Honestly, if you weren’t at the In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip last November, you missed the kind of drama that Hollywood writers usually get fired for being "too unrealistic." The NHRA Finals Pomona 2024 wasn't just another race on the calendar; it was a full-blown tectonic shift in the sport. We saw a rookie rewrite the record books, a veteran remind everyone why he’s the GOAT, and a Top Fuel battle that felt more like a street fight than a drag race.
Nitro was in the air.
People think drag racing is just about going fast in a straight line for four seconds. It’s not. It’s about the mental gymnastics of the starting line and the sheer mechanical violence of 11,000-horsepower engines. By the time Sunday night rolled around in Pomona, the 2024 season had cemented itself as one of the most chaotic, high-stakes years in NHRA history.
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The Austin Prock Era is Officially Here
Let’s talk about Austin Prock. The kid didn't just win; he dominated in a way that felt almost rude to the rest of the Funny Car field. Stepping into Robert Hight’s seat is like trying to fill in for a peak-era Tom Brady, but Prock made it look easy. He clinched the 2024 Funny Car World Championship on Saturday just by qualifying. Basically, he turned Sunday into a victory lap, though he didn't treat it that way.
Prock pulled off something insane: 15 No. 1 qualifiers in a single season. That's a new record. He also clocked a 341.68 mph run in Pomona, making him the fastest driver in NHRA history.
Despite the championship being a lock, the actual event win went to Jack Beckman. Beckman was driving for the legendary John Force, who was still recovering from that horrific crash earlier in the summer. Seeing Beckman take the Wally while Prock took the big trophy was a weirdly perfect ending for John Force Racing. It felt like a passing of the torch, even if the "old guard" still had enough teeth to bite back in the final round.
Antron Brown’s "Hard Way" Championship
If Prock’s win was a blowout, Antron Brown’s Top Fuel title was a 15-round heavyweight slugfest. Coming into the NHRA Finals Pomona 2024, Antron wasn't even the favorite. Justin Ashley had the points lead. Shawn Langdon was right there. Doug Kalitta was looking to defend his title.
Antron basically had to kill giants every single round.
He faced Justin Ashley in round one. Talk about a "doomsday" draw. Antron edged him out by a nose. Then he had to get past Langdon. Then Brittany Force in the semis. By the time he lined up against Doug Kalitta in the final, the tension was so thick you could taste it over the nitro fumes. Antron pulled it off, winning his fourth world title and his first as a team owner.
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"I didn't have the faith in myself to do it, to start a team, for us to ever do this on our own... but here we are," Brown said after the win.
It’s the first time he’s reached the mountaintop since 2016. Seeing him celebrate with his AB Motorsports crew was probably the most emotional moment of the entire weekend. It proves that being a "technical" underdog doesn't mean a thing if you can cut a light when the world is watching.
Greg Anderson and the Winner-Take-All Gamble
Pro Stock is usually a game of thousandths of a second, and Pomona took that to the extreme. The championship came down to a literal winner-take-all final round between Greg Anderson and his KB Titan teammate Dallas Glenn.
Imagine working with someone all year, sharing data, eating lunch together, and then having to beat them to determine who gets the career-defining trophy.
Anderson is 63 years old. He’s been doing this forever. He’s got 106 wins. But he admitted he was "dragging his feet" because he didn't want the younger kids to push him out the door yet. He cut a .031 light to Glenn’s .018, which usually means you lose. But Anderson’s car was a rocket ship. He chased him down and won by .002 seconds.
Two. Thousandths.
That gave Anderson his sixth world title, tying him with Erica Enders for second all-time in the class. It was a masterclass in staying calm when your heart is trying to jump out of your firesuit.
The Two-Wheel Terror: Gaige Herrera
We have to mention Gaige Herrera, even if he makes Pro Stock Motorcycle look a little bit boring because he wins so much. Herrera clinched his second straight title on Sunday morning just by winning his first-round matchup against Aaron Pine.
The guy won 10 races this season. 10!
While Matt Smith actually won the Pomona event—proving the veteran still has some tricks up his sleeve—Herrera’s season total of 2,565 points put him nearly 300 points ahead of everyone else. It’s a level of dominance we haven't seen since the Bob Glidden days. People kept waiting for the Vance & Hines Suzuki to stumble, but it just never happened.
What Actually Happened at the NHRA Finals Pomona 2024 (The Results)
- Top Fuel: Antron Brown defeated Doug Kalitta (3.681 to 3.710).
- Funny Car: Jack Beckman defeated Austin Prock (3.812 to 5.028).
- Pro Stock: Greg Anderson defeated Dallas Glenn (6.501 to 6.516).
- Pro Stock Motorcycle: Matt Smith defeated Gaige Herrera (Smith took the win, Herrera took the championship).
Why This Race Still Matters for 2025 and 2026
You might think, "Okay, that’s over, why do I care now?"
The NHRA Finals Pomona 2024 set the stage for the next few years of racing. We saw the birth of the Austin Prock era. We saw Antron Brown prove that independent teams can actually win titles against the massive multi-car stables. We saw that Greg Anderson isn't going anywhere.
If you’re a fan or just getting into the sport, keep an eye on the "rookie" classes. The performance gap between the veterans and the newcomers is shrinking. The 2024 season showed that a single "bad" qualifying session can ruin your entire year because the field is so tight.
Actionable Insights for Drag Racing Fans:
- Watch the 60-foot times: If you want to know who’s going to win a round at Pomona, watch the first 60 feet. The track is legendary, but it’s tricky. If the car shakes there, the race is over.
- Follow the crew chiefs: Guys like Jimmy Prock (Austin’s dad) and the Corradi/Oswald duo are the real magicians. The driver gets the trophy, but the tuners win the championships.
- Go to Pomona in person: There is no substitute for the "Cackle." The way the ground shakes in Pomona is different from any other track.
- Check the 2025/2026 schedules early: Events like the Winternationals often sell out the good seats months in advance.
The 2024 season ended with a bang, but honestly, the rivalry between Austin Prock and the rest of the Funny Car field is just getting started. It’s going to be a wild ride.