2nd annual FUNNY CAR CHAOS CLASSIC

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

While there were a few cars making unofficial test runs on Wednesday, most notably Julie Nataas in her new "Randy Meyer Racing" entry, the hard luck award of the week (possibly the year) went to Rick Ducusin as he debuted his brand-new "Alien Invasion" AA/Funny Car. It lost the grip right off the starting line, crossed the centerline and hit the wall hard before grinding to a halt in the middle of the track, with the front half of the chassis (and body) destroyed. Unbelievably bad luck for a very hard working guy. At least Nataas kept her car in one piece but didn't get very far before smoking the tires on each attempt.

The official test session on Thursday went off under sunny skies and almost perfect conditions, on a well-prepped track. All runs were made in the right lane, even though it appeared that the left lane was also prepped and ready for racing. We've got photos and captions here, but if you want to see the video of the entire test session, check out the Funny Car Chaos YouTube channel.

Before the test session started, the Funny Car Chaos crew got their merchandise stand setup, with Chris Graves (right) running the show. Visiting before taking his usual spot at the 200' mark, was veteran (putting it mildly!) photographer Dave Kommel, (center) who's enjoying his "retirement" by just going to select races now. That's Dave's wife on the left.

(LEFT) Coming out with a new car was series regular Nick Johnson, who was formerly partnered Wayne Reinert in the "Prairie Fire" car, and is now on his own with his "Razzle Dazzle" entry. His first attempt was an on-and-off-and-on affair with the timers stopping at 4.718 - 124.51 that gave him a starting point.

(RIGHT) Three-time defending series champion Ken Singleton also had a new body, new paint and a new sponsor (Maxima Batteries), and had a wild first pass of the year. He skated all over his lane early, taking out the 330' timing block, then fishtailing back into his lane - without lifting - and blasted through the lights at 3.865 - 161.93> Even with all the extra distance and an early shutoff, he still ran a mid-3.80 on his first attempt.

(LEFT) Test sessions see all types of car, and this blown fuel late model Hemi-powered slingshot dragster, being driven by Texas Drag Racing Association member Jonathan Johnson laid down a good run. I'll have to review the video to see what the timelsip looked like.

(RIGHT) Still making a very old-school short wheelbase Vega-bodied car work, Mike Buchanan went up in smoke on the launch, then pedalled the "Hombre" to a 6.044 - 108.47 clocking.

(LEFT) The first fuel altered to run was Keith Zimmerer in his "Penny Pincher" '32 Bantam, and he was off the throttle early, coasting through the lights at 4.602 - 114.68 mph.

(RIGHT) Making some serious noise, the "Illinois Thunder" Plymouth Arrow of Levi Keenen put down a good 4.061 - 192.03, despite a very lazy launch of 1.173 at the 60' clocks.

(LEFT) One of the biggest stories coming into the event was the brand-new and untested "project car" out of Randy Meyer Racing, being driven by Julie Nataas. After not getting very far down track in a private test session on Wednesday, the car instantly went up in smoke on the launch, and barely rolled to the finish line at 16-seconds and 21 mph. Still a few bugs to sort out.

(RIGHT) Back for another season of FCC competition, Michigan's Steve Timoszyk hauled down his "Detroit Tiger" Monza and put down a decent 4.262 - 141.19 to knock the rust off the driver and crew.

(LEFT) Another one of the dozen or so Fuel Altereds in the pits, Donny McSwain lit up the tires on the "Wild One" on the burnout, but was forced to shut off before staging with an unknown problem.

(RIGHT) Getting on the injected nitro bandwagon was series regular, Tod Barker in the "Back in Black" 'Vette. His first pass with the combination wasn't terribly successful, with a 7-second 64-mph result lighting up the scoreboard.

(LEFT) The first A/Fuel Altered (injected nitro) altered to get down the track was this unidentified car and driver that were reportedly making a license pass. It did pretty well for a first pass, with a stunning 3.856 - 161.31 showing on the timers, putting this team at the top of the class. See the closeup view of the engine below.

