Austin Prock has lived most of his racing life inside the John Force Racing bubble, rising through the system from a kid in high school to a two-time NHRA Funny Car world champion. But as the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series approaches, the 30-year-old is stepping into unfamiliar territory and bringing his entire family with him.
Prock was formally introduced last week as the driver of the Tasca Racing QuickLane/Motorcraft/PPG Ford Mustang Dark Horse, one of the most high-profile moves of the offseason and the centerpiece of a reshuffled Funny Car landscape.
“This has been massive news,” Prock said as he addressed members of the media on Tuesday. “My family wanted to continue racing together, and this was the opportunity we had. Bob Tasca offered to bring the whole family together, and we took the gig.”
The move came together with surprising speed. For much of the 2025 season, Prock believed he would remain at JFR, the only nitro organization he had ever worked with. But negotiations didn’t go the way his family hoped.
“It actually came together very quickly. We had some talks with John Force, and things didn’t go how we envisioned they would go, and all of a sudden, we were shaking hands with Bob Tasca. It definitely wasn’t on my bingo card in 2025, but life changes sometimes,” Austin explains.
The shift means substantial technical changes for the reigning champion. Nearly every part has been swapped or re-engineered as the Prock family rebuilds the entire Funny Car operation in Tasca’s Rhode Island facility.
“I would say 95 percent of everything is being changed,” Prock says. “Getting parts on time is the biggest problem right now. But it’s going to have a Ford Mustang Dark Horse on it, Weld wheels, Goodyears, and nitro in the tank.”
The lack of familiarity extends even to the basics, Prock adds. “We walked into a race team that was obviously functioning, and when we came in, none of them were there. We had to figure out where the tools were at. It’s head to toe what we’re changing and what we’re organizing.”
“When you race at John Force Racing, you’re kind of in your own world, your own bubble. My dad spent about 25 years there, and I spent about 15. When you’re there, you have access to all of this tooling, all of these parts that you can only get in that building. So when you walk outside into the real world, everything’s a lot different. So we’re having to make relationships with parts manufacturers.”
But the most important pieces, he says, came with him: all 13 team members. “Those guys are my family. Each and every one of them does a phenomenal job. Having them come with us makes this transition so much easier. We all enjoy working together, and when we win, it’s just a little bit sweeter, he says. “As I said in my championship speech, it’s the people that you surround yourself with that put in the work that make you excel in this category in this sport.”
Prock knows leaving JFR, which has one of the most devoted fan bases in the sport, creates tension. He isn’t blind to the criticism, either.
“If you’re an Austin Prock fan, you’re an Austin Prock fan,” he says. “There are three sides to the story: my side, his side, and the truth. But we made our decision based on wanting to race as a family. Dale Earnhardt was one of the most hated drivers in the [NASCAR] series, so it’s not always a bad thing. 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 and start turning on win lights, they’re going to be the angry ones, and I’ll be smiling in victory lane with the trophy.”
Jordan Vandergriff, himself a rising star and separated from Prock in age by just seven months, will step into the seat of JFR’s championship-winning Cornwell Tools Funny Car vacated by Prock. While a rivalry would seem natural, Prock insists he’s supportive of his replacement.
“I love Jordan, and I’m very excited that he got the opportunity. When all of this came about, I had my fingers crossed that me leaving would do something good for the sport and hopefully give a young kid an opportunity over there. And I was hoping that it was going to be Jordan, and that’s exactly what happened. So I’m excited for him. He’s got a big learning curve ahead of him, but he’s focused, and he’s ready.
“I’ll help him out any way that I can if he ever needs advice, but he’s got a ton of great teachers over there. Jack Beckman obviously worked for Frank Hawley’s driving school, and he’s a great coach. I learned from Jack, and I know Jordan can, as well. When we put on the helmets, I’m rivals with everybody, if there’s 20 Funny Cars out there, they’re all my rivals on Sunday.”
Tasca, who yielded his own seat for Prock, has reinforced the confidence the young champion driver has. “He told me early on he wouldn’t get out of the seat for anybody except me,” Prock says. “That meant a lot. Honestly, I felt bad taking his ride away, but this is the decision he made. He’s said this is the most excited he’s ever been for an NHRA season.”
That support extends to Ford Racing, which Prock joined at the manufacturer’s preseason launch in Detroit, along with stars of Formula 1, NASCAR, and beyond. “They spare no expense. They do things the right way. To be on that list is very exciting,” Prock shares.
Prock admits keeping the impending move quiet through the playoffs was mentally draining, but he compartmentalized it as he chased a second championship in a row.
“You’re paid to be a professional race car driver. The best drivers block out anything going on in their personal lives. You shut your brain off and go to work,” Prock says.
The internal rivalry element hasn’t been lost on him, as both he and Tasca are the only two drivers to record 341 mph Funny Car runs, something they joke about often. “It’s crazy we went the same exact speed down to the hundredth of a mile-per-hour. We’ll definitely have a ‘two-time 341’ shirt coming out,” he adds with a laugh.
With testing at Gainesville only weeks away, Prock says the team is “ready to rip.”
“We’re grinding. I’ve been in the shop seven days a week, took three days off to get engaged, and that’s it. We’re creating something new, trying to create something better. Both of our families run deep in motorsports. These two families coming together, we’re planning on it being a dynasty.”
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