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The latest update as of April 15, 2024


FUNNY CAR CHAOS Classic

4th annual FUNNY CAR CHAOS Classic


It's time for a little "chute shot Sunday" action from last weekend's Funny Car Chaos Classic. These are the photos from the qualifying sessions for Funny Car Chaos and Nitro Chaos. Going into the final qualifying session, the bump spot (#32) for the "D" field was 4.487, held down by David Stringer. At the other end of the spectrum, the quickest 11 cars were all in the 3-second zone, with the entire "A" field, in at 3.775, or better. Holding down the bump in the top field was "Nitro Nick Poloson in one of the Loftin & Poloson team cars.


FUNNY CAR CHAOS - Qualifying Session #3 (FINAL)


Jade Cook --- Colin Thomas

(LEFT) Action got underway with Jade Cook in the "Bad Intentions" car, looking to improve on her earlier 4.259 - 166.30 best. She wasn't able to top that, but laid down a consistent 4.292 - 165.56 that showed consistency going into eliminations. She dropped from the middle of the "C" field at #21, down to #29, in the middle of the "D" field. Side note: In case you're wondering why Cook was driving the car normally piloted by Chance Biffle (as I was), both her regular ride, the "Nemesis" and the Bad Intentions car are owned by the Cook family. When she broke the transmission and engine in her car, she took over Biffle's car for this event.

(RIGHT) One of the new competitors on the circuit this year was Colin Thomas in his "Twisted Sister", and he got the nitro burner up to speed with a good 4.213 - 181.76 pass that elevated him from #40 - and a long way out of the show - to #26, near the top of the "D" field.

Ronny Young --- Michael Neal

(LEFT) The totally iconic "Blue Max" Plymouth Arrow tribute car to the late Raymond Beadle, really laid down some serious horsepower, knocking nearly three quarters of a second off Ronny Young's Friday best of 4.253 - 134.85. The slow speed indicates much less than a full throttle pass, but on this attempt, he catapulted all the way to the #2 spot in the show, with an awesome 3.594 - 222.47 effort. Those numbers had to be career best for the team.

(RIGHT) Coming into the final session with a best of 4.558, only good for #35 and just outside the "D" field, Michael Neal in the "Burnin' Love" Nova had his work cut out for him. Unfortunately, he could muster a 4.676 - 152.10, that left him in the #41 spot and gave him an early ticket home to Mississippi.

Chuck Loftin --- Mitch Bowen

(LEFT) Trying to run a two-car team full time this season, Chuck Loftin came into the last qualifier down in the #18 position with a 4.189 - 175.78 to his credit. He picked up the pace to a 4.095 - 168.36, but dropped two spots to #20 on the final list, leaving him in the middle of the "C" field.

(RIGHT) The Bowen & Monn entry sat at the top of the "D" field (#25) with a decent 4.338 - 155.45 to their credit, but wanted more performance. They did just that, knocking nearly two tenths of their Friday numbers, with Mitch Bowen clocking a 4.140 - 174.46 to move solidly into the "C" field.

Mary Reep --- Tony Arcuri

(LEFT) After two forgettable passes on Friday, Mary Reep was anxious to show her home state fans what the "Grim Reeper" was capable of. And she did it in spades, vaulting from her #42 numbers of 5.210 - 111.57, all the way to the upper half of the "B" field (#11) with an excellent 3.854 - 188.21 effort. That positioned her very well going into eliminations.

(RIGHT) With the unique body style for the "Firefighter" entry, Tony Arcuri has become one of the most recognizable entries on the FCC tour. Coming into the last session with only a 4.770 on the board, and well outside the field, he picked up the pace considerably to jump to the top of the "D" field with a solid 4.206 - 171.40 to hold down the #25 spot in the final order.

Doug Schneider --- Sheldon Lofgreen

(LEFT) Coming into the final qualifying round sitting in the middle of the "A" field with a very good 3.719 - 204.50 that placed him #5, Doug Schneider wanted to at least put down a consistent number, but fell victim to immediate tire smoke after a quick launch. His 9-second time was no help as he dropped one spot to #6 on the final ladder.

(RIGHT) Running the unique twin-turbo Hemi combination, Scottsdale, Arizona's Sheldon Lofgreen, in the sharp looking "Arizona Thunder" was looking to put down a good pass, after two mediocre runs on Friday. His best was an on-and-off 4.771 - 172.96, that indicated lots of power but not much traction. He rectified that situation with an excellent 4.068 - 181.94 to move up 21 spots to #17, at the top of the "C" field going into eliminations.

Shawn Murphy --- Justin Mallott

(LEFT) Another new face on the circuit, Texan Shawn Murphy debuted the "Hillbilly" and came into the session at the top of the "C" field in the #17 spot with a best of 4.170 - 192.56. He wasn't able to match those numbers, and his 4.336 - 182.36 saw him slip all the way to the bottom of the "C" field in the #24 position.

