The John Force Racing (JFR) machine continues to rumble forward in 2025. Since the Countdown to the Championship has started, the pressure to win each weekend has grown exponentially. The JFR teams are rolling into zMax ready to grab some four-wide glory during the NHRA 4-Wide Carolina Nationals.

Brittany Force Ready to Dig In at First-Ever Four-Wide Countdown Race

Brittany Force and her HendrickCars.com Top Fuel team know the margin for error is razor thin as the NHRA Countdown barrels into the NHRA 4-Wide Carolina Nationals. Sitting seventh in the standings after a tough second-round exit in Reading, the two-time world champ is still right in the fight, only five points behind Clay Millican and Shawn Reed, who are tied for fifth. Justin Ashley sits just 22 points ahead in fourth, and third-place Shawn Langdon is 39 points up.

That means Force is well within striking distance as the series rolls into zMAX Dragway, though this time with a twist, the first-ever four-wide race in Countdown history.

“Having the 4-Wide in the Countdown definitely changes things up. I’m very routine and am not thrilled about running 4-Wide this late in the season, but I know our HendrickCars.com dragster will adapt to it like we need to. People come from all over to watch 4-wide, so I’m excited to put on a great show,” Force explains.

If there’s an upside, it’s the rhythm of the schedule. The first three playoff races run back-to-back-to-back with the tour hitting Reading, Charlotte, then St. Louis on consecutive weeks. This is something Force believes will keep her and the crew locked in.

“I love that we are running three races in a row to kick off this Countdown. We just came out of Reading, head straight into Charlotte, and then end with St Louis. No time off keeps your head in the game. It keeps the team’s momentum building. Coming off a difficult weekend at Maple Grove, we’re all ready to put that event behind us and jump right into the next one,” Force says.

Force and her HendrickCars.com team aren’t overthinking the points chase just yet. The plan is the same as always: stack up bonus points in qualifying, stay consistent, and make sure they’re in position to go rounds on Sunday.

“Our approach remains the same, one weekend at a time,” Force said. “We are chasing at this point, and we will focus on one run at a time. We need to step up our qualifying and are aiming for a top 5 position going into Sunday. Bonus points add up, so we will be working on consistent runs down the racetrack. With success here in the past, this HendrickCars.com team needs a winner circle finish this weekend,” Force states.

Jack Beckman Confident in New Car Heading Into Four-Wide Carolina Nationals

Jack Beckman is no stranger to success at zMAX Dragway. With three career wins at the track,  including the Fall race back in 2008, “Fast Jack” knows what it takes to leave Charlotte with the trophy. Now, as the Countdown to the Championship rolls into the first-ever four-wide playoff event at the NHRA Mission Foods 4-Wide Carolina Nationals, Beckman is sitting second in Funny Car points and eyeing another trip to the winner’s circle.

Beckman trails teammate Austin Prock by 25 markers, but he’s keeping heavy hitters like Ron Capps, Paul Lee, and Matt Hagan in the rearview. He knows the four-wide format can shake things up in a hurry.

“This likely will be the first and last time that we race a 4-Wide in the Countdown,” Beckman said. “It’s kind of a two-for-one in the final round. Two cars will get what you’d normally call semifinal points, one gets points for winning that round, and the first car basically gets a 40-point round instead of 20. It’s an interesting format, but at the end of the day it doesn’t matter. Our goal is to leave with the trophy, and the points fix themselves if you keep leaving with the trophy,” Beckman explains

That confidence also comes from a brand-new PEAK Chevy Funny Car the team rolled out at Maple Grove. After nine runs, including testing, Beckman says the car hasn’t thrown them any surprises. That’s a good sign for a team that thrives in all conditions.

“What I like about this new car is it didn’t throw us any curveballs. Sometimes, you’ve got one that gives you a little bit more speed early or vice versa, and you have to compensate for that. To this point, we haven’t had to do that. We’re in that time of year where, at any given racetrack, you could have both that hero run if you get cool overcast conditions or you can have those summer runs where you’re running in the heat of the day. When we started the year with the other car, I thought we had an excellent car in the cool conditions and maybe the best car in hot conditions, so I think it’s going to take that sort of versatility,” Beckman says.

With half the Countdown packed into three straight weekends, he knows the grind is real, but he’s not letting it faze him.

“I’ve just chosen to accept the philosophy that it is what it is. That’s what the schedule is, and there’s no changing that, so I am absolutely comfortable with whether we do four in a row or skip a week. Half of our Countdown will be over in three weeks, and I think that’s why it’s so important to stay on top of the little things. Our guys serviced the car at Maple Grove, and they’ll take it straight down to Charlotte, and I would strongly suspect after Charlotte, they’ve got the flexibility of going back to Indy because the St. Louis race is so close,” states.

Beckman and the PEAK Chevy crew have the experience, the equipment, and the track record at zMAX to be a major threat in Charlotte. And if history is any indicator, he’s more than capable of tightening the points chase before the Countdown hits its halfway mark.

Austin Prock Chasing History at NHRA 4-Wide Carolina Nationals

Austin Prock and the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car team are rolling into zMAX Dragway with momentum, confidence, and the chance to make some serious history. The 2025 Funny Car points leader is not only the defending champion at the Carolina Nationals, but he’s also chasing an unprecedented streak in four-wide competition.

Prock has already won this year’s spring four-wide events in Las Vegas and Charlotte. A win this weekend would make him the first driver to ever sweep three consecutive four-wide races in a single season, and his third straight victory at zMAX Dragway.

“I think that it’s just all the stars have been aligning. This Cornwell Tools race car typically runs good at Charlotte and Las Vegas. It’s just kind of shaken out in our favor. It would be outstanding to get a win in the Countdown, but to go three straight in Charlotte and be the first to ever win three 4-Wides in one year would be pretty special,” Prock says.

The numbers back up just how tight the fight is in Funny Car. Prock’s lead sits at 25 points over teammate Jack Beckman, 29 over Ron Capps, 35 over Paul Lee, and 55 over Matt Hagan. Even with the pressure of being the points leader, Prock isn’t changing his mindset.

“I don’t think we adjust our approach. We go up there and we try and kill it every time we stand on the gas, so I don’t think we adjust our approach. We just have to do the best we can and, hopefully, it’s good enough to turn on the win light. Believe it or not, we have a bigger point lead than we did going into Reading, by five points, which is shocking. We got lucky and caught a break there. it would’ve been nice to capitalize on it, but it’s that stuff’s going to happen, unfortunately,” Prock explains.

The grind of the Countdown doesn’t seem to bother him either. With the first three races jammed into consecutive weekends, Prock is more than happy to stay strapped in.

“I like having the races back-to-back, you know. I just love being in the seat. You know, any weekend that I can get behind the wheel of this Cornwell Tools Chevrolet, I’m excited about it. Having three in a row to get the Countdown started is a lot of fun, but those off weekends during the Countdown is what’s painful, especially when you’re in the heat of the championship battle and you know you have off time to just sit and stew and think. I think I could say for any of us that we’d all rather be at the race track,” Prock States.

Prock has a chance to make history in Charlotte, but more importantly, he has an opportunity to put some distance between himself and the hungry pack of contenders chasing him. If the stars align again, as they have all season, fans at zMAX could witness another milestone moment in Funny Car racing.