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Funny Car Chaos - 58th annual Summer Nationals - Kansas International Dragway - Wichita, KS


NOTE: Click on the thumbnails to display the full-size images


Friday
Jade Cook - 'Nemesis' --- Jordan Ballew - 'Ballew Thunder'

(LEFT) Leading off our coverage is Jade Cook in her "Nemesis" entry and she continued to impress with a solid run from her UNblown (nitrous BBC) entry, posting a best for the day of 4.670 - 128.79 to provisionally place her in the #15 spot, near the bottom of the "B" field.

(RIGHT) Following a hard charging burnout, the "Ballew Thunder" Camaro of Jordan Ballew put down a slightly off-pace 4.870 - 148.17 that left him well down the qualifying sheet in the #20 position.

Tod Barker - 'Back in Black' --- Shayne Lawson - 'Man O' War'

(LEFT) The flamed GTO "Back in Black" is now running under new ownership. It started life as an NHRA Nitro Nostalgia Funny Car run by Dennis La Charite, then passed along to Funny Car Chaos runner Lynn Logue, and fittingly enough is now running as part of a two-car "Back in Black" team of Tod and Alex Barker. Father Tod is now driving the GTO while his son Alex wheels the familiar black Corvette. His best of the day 4.812 - 126.12 placed him in the #18 slot on the list.

(RIGHT) Continuing his perfect attendance record (all six events on the FCC calendar so far), Shayne Lawson ran hard to a very good 4.106 - 146.10 pass (note the early shutoff speed), in his Mustang-bodied "Man O' War" entry, putting him in the #4 spot and solidly in the "A" field going into the final qualifier on Saturday afternoon.

Justin Herbst - 'Scorpion' --- Chris Schneider - 'Brutus'

(LEFT) Laying down some rubber before his run, Justin Herbst made a decent pass of 4.731 - 147.88 in his short wheelbase Monza-bodied "Scorpion". The run put him in the #16 position and gave him a toehold on the last spot in the "B" field.

(RIGHT) Longtime FCC racer Chris Schneider wheeled the "Brutus" Mustang to a solid 4.471 - 157.18 that left him near the top of the "B" field in the #9 position after Friday's two sessions.

Mary Reep - 'Grim Reeper' --- Dustin Bradford - 'American Dream'

(LEFT) Not making much of an impact in the first qualifying session, Mary Reep struggled to a best of 5.065 - 91.28 on Friday in her "Grim Reeper" and was down near the bottom of the sheet in the #22 position.

(RIGHT) Having even worse luck on Friday was Dustin Bradford as this hellacious burnout was followed with a "No Time Recorded" clocking as the "American Dream" 'Cuda failed to make it down the track.

Dave Gallegos - 'Nitro Clown' --- Mike Newkirk - 'Disturbed' (near lane) vs 
Robin Rish - 'Blown Retirement' (far lane)

(LEFT) Making quite an impact in the first session was the "Nitro Clown" Z28 Camaro of Dave Gallegos as he pounded out a very good 4.230 - 168.73 that put him in the #5 position and solidly in the "A" field.

(RIGHT) Making an even bigger impact was the NHRA "Big Show" car of Mike Newkirk (near lane) as he stopped the timers with an excellent 3.936 - 188.44, good enough for the #3 position on the overall list and a spot in the "A" field for the "Disturbed" team. In the far lane, Robin Rish in his "Blown Retirement" entry fell back early and stopped the timers later at 5.577 - 129.65, landing in the #24 spot on the qualifying sheet.

Kirk Williams - 'Williams Bros. Racing' --- Jeff Cameron - 'Jake's Speed Shop'

(LEFT) The big news this season has been the performance of the "Williams Bros." team, as driver Kirk Williams went straight to the top with the low e.t. and top speed of the day, carding a 3.725 - 203.80 to show that they were aiming for the fifth straight final round of the season.

(RIGHT) Launching hard, with the wheels up and the chassis torqued over, Jeff Cameron was forced to lift and get back on the pedal in the "Jake's Speed Shop" entry. The end result was a mediocre 5.393 - 127.59 timeslip that put them in the #23 spot and a possible "C" field position going into Saturday's final qualifying session.

