John Force Racing's Austin Prock Getting Major NHRA Boost From Unexpected Source

• Prock calls his time out of the seat 'a blessing in disguise'

• Tuning guru Rahn Tobler comes out of retirement to join veteran crew chief Joe Barlam

• Diversified businessman Frank Tiegs is providing funding for Prock once again

Austin Prock said last week that he’s so thrilled to be campaigning a Top Fuel dragster again, with Montana Brand and Rocky Mountain Twist as his primary sponsor, he was “like, shaking right now, just talking about it.”

Prock, the 2019 NHRA rookie of the year, will compete full time for John Force Racing (JFR), thanks to Frank Tiegs increasing his investment in the Camping World Drag Racing Series’ Top Fuel class. Tiegs also owns Flav-R-Pac Fruits and Vegetables. His companies will rotate primary sponsorship of Brittany Force’s JFR dragster, as well.

Tuning Prock’s dragster, the fourth in the JFR arsenal will be veteran Joe Barlam, who guided Force’s top-five finish last season, and multiple-time championship crew chief Rahn Tobler, who had announced his retirement last January.

Tobler, most recently, tuned Ron Capps' Don Schumacher Racing Funny Car.

JFR team owner John Force said that after he had to park Prock’s dragster, “I fought to get it back, because I promised the Prock family. And Frank Tiegs made that possible.”

Grateful is the perfect word for Prock, who at age 26 is the youngest in the Top Fuel class (last year's youngest in class was Justin Ashley, 27, who is eight months older).

“I can’t wait to stand on the gas again," Prock said. "It’s been way too long. Two years was a long time to sit around and wonder if I was ever going to do it again. Now I’m back.

“This is my lifelong dream. I got to live out my dream at 23 years old in 2019, and when that got taken away from me, it made me depressed, honestly. It was tough going out to the racetrack and watching all my peers go and do what I love to do. So I’m happy to be back.”