Tasca Racing's Finds Victory Lane in Maryland, A strong build upon Chicago
Austin Prock and Tasca Racing's hard work was rewarded at the NHRA Potomac Nationals at Maryland International Raceway, driving the PPG Paints Ford Mustang Dark Horse. Friday and Saturday Qualifying was competitive, But Sunday is where it all came together for the team.
Consistency Is Key
Friday Qualifying would get off to a strong start, as Austin would line up against Cruz Pedregon in Q1. Austin would launch off with a 0.88 Reaction Time and set a 4.1 ET at 316mph. A clean first run for the team that would set him up in 12th going in to Q2. Q2 would continue to keep that momentum up, with a solid pass of 4.036 at 316MPH against JR Todd, which would place him into the top half of the field despite dropping cylinders at the top end.
Heading into Saturday's Q3, Austin would run against Chad Green and set a 4.159 ET at 277.66 mph with a reaction time of 0.72. This run would qualify him 4th heading into the final round of qualifying against Matt Hagan. Austin would set his second fastest run in qualifying that weekend, a 4.079 ET at 312.57 mph, although dropping cylinders at the top end. He would end the 4 rounds of qualifying in 11th spot.
Survive The Gauntlet
Sunday Eliminations kicked off with a strong first round matchup against Matt Hagan, and Austin would prevail, making his quickest pass of the weekend with a 3.977 ET at 323.19 MPH and taking down a juggernaut in the first round. He would face the 3rd place qualifier, Spencer Hyde, in the second round of eliminations.
Austin would continue his run through the rounds, taking down Hyde in a close drag race until the top half. Austin would take the win with a 3.999 ET at 321.88 MPH with a 0.65 Reaction Time. He would move into the Semi-Finals against Ron Capps, matching his best finish of the season so far.
Heading into the Semi-Finals against Ron Capps, Austin Prock would have starting line advantage against Capps and would take the left lane. Austin would launch with a 0.67 RT to Ron Capps .080 and from there, he would be clear down track. Austin would win the round with a 3.998 ET at 323.12 MPH and move on to the final round against his former teammate and #1 qualifier, Jack Beckman.
Austin would enter the final round after running through the gauntlet as the #11 qualifier to face off against #1, Jack Beckman. Austin would line up in the right lane for the final, get starting line advantage and launch off with a 0.63 ET to Jack's 0.76. Austin would lead Beckman down the track and not let up, taking Austin's first win of the season with a 3.956 ET at 324.20 MPH. The slow-build of results over the season ultimately culminated in this new combo at Tasca Racing achieving their first win light.
"I said we were going to have a racecar to compete for a championship, and you bet your *** we do"
This win would be his and Tasca Racing's first win of the season and his 22nd of his career, moving him up to 9th in standings and continuing the teams upward rise towards the top of the standings in the 7th round of the season. The hunt for championship is on for Tasca Racing and Austin Prock.
The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series continues in New Hampshire for the NHRA New England Nationals Presented By bproauto, Jun 05-07. With Tasca Racing achieving their goal of winning, their focus is on the chase for a championship.