Ken Singleton - 'High Risk' --- Tony Arcuri - 'Firefighter'

(LEFT) Points leader and two-time defending series champion Ken Singleton showed that the "High Risk" team wasn't lacking in performance as they took the #2 spot on the ladder with a very good 3.794 - 202.25 effort.

(RIGHT) Running last in the first session was series newcomer Tony Arcuri in his "Firefighter" and a serious lack of propulsion put him near the bottom of the list with a nothing-to-write-home-about pass of 20.417 - 31.31 best for the day.


Dueling BackUp People'

BackUp people come in all shapes, sizes and genders, as evidenced here by the fun-loving "Reverse Gear Assistant" making a funny face (left) and the Greek warrior guy who backs up the "Brutus" car.


With the sun long since set and the track lights on, the second qualifying session saw some improved performances and at least a few sets of header flames from the nitro burning cars. With a new position near the starting line, our photographer (BIG Bob Snyder) took a series of side-by-side shots in the evening qualifying session.

Matt Nissen - 'Runnin' Down a Dream' (near 
lane) vs Chris Schneider - 'Brutus' (far lane) --- Justin Herbst - 'Scorpion' (near lane) vs 
Jade Cook - 'Nemesis' (far lane)

(LEFT) In the near lane, Matt Nissen in his "Runnin' Down a Dream" pushed his way into the middle of the "B" field in the #14 position with a decent 4.625 - 131.31 pass, good enough for the #14 position, while in the far lane, Chris Schneider made a better run (4.471 - 157.18) for the #9 spot.

(RIGHT) Putting down a solid effort on Friday was Justin Herbst (near lane) in the Monza-bodied "Scorpion", clocking in at 4.731 - 147.88 for the #16 spot, while in the far lane, Jade Cook ended the day with a best of 4.670 - 128.79 to hold down the #15 slot on the list.

Nick Johnson - 'Prairie Fire' --- Andy Mears - 'Dragon Slayer' (near lane) vs 
Nick Poloson - 'Bucket List' (far lane)

(LEFT) Pushing the "Prairie Fire" to the #10 position, near the top of the "B" field, was Nick Johnson as he carded a 4.480 - 154.16 best on the first day of qualifying.

(RIGHT) Partially obscured in the near lane, Andy Mears in his "Dragon Slayer" Chevy laid down a 4.547 - 153.64 to grab a spot in the "B" field in the lucky #13 position, while over in the far lane, the Doak & Poloson "Bucket List", driven by Nick Poloson, shut off early but still put down a good 4.503 - 117.71 for the #11 spot.

Chuck Loftin - 'Motivation' --- Jordan Ballew - 'Ballew Thunder' (near lane) 
vs Tod Barker - 'Back in Black' (far lane)

(LEFT) Looking to improve his performance after a few difficult outings, Chuck Loftin (far lane) tried hard with the nitro burning "Motivation" Mustang but came up short with a best for the day of only 4.848 - 149.60, good only for the #19 position and a provisional spot in the "C" field. Mostly obscured in the near lane was Robin Rish who failed to improve on his earlier 5.577 pass.

(RIGHT) In the near lane, Jordan Ballew finished the day with a 4.870 - 148.17 best, while on the far side, Tod Barker in the former Lynn Logue car fared a little better with a 4.812 - 126.12 after the second qualifying session.

Jim Chase - 'Wicked Quick' --- Mike Buchanan - 'Hombre'

(LEFT) Showing that he was serious about competing with the Funny Car Chaos regulars, Jim Chase clocked in at 4.402 - 165.20 in his "Wicked Quick" '57 Chevy, leaving him in the #8 spot, and a spot in the "A" field going into Saturday's final qualifier.

(RIGHT) In one of the shortest wheelbase cars on the circuit, Mike Buchanan made a best of the day 4.958 - 147.88 run in the "Hombre" Vega, leaving him in the #21 spot and safely in the "C" field.

