Winternationals Dominance Powers PEAK into Mission Foods Point Lead

POMONA, CA – Jack Beckman gave John Force Racing its 300th Funny Car victory Sunday, driving his PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet SS past the Ford of Dan Wilkerson in the final round of the 65th annual Lucas Oil Winternationals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.

Racing on his home track, the one on which he was the Winternationals Super Comp winner 27 years ago, “Fast Jack” drove the PEAK Chevy to a signature victory, one that propelled him into the Mission Foods point lead three races into the season.

In winning for the third time since sliding into the seat formerly occupied by Hall of Fame driver and team owner John Force, the U.S. Air Force veteran extended his number of consecutive round wins to 18 on the track originally cut out of a parking lot at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds. Continue reading →

Beckman Wins Mission Foods 2Fast/2Tasty Challenge; Starts No. 4 in Funny Car

POMONA, CA – Despite frustrating losses in the first round of Saturday’s Mission Foods 2Fast/2Tasty Challenge, two-time Top Fuel World Champion Brittany Force and reigning Funny Car World Champ Austin Prock will start Sunday’s 65th annual Lucas Oil Winternationals from the No. 1 qualifying position in their respective categories.

Force put her Monster Energy Dragster on the drag racing equivalent of the pole for the seventh time in her last nine appearances at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip and for the fifth time in the last six years at the Winternationals with a best of 3.646 seconds at 334.82 miles per hour.

Pursuing her first victory in the Winternationals, an event in which she made her pro debut in 2013, the 38-year-old daughter of Hall of Fame driver and team owner John Force will oppose No. 14 qualifier Steve Chrisman in round one with the winner getting a bye into the semifinals.

“We’ve had some really strong performance,” Force said. “We earned a No. 1 qualifier, we went 3.64 twice (on Friday), and today we went 3.69 at 338 miles-an-hour (just a tick off her track and NHRA national record of 338.94 mph). Continue reading →

Prock Second, Beckman Third in Winternationals Funny Car Qualifying

POMONA, CA – Denied a Friday victory in the final round of the relocated Right Trailers All-Star Callout, Brittany Force still managed to drive her Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster to the provisional No. 1 qualifying position for Sunday’s 65th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.

In the Funny Car division, reigning World Champion Austin Prock was second after the first two of four qualifying sessions in his Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS, one position ahead of teammate Jack Beckman, who ran his streak to eight consecutive qualifying sessions with at least one bonus point at the wheel of the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevy.

“It was a nice run,” Prock said of his 3.837 second effort at 333.28 miles per hour. “This Cornwell Tools / Hendrickcars.com Chevrolet SS is heading in the right direction. We’ve been struggling a little bit with these cooler track conditions (but) made some progress today.”

Prock, who is seeking his first No. 1 start of the season after qualifying No. 1 in 15 of 20 races a year ago, believes the best is yet to come. Continue reading →

BROWNSBURG, IN – Graham Rahal Performance (GRP) and John Force Racing, a dynasty in American Motorsports, are thrilled to announce a new partnership for the 2025 NHRA Season.

At the upcoming NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, hosted at the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, for the very first time Graham Rahal Performance will be the primary sponsor on Brittany Force’s Top Fuel Dragster and Jack Beckman’s Funny Car. “When John came to me and spoke of the opportunity to be present on the car, it was extremely intriguing for our company,” said Graham Rahal, President of Graham Rahal Performance. “Our expertise in service, custom fabrication, and our other offerings, align very well with the drag racing community, and we wanted to put that on display. Courtney and I felt strongly that it was in the best interest of our company to partner with John and everyone at John Force Racing, and support both my sister-in-law, Brittany as well as Jack throughout the entire year. We’re excited about the relationship with the team, and for the people in the NHRA community to see what GRP can do for them.”

Throughout the remainder of the NHRA Season, Graham Rahal Performance will maintain a Major Associate Sponsorship with John Force Racing. When the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA US Nationals arrive at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, GRP will be showcased on both cars and will also have a presence on-site. Continue reading →

POMONA, CA – It’s been 27 years since Jack Beckman first hoisted a winners’ trophy at what today is In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip but, on the eve of this week’s 65th running of the Lucas Oil Winternationals, the two-time NHRA World Champion’s confidence never has been higher for an event on his home track.

“I won the 2019 Finals, 2020 Winternationals and 2024 Finals,” he said. “So the last three times I raced there, I left with the trophy.”

That’s a remarkable streak considering that he was out of the sport, at least competitively, from November 2020, when lack of sponsorship compelled former car owner Don Schumacher to park his car, until last August when he took over the controls of the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet SS from an injured John Force.

Last November, in his return to the track on which he won Super Comp titles at the 1998 and 2003 Winternationals, he posted personal best numbers of 3.812 seconds and 336.23 miles per hour en route to winning the In-N-Out Finals and locking up the No. 2 position in the Mission Foods driver standings as Force’s surrogate. Continue reading →

POMONA, CA – Although she’s lost as many rounds as she’s won this year in her national record-holding Monster Energy dragster, two-time Top Fuel World Champion Brittany Force has every reason to be optimistic this week as the Mission Foods Drag Racing series moves to In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip for the 65th annual Lucas Oil Winternationals.

