FUNNY CAR CHAOS - Kearney Raceway Park - Kearney, NE
NOTE: Click on the thumbnails to display the full-size images
Yes, we've got another FUNNY CAR CHAOS event happening, with two qualifying sessions tonight, a final one tomorrow afternoon, and eliminations tomorrow night. Our photographer, BIG Bob Snyder is there and ready to capture all the action and give us the insider details that he picks up in the pits, in the staging lanes, and around the starting line. Here's the photos from the first two sessions. NOTE: Funny Car Chaos doesn't post the results from each qualifying session on Friday; the sheet they put out at the end of the evening shows the best results for each car on the day and we can't tell which session produced which e.t.'s and speeds for the racers.
Qualifying Session #1
(LEFT) Leading off our qualifying coverage, last week's hard luck "winner", Chuck Loftin rebuilt the engine and got the "Motivation" Mustang down the track in good order, with a Friday best of 4.011 - 183.74 that was good enough for the #5 position on the ladder
(RIGHT Back out for the first time since the season opener, Mike Newkirk pushed his "Disturbed" entry to a very good 4.017 - 163.81 as yet another NHRA Top Alky "refugee" joined the FCC party. His best run of the day left him just one spot behind Loftin, in the #6 spot
(LEFT) We've got a pair of cars in this photo, with Steve Vang mostly obscured in the near lane, and Dalle Gallegos already trailing in the far lane in his "Nitro Clown". He didn't exactly ignite the scoreboards, but his decent 4.424 - 130.67 effort put him in the #13 position and a spot in the middle of the "B" field
(RIGHT This time we've got both cars in the frame, with Lance Van Hauen (near lane) starting to run away from Nick Johnson in the "Prairie Fire" (far lane). Van Hauen stopped the clocks with a great 3.948 - 192.82 pass that showed the true potential of his combination and put him near the top of the heap in the #3 position, while Johnson was well back at 4.518 - 153.42, only good enough for #17 and a possible spot in the "C" field
(LEFT) One of the best appearing cars on the circuit, the "Dragon Slayer" '57 Chevy of Andy Mears put down a solid 4.506 - 156.86 that hung on to the final spot in the "B" field in the #16 position going into the final qualifier on Saturday
(RIGHT Looks like we've got a pair of '57's in the field, with Jim Chase brought out his "Wicked Quick" entry for the first time this season, didn't waste any time making his mark on the field, blasting out a 3.966 - 187.18 with his blown alky Hemi power, that left him sitting #4 after two sessions
(LEFT) The iconic "Detroit Tiger" tribute car of Michigan's Steve Timoszyk fell a little short in the e.t. department as it appeared he shut off early to a 4.299 - 133.49, placing him 10th on the list, near the top of the "B" field
(RIGHT From the Dept. of Corrections, I assumed that the "Man O' War", a former Paul Romine-owned and driven car that ran in the NHRA Heritage Series on nitro, was still using the yellow fuel at Funny Car Chaos races. NO, I was wrong, it's a blown alky car and it still runs fast but without the nitro. Shayne Lawson didn't let the lack of liquid horsepower prevent him from running a very good 4.040 - 181.13 that placed him in the lucky #7 spot in the "A" field
(LEFT) Here's one of the newcomers to the circuit, as Steve Cluck debuted his Camaro-bodied "Red Headed Stepchild" and didn't have the most auspicious debut, with a "best" for the day of 6.868 - 78.04 that left him at the very bottom of the list in the #29 spot. Obviously some serious improvement will be needed in his last chance to qualify on Saturday
(RIGHT As a special feature, the FCC has invited four injected alcohol-burning cars to join the party, and we've got two of them (mostly) in this frame. In the near lane (partially obscured) is the "Hot Pursuit" of Pete Mass from Colorado, while on the far side, it's another Coloradan, Don Finley in the appropriately named "Mile High Missile". We don't have any times or speeds to report for these cars though
Looks like this one happy camper, as the FCC videographer lets everyone know he's impressed with the performances going past him
Qualifying Session #2