(RIGHT) With one last shot to pick up the necessary performance to advance to eliminations, Justin Mallott in the beautiful "Must be Nice" '57 Chevy had to chop nearly half a second off his earlier 4.779 e.t. He did it with a clutch effort, clocking in at 4.295 - 165.65 to grab the #30 spot in the bottom half of the "D" field.

Joe Morrison --- Shayne Lawson

(LEFT) Coming all the way to Texas from Flemington, NJ, "Nitro" Joe Morrison wheeled Dennis Champney's "Hellbound" Dodge Avenger to a #22 qualifying spot, with a good 4.274 - 172.33 but wanted to see something quicker on the scoreboard. He got his wish as an improved 4.158 - 178.64 kept him in the "C" field, albeit one spot lower in the #23 position.

(RIGHT) Still perfecting the Ken Singleton tuneup, the "Man O' War II" team, with Shayne Lawson at the tiller was in it's usual position, in the "A" field, with a very good Friday best of 3.774 - 204.93 that held down the #7 position going into the final session. They were expecting a little better run, or at least a consistent one, but had to settle for a 3.985 - 185.66 that was no help as they dropped to the #8 spot in the final standing.

Joe Morrison (near 
lane) vs Shayne Lawson (far lane) --- Steve Timosyzk

(LEFT) Here's both of the previous cars slowing after their passes, with Joe Morrison (near lane) in the foreground, and Shayne Lawson (far lane) in the background.

(RIGHT) One of the FCC regulars, Michigander Steve Timoszyk brought out his "Detroit Tiger" Monza tribute car and qualified decently with a Friday best of 4.257 - 181.80 that placed him #20 in the middle of the "C" field. He launched hard in his final attempt, but went into a big wheelie that forced him to lift momentarily and limit him to a 4.494 at an early shutoff 148.97, as he slipped down the ladder to the #26 position, in the middle of the "D" field.

Keith Zimmerer (near 
lane) vs Kirk Williams (far lane) --- Keith Zimmerer

(LEFT) A pair of the heavy hitters in the field matched up for their final qualifying passes. In the near lane it was the Will Hanna-tuned "Penny Pincher" of Keith Zimmerer who ran very hard on Friday, with a best of 3.671 - 206.45 that landed him in the #4 spot in the "A" field. In the far lane was the 2022 series champion, Kirk Williams, driving the Williams Bros. "200 Proof" entry, sitting one rung above Zimmerer on the ladder, with a slightly better 3.661 - 210.00 blast on Friday. In what could have been a preview of a later round in eliminations, Williams got to the finish line first by one thousandth of a second, stopping the clocks with a great, but not improved 3.728 - 209.80 pass.

(RIGHT) Running quicker than Williams, but reacting nearly five hundredths later, Zimmerer carded an excellent 3.684 - 204.53 that wasn't better than his Friday effort, as both racers dropped one spot, with Williams down to #4 and Zimmerer down to #5, courtesy of Ronny Young's 3.594 timeslip.

Michael Irwin --- Tom Furches

(LEFT) Another new driver to Funny Car Chaos, wheeling the ex-Dennis Taylor "Evil, Wicked, Mean & Nasty" Mustang was Michael Irwin. The blown fuel NHRA Heritage Series car was well down the list in #30 after his firs two qualifiers, with a best of just 4.418 - 137.21 to his credit. He picked up two tenths, but his 4.229 - 141.90 indicated that the car wasn't getting to the finish line under power, leaving Irwin in the middle of the "D" field when qualifying closed.

(RIGHT) The 2023 FCC champion, Tom Furches, was back to defend his title in the familiar "Made in America" Corvette. His 4.025 - 180.93 best after two sessions had him in the middle of the "B" field in the #12 position, but heavy tire shake prompted him to shutoff and coast to a 6-second clocking. That result dropped him two spots to #14, but still solidly in the "B" field for eliminations.

Casey Geeslin --- Randy Mueller

(LEFT) Following his successful first session as part of the "chaos contingent", Mississippi's Casey Geeslin was still working on the tuneup going into the final qualifying session. His best after two sessions was only a 4.386 - 182.45 that had him in the #28 spot, well down in the "D" field. He rectified that situation quickly with a very good 4.032 - 185.64 effort that moved him up to #15 and a spot in the "B" field.

(RIGHT) Still "Crazy" Randy Mueller needed some assistance from the quad pusher, as he broke on the burnout and needed help getting down to the return road. With his earlier 4.611 - 154.40 being his best time of the weekend, he finished the event in the #42 spot and a long way short of the 4.322 bump spot for eliminations.

Clay Cunningham --- Mike Newkirk

(LEFT) Sporting a new body and paint scheme on the "Still Crazy" entry, Clay Cunningham had a truly forgettable Friday, with no numbers posted after two aborted runs, one ending at the end of the burnout. His Saturday wasn't much better as a 5.319 - 107.05 was DQ'd, leaving him in the #44 spot on the final qualifying list.

