Austin Prock: 'I felt pretty confident going that we were going to have the car to beat'
Paul Lee: 'It’s going to be great just to see our friends and the fans'
Jack Beckman: 'I don’t know if anyone wants to get back more than me'
Tim Wilkerson: 'I don’t think they’re ready for my attitude. It’s gonna be fun'
Kenny Delco: 'We were fast, we qualified fourth at Pomona and Phoenix'
Steve Torrence: 'You’ve got to come out and swing for every one of ’em'
Cristian Cuadra: 'I think I’m doing well, but I have a lot of room to improve'
Tommy Johnson Jr.: 'I’ve not wanted to win a championship more than this year'
Brittany Force: 'We’re ready for all this to be over so we get back to what we love'
Robert Hight: 'I can’t wait to get back and try to defend our championship'
Alex Laughlin: 'All we have to do is shove the car back in the trailer, and we are ready to go racing'
Shawn Langdon: 'I’m trying to stay as fresh as I can so we can be ready to go'
Chris McGaha: 'We’ve come up with some new ideas and we’ve beaten on some things'
J.R. Todd: 'I have all the confidence that we will be in contention when it counts'
Clay Millican: 'I can’t wait to stomp on that loud pedal ... it’s been way too long'
Bob Tasca III: 'Trust me, this Motorcraft car is going to have its day in the sun'
Antron Brown: 'I’ve been doing everything I can; I’m gonna come back hungry and ready'
Jason Line: 'It doesn’t matter what track we start with, the cars will all be ready to go when we get the call'
Fernando Cuadra Jr: 'We’re applying many of the things we learned from the first two races'
John Force: 'I’ll be ready. I know the car. I could drive it with my eyes closed'
Rahn Tobler maps out plans and goals for the NAPA Auto Parts Funny Car team
Leah Pruett: 'This is not the time to test or play; it’s time to run with what we know'
Ron Capps: 'It’s going to feel crazy the first time any of us steps on the gas for the first time'
Doug Kalitta: 'We’re all just really hungry and ready to make it happen'
Bo Butner: 'I feel like when we all come back racing we’ll be stronger than ever!'
Jeg Coughlin Jr: 'It’s time to go. Every round will be as important as the last'
Matt Hartford: 'We have a car that can run for the championship—bar none'
Alexis DeJoria: 'I just hope that everybody makes it back to the track safely'
Justin Ashley: 'Having a break like this really puts things in perspective'
Erica Enders: 'Our great start proves the organization’s hard work is paying off'
Austin Prock: 'I felt pretty confident going that we were going to have the car to beat'
AUSTIN PROCK | Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist dragster
Current points position: 4th | Best season e.t. to date:.3.678
Early-season report card: The reigning rookie of the year showed that his road to the future remains a steady one as he reached his second career final round at the season opener. Mike Green and new assistant Joe Barlam tuned him to the No. 2 qualifying spot with a 3.680 and then back-to-back 3.678s in rounds two and three to reach the final but went up in instant smoke there against Doug Kalitta. Phoenix was a tough outing for the team as they qualified just No. 11 and were trailered in round one by more instant smoke in round one against Billy Torrence.
Looking back: “We had a good Vegas test and the car was really fast, but it was really edgy. It would go down the track and look perfect and safe but if there was even a pebble on the track, it would throw up. We smoked the tires in the final in Pomona but we thought it was just because the left lane was a little bald and we might not have been lined up in the exact spot we wanted to be, but when we went into Phoenix it kept doing the same thing and we figured we were just a little bit over-tuned.”
Looking ahead: “After the 60-foot clock, the car was beautiful -– it couldn’t look any better –- but it was just a little iffy right at the initial quarter-turn of the tire, so we stayed and tested in Phoenix after the race. We made some adjustments and got it to leave safer and fast as well. We had to change the whole first second of the run and because everything adds on to that, it ruins everything else about the combination, but I felt pretty confident going into Gainesville and that we were going to have the car to beat.”
Shop talk: “We finally got to go back to the shop [May 18], so it was nice to see some faces and have some normality back in our lives, but we really haven’t done much to the car since testing. On a personal note, I’m having a new house built that should be ready in July and I shaved my head. I’m kind of digging it. It’s low maintenance. I can wake up with no bed head and be able to use a bottle of shampoo for about three years because I only need about a thimble full and it’s lightweight, so Mike Green will like that.”
The final word: “Life sucks without racing. My dad and I are both in the same boat. I’ve done nothing but race every weekend for 25 years and he’s the same way coming on 50 years, so it’s a whirlwind of change, but hopefully everything gets ironed out and we can go back racing. When something like this happens, it makes you appreciate how lucky you are being able to drive race cars for a living.”