Dave Gallegos - 'Nitro Clown' --- Steve Vang - 'Wicked Weekender Racing'

(LEFT) Running under the lights, the "Nitro Clown" of Dave Gallegos put on a good flame show (not shown here unfortunately) for the fans, and finished Friday in the #5 position on the list.

(RIGHT) After a semifinal finish at the previous event (Kearney, NB), Steve Vang wanted to keep the momentum going and pushed the "Wicked Weekender" to a very good 4.299 - 163.99 that placed him #7 and a spot in the "A" field going into Saturday's final session.

Tom Furches - 'Made in America' (near lane) vs 
Jeff Cameron - 'Jake's Speed Shop' (far lane) --- Kirk Williams - 'Williams Bros. Racing'

(LEFT) In the near lane, Tom Furches launched his "Made in America" to a competitive 4.231 - 169.81 time that put him #6 and well into the "A" field, while in the far lane, Jeff Cameron had his troubles continue as he was unable to better his earlier 5.393 - 127.59 and sat near the bottom of the "C" field in the #23 position.

(RIGHT) Coming out to back up his earlier low qualifying 3.725 pass, Kirk Williams appeared to start his burnout well out of the groove, and didn't better his earlier low qualifying numbers, but still held on to the #1 spot going into the final Saturday qualifying session.

Ken Singleton - 'High Risk' --- Mike Newkirk - 'Disturbed'

(LEFT) With the heavy hitters in the earlier session coming up near the end of the second session, Ken Singleton held onto his #2 spot with a 3.794 - 202.25 timeslip.

(RIGHT) Closing out the evening was Mike Newkirk and he stayed in the #3 spot with his 3.936 - 188.44 pass in the "Disturbed" car.


Saturday

Qualifying Session #3 (FINAL)

Keith Jackson - 'High Heaven' --- Jim Chase - 'Wicked Quick'

(LEFT) Leading off the final session was Keith Jackson in the family's iconic "High Heaven" Camaro. This was a special pass for the team as they had a large banner on the side of the car memorializing the life of the recently passed owner of one of the FCC series major sponsors, Randy Ranew of the Red Line Shirt Club. After failing to get down the track on Friday, Keith kept the pedal down to the tune of 4.247 - 171.04 to earn a slot in the "B" field. Unfortunately, the run did enough damage to the engine that they had to pass on eliminations and let an alternate into their spot.

(RIGHT) After a couple of so-so runs on Friday, North Dakota's Jim Chase stepped up big in his "Wicked Quick" '55 Chevy, blasting into the middle of the "A" field with a very strong 3.888 - 187.03 that held up for the #4 spot on the final ladder.

Mary Reep - 'Grim Reeper' --- Chris Schneider - 'Brutus'

(LEFT) Making a huge leap up the ladder was Mary Reep in her "Grim Reeper" entry, vaulting from #22 all the way to the #8 spot (and a first round match against the low qualifier) with a strong pass of 4.105 - 144.60, despite an early shutoff.

(RIGHT) A furious burnout didn't help Chris Schneider as he wasn't able to improve on his Friday best of 4.471 - 157.18 in the "Brutus" Mustang and saw himself fall from #9 to #15 on the final list, putting him near the bottom of the "B" field.

Scott Pareso - 'Altered Reality' --- Tony Arcuri - 'Firefighter'

(LEFT) Still trying to come to grips with his conversion from an open-bodied Altered to a Funny Car, Scott Pareso finished Friday with a best of 4.756 - 146.82, before stepping up to a 4.417 - 157.67 in the last session on Saturday. It moved his "Altered Reality" from just outside, to just inside the "B" field in the #14 position.

(RIGHT Making his Funny Car Chaos debut, another convert from the Rocky Mountain Superchargers group, Tony Arcuri in his "Firefighter" had no luck on Friday, and very little on Saturday, "improving" from a 20-second time to a 15-second pass in his final attempt. While the car could do a good burnout, problems in the Lenco drive were the likely culprit causing the lack of motion when it left the starting line.