(RIGHT) Switching over from AA/Fuel Altered trim to a Funny Car for 2022, the Darby & Morrow team, with Aaron Morrow at the wheel, made their FCC debut with the "Nitro Relapse". The car headed for the centerline early, before Morrow clicked it off and coasted down at 5.831 - 80.71 mph.

It might not be as fancy as the setup on the Randy Meyer car, but it obviously works.

(LEFT) After a first pass that resulted in an early shutoff (4.341 - 129.55), last year's #5 finisher in points, Tom Furches instantly lit up the tires and coasted to a 16-second clocking on his second try in the "Made in America" Corvette.

(RIGHT) Another member of the TDRA, in a slingshot dragster, Michael Anderson, pushed his blown (not sure if it's nitro or alky) small-block Chevy car to a decent clocking that will have to be dug up from the YouTube video of the session.

(LEFT) From the Outlaw Fuel Altereds website we know that the "Psycho Too" is owned by Wilkins & Gilliland, but we don't know who was driving on this "license" pass as the car stopped the timers at 5.720 - 136.47 mph.

(RIGHT) Having trouble early with the car heading for the centerline, Shayne Lawson had to wrestle the Mustang-bodied "Man O' War" back into the groove before shutting off to a 5.966 at 78.35 mph.

(LEFT) Running one of the only (possibly the only) blown fuel Big-Block Chevy Funny Car in the world, New Mexico's Ray Stringer ran hard for a few hundred feet before clicking the "Blown Cent-Less" to a 4.941 - 115.22 pass.

(RIGHT) It took quite a few passes before the first 200-mph speed came up on the scoreboards, but Chuck Loftin managed it with a very good 3.895 - 203.34 out of his "Motivation" Mustang.

(LEFT) Joining the 3-second bunch due to some off-season improvements, Dustin Bradford rang up a very good 3.948 - 184.90 out of the 'Cuda-bodied "American Dream" entry.

(RIGHT) Another one of the familiar faces at FCC races, "Brutus" Mustang of John Troxel, driven by Chris Schneider made a decent 4.302 - 173.94 on their first pass.

(LEFT) It was pretty much a usual run for the next Fuel Altered out of the lanes, as the "High Octane" car of Raymond Dawson wiggled it's way to a 4.468 - 151.21 that showed there was definitely serious potential.

(RIGHT) A name out of the distant past, the "China Syndrome" Dodge Omni of Wayne Hofmann, (son of famous NHRA Nitro Funny Car racer Al Hofmann) debuted his new blown alky car with a troubled 5.016 - 97.84 pass. The car wouldn't shift, necessitating an early shutoff.

(LEFT) More Fuel altereds, with Donnie Massey out next, but the burnout was as much as the "Showtime" was capable of before shutting off.

(RIGHT) The next AA/FA up was the "Penny Pincher" (not sure if the name is still on the car) of Keith Zimmerer who laid down a very impressive 3.809 - 196.78 to set the pace for the Fuel Altered contingent.

(LEFT) Coming all the way from Sweden to drive a California-based car, Joacim "Joe" Ljungberg put down a solid 4.274 - 167.56 in the "Raw Valley" entry.

(RIGHT) One of the "Back in Black" cars, the Firebird-bodied car of Alex Barker (son of Tod Barker, driver of the other 'B in B' car) bogged on the launch and shut off to a 8.921 - 47.49 clocking.

(LEFT) After a number of years driving an NHRA Top Alcohol car, Christine Foster (nee Chambless), brought out the second Foster family car, aptly named "Family Feud", but shook and pedalled to a 4.869 - 111.94 to start her weekend.

(RIGHT) Making another pass, and still igniting the tires on the launch was Julie Natass who recorded a 15-second pass at only 24 mph as the car barely made it to the 660' mark before stopping. Our starting line correspondent, Bob Snyder, noticed that all the raw fuel accumulating in the headers at idle was dripping out through the holes drilled in the bottom of them and puddling in front of the fires. Should be a simple fix, but what do we know?

