The team’s announcement said the 54-year-old, who is president of John Force Racing, would “temporarily step out of the driver’s seat for personal, medical reasons.” No further details were given.
This move opens the door for Prock, a versatile racer who succeeded in open wheel racing before joining JFR to pilot the Montana Brand, Rocky Mountain Twist Top Fuel entry. As the 28-year-old Prock is licensed in both Top Fuel and Funny Car, it is a relatively seamless procedure to install the driver in a Funny Car tuned by his father, Jimmy Prock with assistant crew chief duties delegated to brother Thomas Prock.
“I have to put my health first,” Hight acknowledged. “Once this is resolved, I’ll be back. I’ll be looking forward to racing again; I’m a competitor and can’t wait to get back to doing what I love. I know Austin will do a great job in my place for Cornwell Tools, AAA, Chevy and all of the John Force Racing sponsors. I have no doubt he’ll win races,” he said. Hight has been runner-up in NHRA’s final standings for the Funny Car class the past two seasons and five times overall.
This news comes shortly after the team learned that Frank Tiegs, who has supported JFR by marketing the team to such partners as Flav-R-Pak, Montana Brand and Rocky Mountain Twist, is withdrawing his support, which meant that both Top Fuel entries, for Prock and two-time champion Brittany Force, were losing key financial support. Prock had full-season participation from Tiegs’ entities, while Brittany Force’s squad enjoyed support from Tiegs for at least half a season. After finishing second to Brittany Force in 2022, Prock was eighth at the close of the 2023 season, just behind his teammate. Austin Prock has four career Top Fuel wins to his credit.
Before this issue arrived, Hight was looking forward to the 2025 campaign. Always a fierce competitor, he’ll continue his duties as president of the company as he recovers. Hight has raced with injuries in the past, notably in 2018 when he was in the thick of a championship fight and still competed in the final three races with a broken collarbone.
For Prock, the ability to compete in Funny Car, arguably a more difficult car to race than a Top Fuel rail, with assistance from both his father and brother is a dream come true. “First off, all the best wishes to Robert and his health,” Austin Prock said. “It’s been a dreams of mine to drive a Funny Car with my family, but this is not the way I hoped it would happen. It’s bittersweet,” he said.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity and thankful to John and all of our partners, especially Cornwell Tools, AAA and Chevy for giving me a chance to fill this seat. It’s a huge role to fill, considering how outstanding of a driver Robert is and how successful this team is. It’s been a whirlwind of an off-season, so I’m just ready to get back to racing.”
Austin Prock makes his Funny Car debut at the SCAG Power Equipment PRO Superstar Shootout, taking place at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida February 8-10. The 2024 Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series season gets underway the weekend of March 8-10 with the 55th annual Amalie Motor Oil Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.