(LEFT) Track prep equipment comes in all shapes and sizes, and this dual-purpose unit that works in the fields on weekdays is converted to a tire dragger on race weekends
(RIGHT Leading off the evening session was series newcomer Jon Reich in his "Blitz Kreig" entry. He didn't get all the power down to the ground in his debut, but a respectable 4.740 - 132.01 put him in the #24 spot and a toehold on the bottom rung of the "C" field ladder
Warming up the tires before his qualifying attempt, Chris Schneider heated the hides in the "Brutus" Mustang, then staged up against Danny Smith in the "Snafu" car (far lane). Smith was a little rusty, not having run since the season opener, and it was reflected in the 4.655 - 147.68 timeslip that put him #23 spot going into Saturday. Schneider meanwhile, put down a better 4.579 - 153.89, good for #19 on the list
(LEFT) It's a pair of cars in this photo, with Matt Nissen in his "Runnin' Down A Dream" (near lane) leaving first, but finishing second as he stopped the clocks at 4.617 - 152.38 (#21), while opponent (in the far lane), Steve Vang punched out a better 4.333 - 164.07 for the #11 spot in his "Wicked Weekender" entry
(RIGHT Another pair, leaving together, had Dustin Bradford (near lane) in the "American Dream" 'Cuda clocking a 4.596 - 133.75 to hold down the #20 spot, while in the far lane, Jordan Ballew in his beautiful Camaro-bodied "Ballew Thunder" crossed the finish line first with a #15 qualifying 4.505 - 157.25 pass
(LEFT) In the next pair, Justin Herbst (near lane) could only push his little Monza-bodied "Scorpion" to a sub-par 4.926 - 140.63 that left him outside the 24 car group that qualifies for eliminations. His #26 position left him just one more chance to move into the "C" field (or better). In the far lane, Jim Chase made a second pass with his '57 Chevy and ended the day with a best of 3.966 - 187.18 putting him #4 on the list
(RIGHT Last week's double winner, Kirk Williams (near lane) paired up with Andy Mears (far lane) in a one-sided affair. Williams blitzed the timers with a #2 qualifying 3.761 - 202.79 (top speed of the meet so far), to train-length Mears' #16 qualifying effort of 4.506 - 156.86 in his '57 Chevy
(LEFT) Coming out for his second attempt, Lance Van Hauen (near lane) stayed in the #3 spot with a 3.948 - 192.82 time, while Steve Timoszyk held onto the #10 position with his 4.299 - 133.49 best
(RIGHT In the near lane, Nick Johnson posted a #17 qualifying 4.518 - 153.42 best, while in the far lane - and mostly obscured - was the returning turbo-powered "Altered Reality" of Colorado's Scott Pareso made a troubled pass of 4.974 - 143.52 to land in the #27 spot, and well out of the "C" field going into Saturday's final qualifying session
(LEFT) Driving the "Jake's Speed Shop" entry (in the near lane) was Jeff Cameron who posted a #9 qualifying 4.138 - 167.68 pass, while on the far side, Chuck Loftin made another qualifying pass that left him in the #5 spot with a 4.011 - 183.74 best for the day
(RIGHT co-points and defending series champion, Ken Singleton in the "High Risk" car made his presence felt in a big way as he captured the top spot on the charts with a low e.t. of 3.734 at 197.97 mph. In the far lane, the bright green "Obsession" of Jeff Krug pounded out a 4.333 at an early shut off 137.27, good enough for the #12 spot in the middle of the "B" field
Making his Funny Car Chaos debut was David Hill in his sharp looking "Zeus" entry. His Friday best was 4.876 - 148.30, leaving him just outside the "C" field in the 25th slot on the list. His opponent in this pairing was Mike Newkirk (far lane) in his Top Alcohol "Disturbed" entry that carded a very good 4.017 - 163.81 to hold down the #6 spot in the "A" field
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Eliminations - Round One
In the first round there were some incredible runs in the "A" field, with two cars in the 3.70's, three more in the 3.80's, and one in the 3.90's. Closest race of the round saw Mike Newkirk turn on the winlight with a great 3.875 - 173.99 to overcome the quicker 3.861 - 189.39 of Jim Chase. Newkirk's very quick light (.025) was enough to cross the line ahead of Chase's (.049) launch. The only problem was that Newkirk took out a timing block and gave the win back to Chase.
