The latest update as of August 3, 2023

FUNNY CAR CHAOS - Qualifying Session #3 - FINAL

(LEFT) Now driving for the Reinart Family, Steve Vang didn't have any luck in his final qualifying shot, falling behind Jordan Ballew (mostly obscured in the near lane), right off the line and ended up in the #27 position and out of the eliminations show.

(RIGHT) The other car in the Reinart stable, the "Prairie Fire" (near lane), with second generation racer David Stringer at the wheel, likewise failed to better his Friday best of 4.632, and dropped into the "C" field. In the far lane, Danny Smith cranked out a much improved 4.733 - 150.40, to move up one spot in the order, solidly in the "C" field.

(LEFT) With a new look and new partner, Mitch Bowen knocked half a second off his Friday 5.569 effort, and climbed up one spot to the bottom of the "C" field with his 5.023 - 136.70 clocking.

(RIGHT) Making the biggest improvement of all was the "Grim Reeper" entry of Mary Reep, as she finally recorded a time and cranked out a 4.193 - 179.28 to slot into the "A" field in the lucky #7 position.

(LEFT) Putting a Funny Car body on for the first time in quite a while, Washington state's Dave Benjamin looked good but didn't run any better than his Friday best of 4.675 - 158.62 to drop a few spots to #21, in the middle of the "C" field.

(RIGHT) Just barely visible and far back coming off the line was Dave Benjamin (far lane), while Jeff Cameron tried to coax a third straight 3-second run out of the "War Machine". He failed to register a time though as he left before the tree was activated. Shortly after this photo was taken, Benjamin smacked the wall just past the 330' clocks.

(LEFT) A newcomer to the tour, but obviously experienced, Brent Jones had his "Lawless" entry running consistently as he picked up a few hundredths from his Friday best of 4.562 to a 4.532 - 165.75 to grab the "Lucky #13" bonus bucks, and a spot in the middle of the "B" field.

(RIGHT) Making the long trip from his Connecticut base, Wayne Hofmann ran into trouble down track in the "China Syndrome" and coasted to a 5.40 - 88.17 time.

(LEFT) Laying down one of his patented half-track burnouts, Justin Herbst had the "Executioner" primed for a good run, but his 4.92 - 105.26 fell well short of his previous best of 4.648 - 154.16, falling two spots, and dropping out of the "B" field.

(RIGHT) Capping a truly "lost weekend", Chance Biffle climbed out of his "Bad Intentions" after losing fire on the burnout. He missed Friday's first qualifying session, and broke on the launch in the second qualifier, before this episode in the final round. With no recorded time, he sat at the bottom of the ladder and finished for the event.

(LEFT) Launching hard with the front wheels dancing off the track, Tom Furches shut off early with a 4.57 - 119.46 lighting up the scoreboard as his "Made In America" dropped out of the "A" field and ended the session in the #10 spot on the ladder.

(RIGHT) Making his first appearance at an FCC event, Sheldon Lofgreen got the beautifully prepared "Arizona Thunder" to show it's potential with a great 4.223 - 175.03 pass that vaulted him from near the bottom of the "C" field all the way to the "A" field in the #8 position.

With the fields set after a session that saw a few changes in the ladders, most notably Mary Reep finally getting down the track and all the way to the #7 spot in the "A" field, and Sheldon Lofgreen earning a first round matchup against the top qualifier in the "A" field, after starting the session in the #22 spot. At the other end of the spectrum, Jody Austin in his blown fuel "Bushwhacker" was unable to improve on his Friday night 5.310 effort and ended up outside the "C" field in the first alternate spot.

FUNNY CAR CHAOS - Pre-Race Ceremonies

With pretty much a full house on hand, the spectators rose for the national anthem and the invocation before the first round started.

FUNNY CAR CHAOS - "A" Field - Round ONE

(LEFT) The first race of eliminations was over almost before it started, as Mary Reep (far lane), lost fire on the line and could only watch as Keith Zimmerer (near lane) streaked away to the win. It wasn't all smooth sailing though, as the "Penny Pincher 2.0" got out of shape and narrowly avoided crossing the centerline as he coasted to a 4.240 - 159.29 winning time.

(RIGHT) Next up were Lyle Greenberg (far lane) against the "War Machine" of Texan Jeff Cameron. Neither driver reacted quickly, but Cameron's almost comatose .438 light made Greenberg's .218 reaction look like a major holeshot. That was all academic as the "Cone Hunter" nearly broke into the 3's with his best of the weekend 4.020 - 195.40 pass while Cameron gave up early to a 4.959 - 105.93 clocking.

(LEFT) The defending series champion, Kirk Williams (near lane) started on what he hoped to be a march to the winners circle with an excellent 3.930 - 194.13 as Sheldon Lofgreen (far lane) rolled the beams for an automatic redlight as he spooled up the turbos.

(RIGHT) Closing out the round was the first side-by-side race of the day, as Clay Cunningham (near lane) took an early lead with an .043 to .096 reaction time advantage over Shayne Lawson (far lane). It didn't last too long though as the "Man O' War II" took the win with a very good 3.933 - 198.06 over Cunningham's close 4.063 - 162.34 effort. The "Still Crazy" car had a flash of fire as it neared the finish line and that sealed it's fate.

FUNNY CAR CHAOS - "B" Field - Round ONE

(LEFT) The "B" field was running on a 4.07 index based on Ray Stringer's 4.275 qualifying pass. Not coming close to that number were Jordan Ballew (near lane) or Jade Cook (far lane). Cook's "Nemesis" Dodge cut an incredible .004 light and ran away from Ballew with a winning 4.301 - 147.69 as the "Ballew Thunder" was well behind with a decent 4.560 - 159.12 effort in the loss.

(RIGHT) Reacting quickly, Tony Arcuri (far lane), took an early lead in the "Firefighter". His .035 light put Tom Furches .175 reaction well behind at the 60' clocks. But it didn't last too long, as the "Made In America" entry pulled away to a two car length win, stopping the timers at 4.226 - 176.68 over Arcuri's slower 4.521 - 162.16 losing cause.

(LEFT) It was alcohol versus nitro in the next pairing, with New Mexico's Ray Stringer (far lane) leaving first and finishing first. Alex Barker (near lane), in the GTO gave up more than a tenth on the green and trailed all the way down, carding a 4.563 - 161.52 for the loss. Advancing to the semifinal was Stringer as the "Blown Cent-Less" posted a very good 4.284 - 181.23 with big-block Chevy power.

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FUNNY CAR CHAOS - "C" Field - Round ONE

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FUNNY CAR CHAOS - Round TWO

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FUNNY CAR CHAOS - "C" Field - FINAL

FUNNY CAR CHAOS - "B" Field - FINAL

FUNNY CAR CHAOS - "A" Field - FINAL

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