NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

The NHRA U.S. Nationals always mark a turning point in the NHRA season. With the points reset and only six races left, the Countdown to the Championship is less a marathon than a sprint. For Funny Car, the storyline is clear: Defending champion Austin Prock leads the charge, veteran Jack Beckman lurks just behind, and four-time world champ Matt Hagan is in striking distance.

Each brings a different outlook, as outlined during a national teleconference, but all three know the margin for error is razor-thin.

Back-to-back wins at the U.S. Nationals have cemented Prock’s reputation as a rising star who already performs like a veteran. Still, he knows the reset means nothing is guaranteed.

“We had one of the most dominant performances in Funny Car history last year,” Prock said. “We’ve come out this year and matched that, and actually have one more win than we did at this point last season. But the points reset after Indy, and everything can change. We just have to keep doing what we’ve been doing.

“Last year, we rolled into the Countdown and won Reading and Charlotte back-to-back. When you can do that, it puts a lot of pressure on everybody else and gives you a little bit of a pad. That’s what gave us the edge to win the championship.”

Still, Prock insists he’s not satisfied with even the exemplary season he’s had so far. He’s always his own worst critic, demanding perfection from himself.

“I’m really strict on myself,” he admitted. “Even though we are having success, you’re still so hungry to turn on those win lights. Winning never gets old. I want to keep adding my name to the history book.”

Few drivers understand the thin margins of the Countdown better than Beckman, who claimed the 2012 championship by just two points. In 2015, he dominated the regular season, only to see Del Worsham outpace him in the Countdown. That perspective shapes how he approaches every round.

“Short of having a crystal ball, you have no idea if 10 rounds will clinch it, or if you’re going to need 21,” Beckman said. “That’s why every single session matters. I’ve won a championship by two points. That’s two qualifying positions on a Friday.”

Beckman enters the Countdown with momentum and a brand-new Peak Chevy that showed promise in testing.

“This is the time of year when you pull out all the stops,” he explained. “We stayed and tested Monday at Indy with a brand-new car. It ran so good, I think we’re going to race it. It’s time to go out there and swing hard every run.”

After taking over for injured John Foce last year and contending to the title on Force’s behalf, this year’s championship would have Beckman’s name on it.

“If you ask anybody who races, ‘How many trophies do you have?’ the correct answer is one less than I want," he said. "You never get one and say, ‘Great, that’s exactly as many as I wanted.’ There’s always that motivation.”

Hagan has been here before. A four-time champion, he knows how to balance aggression with patience over six races.

“Talk about a tough field: Austin’s team dominated all year,” Hagan said. “Now that we’ve drilled him back to 27 points away, we have to capitalize on that. You can’t give those guys any rope because they play tug-of-war pretty well."

Hagan has thrived in the Countdown era, collecting all four of his championships (2011, 2014, 2020, 2021) under the six-race playoff format. He’s also endured the heartbreak, most famously in 2010, when he lost the title to John Force by just two points after a first-round Reading upset.

With six races on the schedule, that’s the only number that’s certain. How many do you have to win? How many mistakes can you make? Even Hagan isn’t certain of the calculus.

“You feel like you got to win at least one or two out of the six, and then you’ve got to have some really good races along with that,” he said. “Maybe one first-round loss, but the rest of the time it’s semi's or better. Then you’ve got a real shot.”

His newly formed team, with Mike Knudsen and Phil Shuler calling the shots, has kept him in the mix, and the team has really hit its stride.

“My job is to leave on time, keep it in the groove, and turn the win light on,” he said. “I’ve got to trust the guys around me. We’ve got great chemistry this year. When you give me 10 guys with a smile on their face and a hand, you know, wrench in their hand, I feel like we're going to turn on some win lights.

“We've got guys showing up early and leaving late. They're a very goal-oriented, very driven group right now, and they're still hungry to win. Between Jack and Austin, they haven't left any wins for anybody else. So, we're all very hungry, you know. Don ‘the Snake' Prudhomme said one time, ‘A hungry lion hunts better,’ so it makes you get up on the wheel, makes our guys do that extra, maybe push a little harder.”