There’s a LinkedIn profile belonging to Austin Prock that has not been up to date because it was created.
The web page doesn’t have a profile picture. There are not any updates about work and life milestones. It merely has his identify, expertise listed as a race automotive driver, Indianapolis location, and schooling. But it surely’s the “About” part that stands out.
Prock created the web page when he was 19 years previous. It says as a lot proper at the beginning of what he wrote within the about part earlier than saying he’s the son of Jimmy Prock and making an attempt to dwell his dream of being knowledgeable race automotive driver. It goes on to additional describe how a lot he’s already completed in his profession. After which comes the clincher.
The final sentence reads, “I’ll at some point set data of my very own on the planet of motorsports.”
Saturday, Prock capped off doing simply that in his rookie NHRA Humorous Automobile season. At 29 years previous, Prock claimed his first championship after qualifying for the NHRA finals in Pomona. Within the course of, he picked his fifteenth No. 1 qualifier on the season with the fourth-quickest run in school historical past.
“I used to be most likely 10 once I had that factor,” Prock stated of the LinkedIn web page.
When reminded of what he wrote, Prock joked, “Properly, I used to be fairly sensible again then. Predicting the longer term.”
Nobody might have predicted what Prock did this season. The yr began with Prock not having a seat after his High Gas staff at John Pressure Racing disbanded as a result of sponsorship ended. However when Robert Hight needed to step out of his Humorous Automobile for undisclosed well being causes, Prock was the subsequent man up.
Prock started the yr successful in his debut through the inaugural PRO Celebrity Shootout at Bradenton Motorsports Park. In his first official NHRA weekend at Gainesville, Prock certified No. 1 however misplaced within the ultimate spherical. Within the second race of the yr, he misplaced within the first spherical.
However then the domination began to look. Prock reeled off seven No. 1 qualifiers within the following 9 races. He received 4 of these races. By the point the Countdown began in September, Prock had 5 wins and an 18-round lead within the factors (earlier than the reset). He’s received three of the 5 Countdown races.
Prock has a win/loss document of 50-11 going into the finale. It is likely one of the most dominant seasons in Humorous Automobile historical past.
“That’s fairly loopy,” Prock stated. “That was 10 years (writing on LinkedIn), and that was the yr I received my nationwide midget championship. So, I assume that every one is sensible. That’s fairly cool.
“Again to rising up racing: I needed to hustle my (for) personal sponsors as effectively. So, we’ve all the time needed to grind for it and people are the issues that it takes to stay out. You stated that time caught out — and perhaps it caught out to one in all our companions again then as effectively.”
The Humorous Automobile championship triumph comes with the group that gave Prock an opportunity in drag racing. However extra importantly, it comes with a staff that includes his father, Jimmy, and brother, Thomas.
It has been well-documented all yr how a lot it’s meant to the Prock household to race collectively. For Austin, he knew from the start of the yr what the aim was as a result of his father, who by no means speaks so outright, said he wished to win the championship.
Prock was by no means fazed.
“Truthfully, I didn’t actually really feel a lot stress in any respect — all season lengthy,” he stated. “Bradenton, clearly, I used to be nervous (about) entering into a very completely different race automotive, a very completely different beast, and anticipating to carry out. Or I used to be anticipated to carry out as a rookie. I assume you could possibly name that stress. But it surely was what I dreamed of. So, stress, I really feel like, solely makes you worse. These gamers in sports activities, or racers in motorsports, carry out (effectively) below stress as a result of they don’t really feel the stress. I simply tried to dam all that out and concentrate on what I wanted to do.
“I research my craft daily. Each run I make, I’m going again and watch the videotape in slow-mo and see issues I might do higher, observe my response instances, and simply attempt to be a machine. I do know I can drive a race automotive; it was only a matter of if I might do it on the highest degree. I knew this automotive was going to be behind me and I knew all these guys have been behind me, and if I did my job no less than respectable, we’d have a shot at successful races. Everybody did an amazing job this yr as a staff.
“We had the quickest race automotive and one of many quickest drivers off the beginning line, and that’s what it takes to win these races.”