(LEFT) This is the "Rednecks 'n Fuel" AA/FC, owned and usually driven by Terry Totten making a license pass, but the results weren't very good at 9.720 - 97.82 mph.

(RIGHT) He's certainly sane, but the car is "Still Crazy" as driver Clay Cunningham is back for another season of FCC racing, but got off to a bad start by breaking on the burnout.

(LEFT) Bannering a new sponsor, "PC Disposal.com", the #8 finisher in the NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car standings, Kyle Smith blitzed the timers to the tune of 3.655 - 181.57 to nearly set low e.t. for the day. He was only slightly behind Ken Singleton (no picture posted) who turned a best of 3.609 - 216.01 for the best numbers ever for his "High Risk" entry.

(RIGHT) Ready to contend for Top Ten honours again after her great rookie season, finishing #3 in the standings, Jade Cook was unable to show what the "Nemesis" car was capable of as she couldn't get it in reverse after the burnout.

(LEFT) Last year's #7 in FCC points, Jeff Cameron is still sponsored by "Jake's Speed Shop", but appears to have a new paint scheme happening. It looks partly finished (at least we hope so) with the current look being a drastic change from last year's glossy black colour. His first pass of the week ended with him pedalling and giving up to a 9.229 - 106.36 clocking.

(RIGHT) The familiar "Obsession" entry of Jeff Krug didn't have a great time with the car losing fire while attempting to stage.

After a disappointing outing three weeks ago at the March Meet, where he ended up as third alternate, nearly eight tenths short of the bump spot, Don Knoblauch had a better start to his Classic weekend with an on-and-off 4.080 - 189.22 to show some potential.

(LEFT) After the test session ended, the Funny Cars lined up for a group photo with approx. 50 cars on the track. Our photographer was able to get upstairs in the tower and capture this great shot from the third floor.

(RIGHT) Holding the microphone and explaining what was about to happen is Funny Car Chaos founder Chris Graves.

In a special finish to the day, Keith & Natalie Jackson were wed on the starting line, with all the Funny Cars assembled behind them. The wedding ceremony is in progress (left) and completed (right).

(LEFT) The happy Bride & Bridesmaid leave the ceremony

(RIGHT) Afterwards, in the pits, the happy couple, Keith Jackson (left) and Natalie Jackson (next to him) celebrated their marriage.

Bob Snyder with his "new girlfriend"

QUALIFYING - Session #1

We don't know what the actual e.t.'s and speeds were for the first qualifying session, as the Funny Car Chaos team only publishes the qualifying list after the second session. If there's a photo and caption of a car/driver in the second session coverage, we won't mention their time/speed in our first session report.

(LEFT) The first driver down the track, Dave Gallegos had trouble turning the tires on the burnout, then had more trouble trying to stage the car as the starting system malfunctioned. He was forced to shut off and go to the back of the line to get ready to re-fire the "Nitro Clown" and make his run later in the session.

(RIGHT) Things got back to normal as the next racer out of the chute, Mitch Bowen got off the line strongly and kept the hammer down on the "Northland Express" to start things off.

(LEFT) After making just two events in 2021, Damon Kuhn rejoined the FCC "tour" with his unique "Passin' Gas" entry.

(RIGHT) Out with a new look and new name for his car, Smiley Cordero ran the "Maximum Overdrive" '70 Camaro.

(LEFT) With a very colourful paint/wrap on the car, NHRA Top Alcohol racer Kyle Smith put down a solid burnout for his new sponsors, "PC Disposal.com".

(RIGHT) Making the switch to a Funny Car after quite a few years running as a Fuel Altered, the "Nitro Relapse" team of Darby & Morrow, with Aaron Morrow driving, pulled up to the staging beams as a crewmember activated the onboard data recorder.

(LEFT) A new look, new team and new car debuted as Nick Johnson replaced the "Prairie Fire" entry and partnership, with his own deal, the "Razzle Dazzle" Camaro.

(RIGHT) After a one event cameo in 2021, David Hill brought his "Zeus" entry out to start the season, but didn't get far under power, clicking it off early to a 6.557 - 84.56 timeslip.