Other highlights of the round were Ken Singleton advancing over Keith Jackson with low e.t. of the round at 3.753 - 204.26. Another of the hitters to move into the semis was Kirk Williams with a 3.756 - 204.73 (top speed of the meet) over the redlighting 3.950 - 188.33 pass of Shayne Lawson. The final winner of the round was Lance Van Hauen, laying down a 3.899 - 194.58, despite a late leave (.157 to .074) to cover Chuck Loftin's not quite good enough 4.122 - 188.41.
In the "B" field, there were two very close races that were decided on the starting line via the redlight route, as Jeff Krug went red by .007 to give the win to Steve Vang as both racers carded 4.287 e.t.'s. The other foul start was even closer to perfect as the .004 too early leave of Dave Gallegos gave the automatic win to Tom Furches. The other winners in the round were Jeff Cameron, over Chris Schneider) and Steve Timoszyk over Daniel Butherus.
The final group, the "C" field saw one car (Jordan Ballew) break before staging, and one car (Bill Naves) breakout. With the index for the field set at 4.29 (two tenths quicker than the top qualifer in that field), Naves left late (.165 to .043) then blasted through the index with a 3.938 - 183.07 that negated the winlight shining in his lane, and advancing opponent Dustin Bradford. The beneficiary of Ballew's breakage was Scott Pareso who advanced with an easy 4.739 - 147.09.
The closest race of the round for any field was between Nick Johnson who barely eked out the win over Matt Nissen. Leaving first by a .008 to .106 margin, Nissen nearly made his 4.609 cover Johnson's much quicker 4.500, but the gap at the 660' mark was .011 second in Johnson's favour. Closing the round was Andy Mears taking an easy win over a slowing Jon Reich.
Eliminations - Semi-Finals
If you thought the action was intense in the first round, it got even hotter in the semis. In the first pair of the "A" field, Ken Singleton kept things rolling with a solid 3.74 - 198 decision over Lance Van Hauen's very good 3.88 - 196 losing effort. The other pair saw an identical winning time as Kirk Williams put down a slightly better 3.74 - 204 to move into the final. His opponent in the semis was Jim Chase who posted another very good pass of 3.92 - 189 that came up short against Williams' continuing rampage through the FCC ranks.
In the "B" field, the times were identical for the two winners, as Jeff Cameron laid down a
Things calmed down somewhat in the "C" field semis, with Andy Mears punching his ticket to the final with a 4.37 - 161 win over Nick Johnson's good try 4.51 - 154. In the other pair, Dustin Bradford moved into the final, courtesy of his 4.63 - 125 (early shutoff) over Scott Pareso's second best 5.07 - 146 effort.
Eliminations - Finals
We don't have times and speeds to report for the finals, but the winners were as follows:
"A" Field: Ken Singleton over Kirk Williams
"B" Field: Steve Timoszyk over Jeff Cameron
"C" Field: Andy Mears over Dustin Bradford
QUALIFYING - FINAL Session
ELIMINATIONS - Round ONE
"A" Field
"B" Field
"C" Field
Here's the updated FUNNY CAR CHAOS points standings (which also show the pre-entry list for the next race on the schedule) following the Kearney Raceway event. It only shows the top ten cars due to space considerations, as there's nearly 80 (!) racers on the list at this point in the season.