After all, it’s the 38-year-old’s home track, the one on which she made her pro debut in 2013, the one on which she clinched her first championship in 2017, the one on which she raced to an NHRA national record 338.94 miles per hour in 2022 and the one on which she watched her dad, Hall of Famer John Force, win a record 17 times.

“I love this racetrack because it always has such a nostalgic feel to me,” she said. “My sisters and I grew up at the Pomona dragstrip riding in my dad’s tow car with his crew guys and watching race day from the stands. Continue reading →

POMONA, CA – Despite last year’s weather-induced anomaly in which he qualified 15th and bowed out in the first round, Austin Prock can’t wait to get his Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car back on the concrete and asphalt at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip this week for the 65th renewal of the Lucas Oil Winternationals, second oldest event in the Mission Drag Racing Series.

“Coming off a good weekend in Phoenix, I’m excited to get back into the groove.” said the reigning Mission Foods Champion. “Pomona is my favorite track on tour. The history and atmosphere of the place just gets me going and it’s just been good to me. We will try and get this Cornwell Tools/Hendrickcars.com Chevy in the finals again.”

The 29-year-old’s enthusiasm is not unwarranted considering the fact that he has reached the final round in five of nine career appearances at the iconic Los Angeles Country Fairgrounds track on which he became the first to break the 340 mile per hour barrier (a national record-setting 341.68 mph) during last November’s season-ending In-N-Out Burger Finals. Continue reading →

Beckman, Brittany Ousted in Semifinals at Arizona Nationals

PHOENIX, AZ – Reigning Funny Car World Champion Austin Prock’s bid to repeat as Arizona Nationals Champion went up in a cloud of tire smoke Sunday at Firebird Motorsports Park and with it his first opportunity to secure Funny Car win No. 300 for John Force Racing.

Trying to put the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS in the winners’ circle for the fourth straight year at Firebird (Robert Hight won in 2022 and 2023), Prock lost to journeyman Paul Lee, who had his own problems but got to the stripe first in 4.030 seconds at 313.22 miles per hour.

Prock, who reached the trophy round by narrowly defeating teammate Jack Beckman and the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevy in the semifinals, trailed in 4.507 seconds at only 240.68 mph, well off the 341.68 mph national record-setting speed to which he accelerated to last November at In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip, the venue to which the Mission Foods tour returns this week for the 65th annual Lucas Oil Winternationals.

Leaving Firebird without a trophy after putting all three cars in the semifinals was a bitter pill for even team owner John Force to swallow although the sport’s biggest winner remained typically upbeat. Continue reading →

Prock, Beckman and Brittany All Top Three at Arizona Nationals

PHOENIX, AZ – Jack Beckman kept his 2025 qualifying record perfect Saturday, and all three John Force Racing Chevrolets locked up advantageous starting positions for Sunday’s 40th NHRA Arizona Nationals at Firebird Motorsports Park.

Reigning Mission Foods Series and Arizona Nationals champion Austin Prock regained some of the swagger lost in a disappointing opening race at Gainesville, Fla., and will start his 341.68 mile per hour Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car from the No. 2 position Sunday on the strength of a Friday run of 3.883 seconds.

Beckman will launch his bid for a fourth desert victory from a No. 3 start in a PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevy SS that was quickest in both sessions Saturday even though it didn’t improve on Friday’s 3.895. Two-time World Champion Brittany Force will pursue her first Phoenix title from the No. 2 starting position in her national-and-track-record-holding Monster Energy dragster after failing to improve on Friday’s 3.705.

In fact, there were few position changes at all on the final day of preliminaries, especially at the top where Bob Tasca III retained the No. 1 spot in Funny Car and Doug Kalitta did the same in Top Fuel.  Continue reading →

Prock and Beckman Go 2-3 in Funny Car; Brittany Second to Kalitta in Top Fuel

PHOENIX, AZ – After an uncharacteristic performance in the season opener at Gainesville, Fla., reigning Funny Car World Champion Austin Prock looked more like his old dominant self Friday, coaxing his Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS to one of the three quickest runs in each of the first two qualifying sessions in 40th NHRA Arizona Nationals at Firebird Motorsports Park

The 29-year-old finished Day 1 in the provisional No. 2 position at 3.883 seconds, just a tick behind Bob Tasca III (3.863) and a tick ahead of John Force Racing teammate Jack Beckman (3.895), who continued to rack up qualifying bonus points in his PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevy.

Racing without the “mud flaps” that usually are positioned just in front of the rear tires on modern era Top Fuel dragsters like her Monster Energy Chevrolet, two-time World Champion Brittany Force also finished Friday in the provisional No. 2 position. Quickest in the first session, she wound up second behind only Doug Kalitta after negotiating the course in 3.705 seconds at 331.69 mph. Two final qualifying sessions Saturday will set the lineup for Sunday eliminations.

All three JFR entries are benefitting this week from the sponsor support of Phoenix-based Powers Affordable Housing and the moral support of John Powers III, one of Force’s former Funny Car rivals, who spent Friday in the JFR compound. Continue reading →