(LEFT) The NHRA Heritage Series-legal Plymouth Arrow "Illinois Thunder" of Levi Keenen put down a hard burnout before making his first qualifying pass.

(RIGHT) Series regular Matt Nissen pushed his "Runnin' Down a Dream" to a decent 4.431 - 165.10 to grab a provisional spot in the field.

(LEFT) Coming out with a sharp new look on his "Empire Iron Works" NHRA Top Alcohol car, Texas veteran Bryan Brown lit up the scoreboards with an excellent 3.675 - 200.61 to stake his claim for a spot in the "A" field.

(RIGHT) Former perennial Top Ten runner, #4 in 2019, #8 in 2020, before slipping to #12 last season, Jordan Ballew started his season with the beautiful "Ballew Thunder" Camaro.

(LEFT) The car looks good, but Robin Rish was unable to put a time on the board in his "Blown Retirement" entry. He didn't show for the evening session either, so the team might be battling some terminal trouble.

(RIGHT) This wasn't a burnout, as Mike Buchanan lit up the tires on the launch and limped the "Hombre" Vega down the track to a 5.623 - 84.02 clocking.

(LEFT) Making his Funny Car Chaos debut, Danny Mann brought his "Pony Up" Mustang (what else could it be with the Pony name?) to the line, but didn't record a time on the qualifying sheets.

(RIGHT) With two cars to run this year, after purchasing Todd Simpson's former NHRA Nitro Funny Car, Nancy Matter brought her familiar "Guardian" Trans-Am to the line, but smoked the tires on her first attempt.

(LEFT) Back for his second attempt in the first session, after the timing system was uncooperative on his first try, Dave Gallegos hammered the loud pedal on the "Nitro Clown" for a few hundred feet, before shutting it off to a 4.162 - 142.16 time to start his weekend.

(RIGHT) With the Funny Car body on this week, the Farris brothers "War Wagon", with itinerant nitro pilot Kebin Kinsley driving, didn't get very far under power, like about 60' before pulling the pin. The verdict: 15.433 - 29.32 and a place near the bottom of the list.

(LEFT) While he hasn't been as active as an NHRA Top Alcohol racer in recent years, Mike Newkirk has been a familiar figure at Funny Car Chaos racers with his Dodge Aveneger-bodied entry. Here, he's captured at the end of a long smokey burnout.

(RIGHT) A very familiar car at FCC races is the "Wicked Weekender" of Oklahoma's Steve Vang, and Top Ten runner for the past two seasons, started the event with a solid 4.619 - 157.63 that left him near the bottom of the qualified cars after the first session.

(LEFT) With a new look to the car and new sponsor ("Maxima Batteries"), the three-time defending series champion Ken Singleton showed that they had even more power on tap, with a very quick 3.662 - 215.15 pass. The speed was a new best for the "High Risk" team and the e.t. was among their best. It almost certainly guaranteed them a spot in the "A" field for Saturday's eliminations.

(RIGHT) One of the many iconic cars that pay tribute to the history of Funny Car racing, Steve Timoszyk in his Monza-bodied "Detroit Tiger" laid down a hard burnout before his first qualifying attempt.

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(LEFT) The Mustang-bodied "Man O' War" of Shayne Lawson started off on the right foot with a solid 4.208 - 160.92 in the blown alcohol entry.

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(LEFT) While he brought out his NHRA Nitro Funny Car at last year's race, this time around, Terry Haddock rolled in with his NHRA Heritage Series Vega-bodied "Fool's Errand". A lot less power, a lot less thrashing, and a lot cheaper to run. The change of mounts made sense as, after a hard bunrout, he hooked up and ran a good 4.061 - 188.60 to grab a tentative spot in the "B" field.

(RIGHT) It was a pedal party for Alex Barker in the team's "Back in Black" Pontiac GTO, as he was on-and-off the throttle to the tune of a 5.467 - 131.26 run.

(LEFT) The car looks great, and runs great, but this first attempt by Bob Alberty Jr. in his ultra detailed "Thunderin' Okie" didn't go too well, as he went up in smoke shortly after passing the 60' clocks.