Mike Newkirk - 'Disturbed'

Closing out qualifying was Mike Newkirk in his "Disturbed" entry and he improved slightly from Friday's 3.936 - 188.44 best
to a 3.871 - 191.00 clocking that kept him in the #3 position in the "A" field.


Eliminations - Round #1

The only change made to the ladders after qualifying was the withdrawal of #11 qualifier Keith Jackson due to breakage, which moved everyone below him up one spot. The biggest beneficiary of that change was series debutante Alex Barker who moved from #25, and out of the show, into the last spot in the "C" field. That change also put Daniel Butherus in hot water as he moved from the top of the "C" field into the bottom of the "B" field, and a first round match against Dave Gallegos, the top qualifier in that group.

"A" Field

Mike Newkirk - 'Disturbed' (right lane) 
vs Shayne Lawson - 'Man O' War' (left lane) --- Mike Newkirk - 'Disturbed'

(LEFT) Kicking off eliminations were the #3 and #6 qualifiers, Mike Newkirk (right lane) and Shayne Lawson in his beautiful "Man O' War" entry (left lane), and they put on a great side-by-side 3-second race. Despite a rather late light (.153 to .106), Newkirk turned on the scoreboards first with his best of the weekend 3.823 - 191.41 to overcome Lawson's early lead and slightly slower 3.948 - 185.72 effort.

(RIGHT) Here's a closer look at "Disturbed" as it passes our photographer enroute to his first round win.

Kirk Williams - 'Williams Bros. Racing' 
(right lane) vs Mary Reep - 'Grim Reeper' (left lane) --- Mary Reep - 'Grim Reeper'

(LEFT) The next pair out of the lanes featured the dominating (two wins and two runnerups in the last four races) Kirk Williams, and it looked like he was still on a roll with a great (.037) light, but the win streak snapped early and he slowed to a losing 5.270 - 127.08 against opponent Mary Reep.

(RIGHT) Here's a closer look at the "Grim Reeper" as Mary pushed the loud pedal hard to the tune of a winning 3.906 - 178.29 for her first round win and best pass ever in Funny Car Chaos competition.

Jim Chase - 'Wicked Quick' (right lane) 
vs Chuck Loftin - 'Motivation' (left lane) --- Ken Singleton - 'High Risk' (right lane) 
vs Nick Poloson - 'Bucket List' (left lane)

(LEFT) Catching everyone's attention with a wheels-up (way up!) launch, Chuck Loftin made a hard charge in his "Motivation" entry (left lane), but was forced to pedal to get the errant Mustang under control and the resulting 4.491 - 145.35 wasn't enough to cover Jim Chase's good-enough-for-the-win 4.307 - 176.89 effort in the right lane. Chase's win put him into semifinals, against Reep, with Mary having her choice of lanes.

(RIGHT) Closing out the round was the co-points leader, Ken Singleton (right lane) matched up with many time opponent Nick Poloson (right lane) and it turned into another runaway victory for the "High Risk" team as Singleton turned on the winlight with his best run of the weekend (to this point) 3.763 - 202.16 to hold off the good try 4.145 - 151.82 of Poloson. The win set up a semifinal match between Singleton and Newkirk, with Singleton holding lane choice.


"B" Field

Tom Furches - 'Made in America' (right 
lane) vs Nick Johnson - 'Prairie Fire' (left lane)

Moving down to the second eight, FCC championship contender Tom Furches (right lane) left second but finished first, as his (.150 to .066) launch didn't stop him from taking the win with a 4.143 - 171.17 over Nick Johnson's (left lane) trailing 4.498 - 153.79 clocking.

Scott Pareso - 'Altered Reality' (right 
lane) vs Dustin Bradford - 'American Dream' (left lane) --- Scott Pareso - 'Altered Reality'

(LEFT) Cutting the best light of the round (.027) wasn't enough to help Scott Pareso (right lane) get to the finish line first, as his 4.461 - 156.96 fell to the much quicker 4.213 - 170.20 of Dustin Bradford. Pareso's six hundredths advantage at the start still left nearly two tenths behind at the stripe.

