Prock's Strong Pomona Charge Stopped Early by Safety System Malfunction

Tasca Racing driver Austin Prock showed progress at NHRA Winternationals despite first-round exit

Apr. 12, 2026 at 10:36pm

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

A fragmented, geometric painting depicting the dynamic motion and power of a Funny Car race, with overlapping planes of bright primary colors.A cubist interpretation of the high-octane action and technical challenges of NHRA Funny Car racing.Pomona Today

Tasca Racing driver Austin Prock had a strong qualifying performance at the 2026 NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, California, setting the team's quickest pass of the season. However, a malfunction in the safety system prematurely shut off Prock's car in the first round of eliminations, resulting in an early exit.

Why it matters

The Winternationals is one of the premier events on the NHRA calendar, and Prock's performance indicates the Tasca Racing team is making progress with their Funny Car program early in the 2026 season. Despite the disappointing first-round loss, the team showed they have a car capable of competing with the top teams in the series.

The details

Prock qualified fifth after posting his best run of the weekend, a 3.967-second pass at 323.58 mph in the final qualifying session. In the opening round of eliminations, Prock had a strong 0.063 reaction time and was running well early in the run, but a malfunction in the safety system prematurely shut off the car, resulting in a 4.945-second pass at 157.23 mph.

  • Prock posted a 4.593-second run at 278.46 mph in the first qualifying session.
  • In the second qualifying session, Prock ran a 4.015 at 312.86 mph before a dropped cylinder cut the run short.
  • Prock's third qualifying pass resulted in a 6.005-second run after the car overpowered the track.
  • Prock closed out qualifying with a 3.967 at 323.58 mph, securing the fifth position on the eliminations ladder.
  • Prock faced Jason Rupert in the opening round of eliminations on Sunday.

The players

Austin Prock

The driver of the PPG Nitro Mustang Funny Car for Tasca Racing.

Tasca Racing

The race team that fields the PPG Nitro Mustang Funny Car driven by Austin Prock.

Jason Rupert

The driver that Prock faced in the opening round of eliminations.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“We're making progress. This PPG Mustang showed it can run with the best cars out here. We had a car capable of winning first round today, and while the result didn't go our way, the performance gains are real. There's more in this car, and we're heading in the right direction.”

— Austin Prock, Driver

What’s next

Tasca Racing now shifts its focus to the 4 Wide Nationals in Charlotte, the next event on the NHRA schedule, building on the performance gains and momentum established in Pomona.

The takeaway

Despite the early elimination, Prock and the Tasca Racing team showed significant progress with their Funny Car program, posting their quickest pass of the season and indicating they have a car capable of competing with the top teams in the NHRA. The team will look to build on this momentum as they head to the next event in Charlotte.