(RIGHT) This is almost like "bringing a gun to a knife fight" as the Tuttle brothers brought out their NHRA Big Show Funny Car, driven by Brad Tuttle to try to dominate the show as Del Worsham did at last year's inaugural Classic. Here he launched hard enroute to a very good start to their race weekend.

QUALIFYING - Session #2

First out of the lanes for the second qualifying session on Friday evening were the members of the Outlaw Fuel Altered Association, followed by the Funny Cars. We've got the Fuel Altered photos posted below, but it will be tomorrow before we can get to the Funny Cars. Also, we don't have any e.t.'s or speeds for the altereds.

(LEFT) The first pair featured Clint Cross in the Cross & Meyer "Crossways" entry in the near lane, with longtime Outlaw Fuel Altered series competitor Bobby Marriott in his "Shockwave" in the far lane.

(RIGHT) Next up were Rick Lewelling in the "Midnight Special" (near lane) matched up with what appears to be (sorry, we're not certain) Randy Meuller in his battleship grey "Crazy Randy" entry on the far side. Mueller crosses over between FCC and OFAA with a flopper body and an altered.

(LEFT) The 2021 Outlaw series champion, Keith Zimmerer in his "Penny Pincher" entry appeared to be making a bye run.

(RIGHT) The Hunter & Wasson-owned "Jailbreak", driven by Mark Hunter (near lane) paired up next with Donny McSwain in the "Wild One" in the far lane.

(LEFT) It was the Jimmy Jones driven "Texas Tremor" out next (near lane), up against John Broussard in his "Purple Haze" entry on the far side.

(RIGHT) The last Fuel Altered out of the "chutes" was the "Psycho Too", owned by Wilkins & Gilliland. We don't know who was driving, but "License Run" was shoe-polished on the rear wing.

(LEFT) Following a disappointing appearance at the March Meet, Don Knoblauch (near lane) put down a solid 3.962 - 188.56 to slot into the middle of the pack in the #16 spot on the provisional qualifying list. In the far lane, Chris Schneider wheeled the "Brutus" Mustang to a decent 4.114 - 179.68 that placed him 23rd and, if there were not changes in the final qualifying session, near the bottom of the "C" field.

(RIGHT) Doing a hard burnout in the "Ballew Thunder" Camaro before making a so-so pass, was Jordan Ballew. His 4.816 - 137.86 was well off the pace, leaving him in the #40 spot, and outside any of the fields. At this point there were 36 spots open for eliminations, with a 4-car bonus "Shootout" field for racers who failed to make any of the four 8-car fields.

On the left, burning out before making his run, was Jeff Krug in his "Obsession" entry. In the photo on the right, he launches alongside Jade Cook, who's barely visible in the far lane. While Cook recorded a decent 4.504 - 160.11 to land in the #33 position, Krug didn't show up on the qualifying sheets so he must have either left before the tree or been disqualified for a boundary infraction.

Another good burnout picture on the left, with Damon Kuhn's "Passin' Gas" lighting up the tires before facing Dusty Hunt's (far lane in the right photo) "Nitro Pony". Kuhn stumbled to a 7.146 - 81.90, while Hunt whipped the blown fuel car to an early shutoff 4.212 - 148.92 that placed him, temporarily at least, in the #27 spot on the qualifying sheet.

With the sun down, the skies nearing full dark, the nitro flames started climbing into the sky as Brad Tuttle burned out, then launched hard in his "Big Show" "Nitro Bandit". He lit up the scoreboards big-time with an e.t. that covered the field by a bunch: 3.329 - 264.16 to be the odds-on favourite to take the win in the "A" field.

(LEFT) Another car with a serious blown fuel combination, Terry Totten driven "Rednecks 'n Fuel" entry pounded out a good 3.916 - 184.03 that placed him 14th on the list, near the bottom of the "B" field, going into the final qualifier on Saturday.

