NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

One of the most unexpected dramas of the NHRA offseason began when two-time NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Funny Car world champion Austin Prock and his family-led team made the shocking decision to leave their longtime home at John Force Racing and ended when it was announced Jan. 15 that they had teamed with fellow Funny Car owner/driver Bob Tasca III and Tasca Racing for the 2026 season.

The announcement sent shockwaves through the sport. Prock, who grew up inside the walls of John Force Racing and helped deliver consecutive Funny Car championships, will now pilot the Dark Horse Ford Mustang, and for the first time, he opened up during a national NHRA teleconference.

“It actually came together very fast,” he explained. “We had some talks with John Force, and things didn’t go as we envisioned. Then all of a sudden, we were shaking hands with Bob Tasca. It definitely wasn’t on my bingo card.”

For Prock, the decision came down to something deeply personal.

“My family wanted to continue racing together,” he said. “This was the opportunity that allowed us to do that. Bob offered to bring the whole family together, and we took it. We’re very excited.”

The move became concrete late in last year's Countdown to the Championship playoffs, roughly a race and a half from the end of the season. Complicating matters was the need for secrecy as Prock continued competing for a championship with JFR.

“It was tough,” Prock admitted. “I’m a very open person. I don’t like hiding things. But when you put that helmet on, you shut your brain off and go to work. That’s part of being a professional.”

He did just that, navigating the Countdown while knowing a seismic career change loomed not just for him but the team as well, especially the mechanical side.

After spending decades in the insulated ecosystem of John Force Racing, the Prock family now finds itself forging new supplier relationships and building infrastructure from scratch.

“About 95% of everything is different,” Prock said. “We’re waiting on parts, waiting on equipment. Getting parts on time has been the biggest challenge.

“When you’re at JFR, you’re in your own bubble. You walk out into the real world and everything’s different. But we’re working through it. You don’t really know until you pour the nitro in and stand on the gas."

What isn’t changing is the nucleus of the team. Thirteen crewmembers made the move together, a critical factor in Prock’s confidence heading into the season.

“Those guys are my family,” he said. “They know their jobs to a T. Having them with us makes this transition so much easier.”

Testing in Gainesville will mark the first true answer to months of bench racing and late nights.

“I'm grinding right now. I've been in the race shop seven days a week. I took three days off to go get engaged to my now-fiancé, Katlynn. And other than that, I've been in the shop every single day, just grinding with the boys and getting this Ford Mustang Dark Horse ready. Every inch of this car is being gone through.”

Leaving John Force Racing meant leaving one of the sport’s most passionate fan bases, and Prock understands the reaction hasn’t been universally positive.

“If you’re an Austin Prock fan, you’re an Austin Prock fan,” he said. “A lot of people are John Force fans, and they root for whoever’s in that seat. That’s just the reality.

“Nobody wants to be the bad guy. But if I'm the bad guy for the series, someone's got to be it. The thing that's going to aggravate them the most is when we start winning. If we drop the door in Gainesville, I keep saying, 'We're going to drop the door and run .84,’ so that's kind of our motto right now, we're prepping to do that, and when we start turning on win lights, they're going to be the angry ones, and I'll be smiling in victory lane with the trophy. 

"I always race with a chip on my shoulder. I always have something to prove to myself. So, I'm definitely hungry.”