(RIGHT) Another new body and graphic look was the "Silver Slipper"Mike Newkirk ran well on Friday with a great 3.812 - 200.28 to sit #9, at the top of the "B" field. They closed out the final qualifying session with a bye run that netted them an even better 3.787 - 201.93 to stay near the top of the "B" field, albeit one spot lower in the #10 position.


NITRO CHAOS - Qualifying Session #3 (FINAL)


With three 8-car fields to fill, and only 28 cars in the pits, it was almost a certainty that everyone with a healthy car was going to at least qualify for eliminations. After the first two sessions, a total of 19 cars had cracked the 3-second zone, with 11 of them in at 3.787 or quicker. To show tight the qualifying numbers were, the bump spot for the "B" field was a seriously stout 3.883 e.t.


Chase Copeland --- Lyle Greenberg

(LEFT) With a unique unsupercharged nitro burning Hemi in his altered, Chase Copeland, in his "Cubic Dollars" entry, showed that he could run with the blown entries as he laid down a best of 3.777 - 211.11 on Friday night. He didn't improve on Saturday though, as he shut off early to a very good, but not better, 3.934 - 160.43, but was still able to hang on to the #9 spot at the top of the "B" field.

(RIGHT) Running in the other lane against Copeland, was Albuquerque's Lyle Greenberg in the altered bodied version of the "Cone Hunter", hoping to dip into the 3.60's after an earlier best of 3.710 - 203.05. That placed him #5 in the pecking order, in the middle of the "A" field. He launched hard on his final qualifier, but the blower belt gave up at the 330' mark, slowing him to a 5-second clocking at 80 mph. He still held on to the #5 spot in the field though.

Mark Hunter --- Tyler Hilton

(LEFT) Driving the nasty looking Curtis Wasson-owned "Jailbreak" fuel altered, Mark Hunter came into the final session down at the bottom of the "C" field, with only a 4.384 - 149.04 to their credit. He picked up the pace considerbly with a great 3.989 - 195.57 but it only moved them up the ladder three rungs, to the #21 spot in the middle of the "C" field.

(RIGHT) The 2023 NHRA Heritage Series champion, Tyler Hilton was back to continue his foray into the Nitro Chaos circuit, this time with brother Mike in the second Hilton family team car. After a best of 3.806 - 209.39 on Friday, the "Great Expectations III" team was looking for consistency heading into eliminations. They got with a marginally quicker and faster pass of 3.800 - 209.98 that kept them in the middle of the "B" field in the #12 spot.

Keith Jackson --- Tod Barker

(LEFT) With a new body and plain black paint, the relocated (from Colorado to Texas) "High Heaven" team were on the outside looking in with a 26th best 4.817 - 143.70 time on Friday. They improved slightly to a 4.667 - 162.40 on their final attempt, but it left them in the #27 spot in the final order.

(RIGHT) Switching from an injected nitro combination to a blown setup over the winter was proving to be just as difficult as last year's efforts for the two car "Back in Black" team. Driven by Tod Barker, the 'Vette-boded entry was just outside the "C" field with a Friday best of 3.473 - 130.07, but a 9-second e.t. was absolutely no help to them as they fell one spot to #26 on the final list.

Wade Pennington --- Dave Hill

(LEFT) The last two racers in the lanes made single runs, with Wade Pennington leading off in his beautiful Scrap Bucket". He came into the final session with a 4.123 - 160.02 that held the #22 spot in the "C" field. He ran faster, but not quicker on his final qualifier, stopping the clocks with a 4.437 - 179.00, as he fell to the bottom of the "C" field in the #24 position.

(RIGHT) The narrowed and nasty looking "Mad Max" Mustang of Indiana's Dave Hill put down a very impressive 3.845 - 206.56 on Friday night, that put him in the middle of the "B" field in the "lucky" #13 spot. He ran into trouble on his last attempt as an early shutoff 4.468 - 111.21 failed to advance him, and he finished one spot lower in the #14 spot on the ladder.

Kebin Kinsley

We're not sure what the '63 split window 'Vette ran, as the scoreboards were shut off, but it certainly looked very fast and quick. The latest creation of the "War Wagon" speed factory of Howard and Shane Farris, driven by jack-of-all-trades Kebin Kinsley certainly showed that you could successfully mate a full-on Top Fuel engine with a Pro Mod chassis and make it work. Not sure where we'll see this car next, but it's certainly something to watch for.

Andy Mears (near 
lane) vs (far lane) --- Andy Mears

Closing out qualifying were the ever-popular Jet Dragsters, with Andy Mears, near lane in the left photo and Ray Kelley, far lane in the left photo, wheeling the "Game X-Change" team cars down the track. In the right photo, it's Mears by himself, slowing after another earth shaking blast.