(RIGHT) With the car "re-branded" as "Maximum Overdrive" (near lane), Smiley Cordero paired up with Steve Vang and his "Wicked Weekender" in the next pairing. Smiley got to the finish line first at 4.297 - 168.88 (#30), while Vang trailed at 4.619 - 157.53, putting him #37 on the list.

Making his Funny Car Chaos debut, Wayne Hofmann burned out (left photo), then lined up his "China Syndrome" in the near lane against Nick Johnson's all new "Razzle Dazzle" entry in the far lane. Johnson "won" the race with his 4.257 - 165.10 easily covering Hofmann's trailing 4.570 - 152.46 clocking.

The Fuller & Cousimano "WTF Racing" team showed up with a replacement driver, Jon - not Ron - Capps in their car for this race. Capps showed his experience behind the wheel of a nitro funny car by cranking out a 4.247 - 131.58 in the near lane, despite an early shutoff. In the far lane, Matt Nissen trailed in his "Runnin' Down a Dream" entry with a decent 4.431 - 165.10, good for the #32 spot on the qualifying sheets.

(LEFT) Making another attempt to put down a competitive pass, but falling well short, was Julie Nataas, in the near lane. Her 11-second timeslip was no help for the struggling "Meyer & Nataas" team. In the far lane, Lyle Greenberg had no trouble with his NHRA-legal Nostalgia Funny Car, cranking out a very good 3.759 - 200.86 in his "Cone Hunter" Corvette. That run placed him at the bottom of the "A" field in the #8 position.

(RIGHT) Running by himself from all appearances, Dustin Bradford in the "American Dream" ran what was probably a career best of 3.999 - 180.39 to nearly make into the "B" field, with the run putting him provsionally in the #17 spot on the ladder.

Long-time series regular, Chuck Loftin, seen burning out on the left in his "Motivation" Mustang, and launching hard in the photo on the right, made one of his best runs in a long time, stopping the clocks at 3.831 - 198.55 to grab the #11 spot on the list. In the far lane, barely visible, is Danny Mann in the earlier model "Pony Up" Mustang, but he didn't show an elapsed time on the qualifying list due to an unknown cause. Breakage, red light, etc?

(LEFT) After many years of competing with the Outlaw Fuel Altereds, the Darby & Morrow team switched to a Funny Car body over the winter, and Aaron Morrow launched with the flames up high in the "Nitro Relapse" entry. They didn't stay up for long though, as the pass resulted in a 6.723 - 65.49 timeslip.

(RIGHT) The next pair saw Steve Timoszyk (near lane) in his familiar "Detroit Tiger" Monza making an on-and-off pass that stopped the clocks at 4.810 - 170.60 for the #39 spot on the list. In the far lane, Mike Tobacco surprised a few poeple with a very competitive 3.952 - 181.95 that landed him in the #15 spot and a foothold in the "B" field. It was a very good start for the FCC series newcomer

Making her FCC debut was Christine Foster in her new "Family Feud" NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car, and she had an on-and-off run that resulted in a #38 qualifying 4.731 - 152.46 time that didn't reflect the car's true capabilities. However, with one more chance to improve on that in Saturday's final qualifying session, the Foster team were looking for more, much more from the car.

Warming up the Hoosiers in the photo on the left, the "Northland Express" of Mitch Bowen, who had been off the FCC "tour" since last May, laid down a good 4.016 - 180.63 that close to the magic 3-second territory, placing him #19 on the provisional list, and solidly in the "C" field. Running beside him in the photo on the right was Charles Ware in his "Juggling Rubies" entry, as he made a solid 4.561 - 168.65 pass. That put him #35 on the list and just outside the "D" field.

(LEFT) Even though she brought two cars to this event, Nancy Matter was only running her tried-and-true "Guardian" and it ran very well, with a great 3.746 - 204.05 clocking, one of her best ever, that placed her in the "A" field in the #7 spot on the ladder.

(RIGHT) After a strong finish to the 2021 season, with a runnerup showing in the "A" field at the season finale in San Atonio, Bob Alberty Jr. was looking to keep up that pace with his very colourful "Thunderin' