The second stop of the NHRA Countdown brought plenty of fireworks as Austin Prock, Justin Ashley, Dallas Glenn, and Richard Gadson all scored huge wins at the NHRA 4-Wide Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway. It was the first time four-wide racing has ever been part of the playoffs, and it shook things up in the Countdown standings.

Funny Car points leader Austin Prock showed why he’s the reigning champ, winning the first four-wide playoff race in NHRA history. Prock powered his Cornwell Tools Chevy SS to a 3.912 at 332 mph to beat Matt Hagan, Chad Green, and Dan Wilkerson in the final quad. The win was Prock’s eighth of the year, 20th of his career, and completed a season sweep of all three four-wide events.

“That was a big win, especially after everything that went on in the semifinals when a few of the front-runners went out and we capitalized on it,” Prock said. “We extended our lead a little bit going into St. Louis next weekend, and there’s only four [races] left, so it was good to keep up our performance this weekend and extend our points lead. To get it done here in Charlotte for HendrickCars.com is really special. Mr. H [Rick Hendrick] is pretty, pretty pumped right now.

“The ‘Prock Rocket’ was on point all weekend. Our package just seemed suited for Bruton Smith race tracks. I wasn’t my typical self on the starting line this weekend. I was good, but not where I wanted to be, but the car ran good enough, and our total package was good enough to win.”

In Top Fuel, Justin Ashley turned in a masterclass on the starting line. He edged Doug Kalitta, Shawn Langdon, and Clay Millican with a 3.784 at 329.83 thanks to a killer .043 light. Earlier, Ashley pulled off the first triple holeshot in Top Fuel history to get past Langdon, Brittany Force, and Tony Stewart. The win was his 19th career victory and moves him to second in points, just 38 behind Kalitta.

“It’s a great feeling. Obviously, winning any four-wide race, or any race for that matter, is great, but to win it right here for the first four-wide race in the fall that NHRA has ever had in the Countdown, this was a critical day for us,” Ashley said. “When you look through some of those quads, even specifically when you get to those final two rounds, it’s just brutal. The margin for error now is so small. Obviously, four races left, but these races are hard to win, so I’m a firm believer in the fact that you have to enjoy them when they come before shifting your focus to the next one.

“If the car is not put together the same way each and every time, the reaction times are not going to be good, or they’re not going to be within a certain window. Holeshots can be misleading because it really is a team effort. You have to collectively look at the combination together, and then hopefully at the end of the day, it leads to results that you’re looking for.”

Pro Stock’s Dallas Glenn stayed perfect in the Countdown with back-to-back wins. Glenn ripped off a 6.554 at 209.95 to beat Greg Anderson, Erica Enders, and Aaron Stanfield in the final. It marked his sixth win of the season and third straight at zMAX Dragway. Glenn now has a 79-point lead over Anderson and is building serious momentum.

“I knew I had a fantastic car coming in, so I really just wanted to try to keep the momentum,” Glenn said. “I really felt like I let everybody down in Indy when I let my foot up a little against Erica [Enders]. I made that mistake. So, I just wanted to come into this race, and step it up just a little bit more and be a little more aggressive.”

“You look at the ladder and you’re like, this is going to be a tough day, so you just got to try to bring your A-game. I made a small pedal [adjustment] and went up there and just tried to do everything I could do kind of throw a Hail Mary and hope it stuck.”

“I think I have 79 points right now, so I still count that as basically three rounds, because that’s what it’s going to be in Pomona. I want to keep my foot on their throats and keep pressure on until they hand me a trophy.”

Richard Gadson made the most of his opportunity in PSM, grabbing his third win of the year and first in the Countdown. Riding his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki, Gadson went 6.803 at 199.55 to beat Matt Smith, Angie Smith, and Jianna Evaristo. The victory also moved him into the points lead for the first time in his career.

“When you say points leader, I just can’t believe you’re talking about me,” Gadson said. “Sometimes, when I’m at home and I look at the points and even see my name in second place, I have to read it twice because I just can’t believe it’s really me in this position.”

“You know, you just want to avenge your team. You’re racing against three bikes from a rival team, and you don’t want to go up there and do anything stupid. If they’re going to outrun you, then that’s going to be what it is. You just don’t want to beat yourself, and when you’re the lone ranger up there racing for your team, you carry it with a little bit more pride. These bikes are really easy to do something stupid on.”

The Countdown continues at World Wide Technology Raceway in St. Louis with the NHRA Midwest Nationals, where every round will matter as championship pressure continues to build.

Top Fuel — Justin Ashley, 3.784 seconds, 329.83 mph def. Doug Kalitta, 3.784 seconds, 332.84 mph and Shawn Langdon, 3.814 seconds, 334.24 mph and Clay Millican, 4.235 seconds, 195.19 mph;

Funny Car — Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 3.912, 332.43 def. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.952, 324.12 and Daniel Wilkerson, Ford Mustang, 4.389, 195.87 and Chad Green, Mustang, foul;

Pro Stock — Dallas Glenn, Chevy Camaro, 6.554, 209.95 def. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.562, 209.01 and Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.572, 209.20 and Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 13.390, 65.73;

Pro Stock Motorcycle — Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.803, 199.55 def. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.821, 199.37 and Angie Smith, Buell, 6.842, 198.99 and Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 6.943, 197.05;

Top Alcohol Dragster — Matthew Cummings, 5.182, 276.86 def. Jon Bradford, 5.225, 274.78 and Jackie Fricke, 5.215, 273.72 and Joey Severance, 6.710, 135.44;

Top Alcohol Funny Car — Brian Hough, Chevy Camaro, 5.548, 262.08 def. Sean Bellemeur, Camaro, 5.464, 266.11 and Chip Beverett, Camaro, 12.561, 56.21 and Bob McCosh, Camaro, broke;

Competition Eliminator — Wes Leopold, Dodge Stratus, 7.876, 168.89 def. Larry Pritchett, Pontiac Sunfire, 7.915, 157.06.

Super Stock — Byron Worner, Chevy Camaro, 9.958, 116.42 def. Marion Stephenson, Chevy Cobalt, 9.781, 142.40.

Stock Eliminator — Morgan Taylor, Chevy Nova, 10.567, 121.02 def. Jeff Longhany, Chevy Corvette, 10.609, 122.23.

Super Comp — Allan Ackles, Dragster, 8.917, 177.56 def. Tori Iacono, Dragster, 8.912, 174.44.

Super Gas — David Griffith, Chevy Camaro, 9.912, 156.92 def. JJ Brock, Camaro, 9.925, 160.23.

Top Sportsman — Sandy Wilkins, Chevy Camaro, 6.339, 210.37 def. Jeff Brooks, Henry J, Foul – Red Light.

Pro Modified — Billy Banaka, Chevy Camaro, 6.551, 140.63 def. Mike Castellana, Camaro, broke and Sidnei Frigo, Camaro, broke and Mason Wright, Camaro, broke;

Mountain Motor Pro Stock — Vincent Nobile, Chevy Camaro, 6.306, 221.38 def. Mike Coughlin, Camaro, 6.342, 222.55.