(RIGHT) Another, closer view of the "Altered Reality" entry.

Daniel Butherus - 'Rat-A-Tude' --- Daniel Butherus - 'Rat-A-Tude' (right 
lane) vs Dave Gallegos - 'Nitro Clown' (left lane)

(LEFT) Blazing the hides on the burnout, Top Ten (in the points standings) runner Daniel Butherus really put the whip to his big-block Chevy powered "Rat-A-Tude" flopper.

(RIGHT) When the ambers flashed, Butherus (right lane) jumped out to an early lead over opponent Dave Gallegos (left lane) as the "Nitro Clown" was more than a little late on the launch (.205 to the .074 for Butherus). And Gallegos kept the pedal down all the way to the finish line, stopping the clocks with his best ever 3.896 - 180.07... for the LOSS.

As explained in previous Funny Car Chaos reports, there is a breakout rule in effect for the "B" and "C" fields, that fixes an index two tenths of a second below the low qualifying e.t. for that field. In this case, Gallegos was low qualifier at 4.230, setting the index at 4.030. Obviously his 3.896 was far below the mark, disqualifying him and advancing Butherus to the semifinals.

Chris Schneider - 'Brutus' (right lane) vs 
Steve Vang - 'Wicked Weekender Racing' (left lane)

Closing the round was the pairing of Chris Schneider (right lane) against the "Wicked Weekender" entry of Steve Vang. The race was over right at the starting line as the "Brutus" was actually broken (blower problems) and limped to the starting line before shutting off when the green came on. Easily advancing to the semifinals and a match against Tom Furches, Vang put down a solid 4.290 - 164.65 for the win.

"C" Field

Finishing the first round, the "C" field - which is looking like a regular feature at Funny Car Chaos events this year due to the continuing excellent car counts - put on a good show for the spectators.

Andy Mears - 'Dragon Slayer' (right lane) 
vs Alex Barker - 'Back in Black' (left lane) --- Matt Nissen - 'Runnin' Down A Dream'

(LEFT) Even though it looks like a major holeshot, Andy Mears (right lane) didn't leave that much quicker than opponent Alex Barker (in his father Tod's "Back in Black" Corvette). Barker's .561 reaction was worse than Mears' .453 light, but the gap opened quickly as Barker's 4.759 - 142.72 was no match for the winning 4.525 - 135.34 put down by the "Dragon Slayer" '57 Chevy.

(RIGHT) Filling the frame is Matt Nissen in his familiar "Runnin' Down a Dream" as it appears that he might be on a solo pass. However, looks can be deceiving as he left first in a bit of a snoozing contest (.388 to .465) over the not shown Jordan "Ballew Thunder" Ballew. Ballew's quicker 4.489 - 155.98 pass held off Nissen's second best 4.634 - 140.01 for a less than two car length victory.

Tod Barker - 'Back in Black' (right lane) 
vs Jade Cook - 'Nemesis' (left lane) --- Mike Buchanan - 'Hombre' (right lane) 
vs Justin Herbst - 'Scorpion' (left lane)

(LEFT) In what became a continuing pattern for the "C" field, another pair of less than stellar lights initiated this match, with Jade Cook (left lane) leaving second with a .614 (!) light to Tod Barker's (right lane) slightly "better" .498 launch. Looking closely at the photo shows that Barker launched crooked and got off the throttle early, crossing the finish line with a 5.198 - 106.89 time. Cook's winning numbers were 4.461 - 155.17 that put her into the semifinals with lane choice over Jordan Ballew.

(RIGHT) The final race of the first round saw a pair of Chevys, a Vega in the right lane driven by Mike Buchanan paired up with the Monza of Justin Herbst in the left lane. Buchanan turned on the winlight with a quicker 4.735 - 146.87, while Herbst turned on the redlight, throwing away a 4.816 - 148.17 pass.


Eliminations - Round #2

"A" Field

Mary Reep (Grim Reeper) left - 
Jim Chase (Wicked Quick) right - in the staging lanes

A friendly greeting of competitors in the staging lanes preceded the semi-final match between Mary Reep (left) and Jim Chase (right).

