Photography: John Force Racing / Auto Imagery / Gary Nastase
JFR CHEVROLETS SOLIDLY IN FIELD AT PHOENIX
Prock, Beckman and Brittany All Top Three at Arizona Nationals
PHOENIX, Ariz. (March 22, 2025) – 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.
Nevertheless, Beckman turned heads with times of 3.925 and 3.930 seconds
that enabled him to extend to six, the number of consecutive sessions in
which he has earned at least one qualifying bonus point. That’s every
round of qualifying this year.
“I was actually really surprised when the time slip said 3.92 because
it spun (the tires) at the top end, put a hole out (dropped a cylinder)
and moved over,” said the 35-time Funny Car winner. “I really
didn’t expect it was going to be that quick. If we do this tomorrow,
we’re going to leave with the trophy.
“I could not be more confident, satisfied and enthusiastic with the
way our PEAK Chevy team has looked,” said the 2012 Funny Car World
Champion. “We were second quickest, third quickest, quickest and
quickest. And perhaps most important, the two sessions that we were the
quickest Funny Car out there were the conditions that are most likely
going to be replicated on race day.
“I love the fact that, as quick as our PEAK Chevy is on great, cool
racetracks, it might even be better, relative to the field, when things
get hot and nasty out there,” he said. “Can’t wait to suit up and
sweat on Sunday.”
Since last August when he took over the seat of the PEAK Chevy from
an injured John Force, “Fast Jack” has been top three in 24 of 35
qualifying sessions and quickest overall in 10.
The only Funny Car driver to have earned more bonus points over that
10-race span is Prock, who, on the way to the 2024 championship, was the
No. 1 qualifier at 15 of the 20 races. Prock’s best on Saturday was
3.951.
“Proud of our John Force Racing team this weekend,” said the driver
of drag racing’s quickest and fastest fuel Funny Car. “We haven’t
had this strong of a weekend as a whole in a while. Conditions are going
to be pretty similar tomorrow and all three of our race cars ran
phenomenal, so I’m looking forward to standing on the gas in this
Cornwell Tools / Hendrickcars.com Chevrolet SS and trying to turn on
four win-lights.”
Beckman will start Sunday against No. 14 qualifier Dave Richards; Prock
against No. 15 starter Buddy Hull. With only 14 Top Fuel cars
participating, Brittany will open her bid against No. 13 qualifier Steve
Chrisman.
“Good start to the weekend for this Monster Energy team,” Brittany
said. “We had three solid passes. We’re running pretty good,
especially in the heat and we’re excited to be teamed up this weekend
with Powers Affordable Housing. They’re based right here in Phoenix
and they’re definitely someone you want to check out.”
Sunday, she hopes to earn a breakthrough win in an event in which her
dad prevailed a record eight times. If she does, he’ll be there to
celebrate the moment.
“Qualifying was fun for me today, getting out there on the starting
line,” said the 16-time series champion. “I have no complaints. It
was some real drag racing. Cars ran good today and had no breakage. We
just have to get ready for tomorrow. Daniel Hood, Tim Fabrisi and Chris
Cunningham, they did a good job on the PEAK Chevy. (David) Grubnic did a
great job (on the dragster) and so did Jimmy Prock with his kid. Let’s
see where it goes tomorrow.”