Jim Chase - 'Wicked Quick' (near lane) 
vs Mary Reep - 'Grim Reeper' (far lane) --- Ken Singleton - 'High Risk' (near lane) 
vs Mike Newkirk - 'Disturbed' (far lane)

(LEFT) Doing her job on the starting line, Mary Reep (far lane) left first by a margin of .032 to Jim Quick's (near lane) .066 light. But her lead was used up quickly as Chase laid down his best ever e.t. in Funny Car Chaos competition, 3.830 - 189.47 to leave Reep's early shutoff 4.330 - 136.16 far behind at the finish line.

(RIGHT) The other pairing in the semifinal saw Mike Newkirk (far lane) leaving first - by a bunch - but only due to a redlight (-.079), and he shutoff soon after this photo to a losing 6.561 - 76.80 time. Taking the automatic win, but not taking it easy, Ken Singleton (near lane) tickled the tuneup a little more and turned his best run of the weekend, 3.743 - 203.07 to garner lane choice honors in the final against Chase.

"B" Field

Tom Furches - 'Made in America'

It's never a good sign to see the crew pushing a car back to the starting line after the burnout, and in this case it was an accidentally shutoff Tom Furches, as his "Made in America" car bowed out before getting a chance to stage in the semifinal.

Steve Vang - 'Wicked Weekender Racing' --- Daniel Butherus - 'Rat-A-Tude'

(LEFT) Taking advantage of his opponent's plight, Steve Vang made a full pass, stopping the clocks at 4.222 - 166.36 in the hope of earning lane choice for the final round.

(RIGHT) In a bizarre twist, Daniel Butherus took a solo pass as his opposition, Dustin Bradford, sat behind the water box, unable to fire his "American Dream". Butherus tried hard, but his 4.621 - 152.49 fell far short of Vang's e.t. and left the "Wicked Weekender" team with lane choice for the final.

"C" Field

Andy Mears - 'Dragon Slayer' --- Jade Cook - 'Nemesis' (near lane) vs 
Jordan Ballew - 'Ballew Thunder' (far lane)

(LEFT) Another bye run? Yes, that was the case as Andy Mears ran alone as Mike Buchanan failed to make it to the starting line. Mears responded with his best run of the weekend, finally escaping the 5.50-zone and laying down a 4.443 - 157.73 to move into the final round.

(RIGHT) Joining Mears in the "C" field final was the surprise of the 2021 season, Jade Cook, (near lane) as she advanced to her third final in her last four races with a 4.414 - 155.66 pass that easily handled the early shutoff run of Jordan Ballew (far lane), who trailed with a 5.469 - 87.72 timeslip. Cook's run was her best of the weekend and snatched lane choice away from Mears by just three hundredths.

Eliminations - Final Rounds

With the sun set and the track lights on, it was final round time and the races for the big prizes and glory, starting with the "C" field and working upwards to the "A" final.

Andy Mears - 'Dragon Slayer' (near lane) 
vs Jade Cook - 'Nemesis' (far lane)

With two evenly matched cars it might become a battle of reaction times with Andy Mears (near lane) in his "Dragon Slayer" '57 Chevy taking on the hands-down "FCC Rookie of The Year" Jade Cook in her "Nemesis" (far lane). It was a close race, with Mears leaving first by just .014 and holding the lead all the way to the finish, turn on the winlight with a 4.331 - 161.64 over Cook's close 4.386 - 156.47 time. The margin at the finish line was just over a car length as Mears notched his second consecutive "C" field win, moving him up to the #5 spot in the points standings.


Steve Vang - 'Wicked Weekender Racing' 
(near lane) vs Daniel Butherus - 'Rat-A-Tude' (far lane)

After battling hard all weekend, and running consistently in the 4.20's to advance to his first final round of the season, Steve Vang (near lane) in his "Wicked Weekender" fell - on a holeshot - to the hard running "Rat-A-Tude" of Daniel Butherus (far lane), as Butherus left first first by a full tenth of a second and made his 4.358 - 163.22 stand up for the win over Vang's quicker 4.301 - 161.87 effort. Like in the "C" final, it was barely a car length between the cars at the stripe as Butherus won his second race of the 2021 season and moved into a tie for third place in the FCC standings.


Ken Singleton - 'High Risk

Then came the race that everyone had been looking forward to, for the big prize going to the winner of the "A" final. In the near lane, Ken Singleton (near lane) left hard in his "High Risk" car and outran the very worthy challenger from North Dakota, Jim Chase, (far lane) in his aptly name "Wicked Quick" '57 Chevy. Singleton turned up the wick just a tad and made his best pass of the weekend at 3.734 - 204.92 (top speed of the meet) to cover Chase's off-pace 6.844 - 88.25 losing effort.

Singleton had already broken the tie for the points lead with Kirk Williams earlier in the evening, but the event win opened the gap to a 30 point lead for Singleton. This was also Ken's fifth consecutive final, with three wins to his credit... so far.

Here's the updated Funny Car Chaos points standings following the Kansas International Dragway event at Wichita, KS.

NOTE: Click on the image to see a larger - and easier to read - version of this table

Funny Car Chaos Points Standings - July 13, 2021

Data courtesy of FUNNY CAR CHAOS - Thanks Chris Graves!

BONUS We've got some wild Pro Mods on Nitro pics from Wichita to share!


Top Fuel Pro Mod

It seems like a simple enough equation: you take an 11,000 HP NHRA Big Show-style engine out of a full-on Top Fuel Dragster and plunk it in a 1953 Studebaker. Then what would you call it? How about "StudeZilla"? And that's exactly what Scott Palmer and his band of nitro loonies did. The car in question is a specially built Larry Jeffers Pro Mod chassis designed to handle about.... 5000 HP. So what happens when you double that ouput and add a little more for good/bad measure? Take a look at the following sequence of pictures and draw your own conclusions.

And if one Top Fuel Pro Mod isn't enough, then just double the fun, the excitement, the chances for some seriously disastrous mechanical carnage by adding a second car in the form of J.R. Sandlian's Chevelle-bodied BAD Attitude machine. Just line them up side-by-side, flash the ambers and let the FUN begin! Check out our (almost) exclusive coverage of this once in a lifetime (hopefully!) event here courtesy of our fearless correspondent, BIG Bob Snyder.

J.R. Sandlian - 'Bad Attitude' --- Scott Palmer - 'Studezilla'

J.R. Sandlian - 'Bad Attitude' --- J.R. Sandlian - 'Bad Attitude'

J.R. Sandlian - 'Bad Attitude' --- J.R. Sandlian - 'Bad Attitude'

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Outlaw Pro Mod Qualifying


Brandon Lewis - PM --- Wayne Roberts - PM

(LEFT) Looking great in an early 'Vette, is Brandon Lewis

PM #1963


Round One Eliminations

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(LEFT) In the right lane in the '65 Mustang is Jim Roberts

(RIGHT) In the right lane is Wayne Roberts in the late-model Corvette

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(LEFT In the first round of eliminations, it's Brandon Sandlian in the left lane, and Jim Roberts in the right lane.

(RIGHT) Eventual event winner Eddie Rogers in the "Chevelle from Hell"


Semi-Finals

Eddie Rogers - 'Chevelle from Hell' 
(near lane) vs (far lane) --- Brandon Sandlian - 'Junkyard Stude' (near lane) 
vs (far lane)

(LEFT) In the near lane, it's Eddie Rogers in the "Chevelle from Hell" who took an easy win and a berth in the final round when his opponent, Alton Holsted in the flaming black 'Vette (far lane) blew up BIG TIME!

(RIGHT) After a nearly one hour cleanup, it's Brandon Sandlian in the "Junkyard Stude" '53 Studebaker in the near lane, and on the far side it's an unidentified black early model 'Vette.

Eddie Rogers - 'Chevelle from 
Hell' - Winners Circle

Posing in the Winners Circle is Eddie Rogers and crew with the "Chevelle from Hell"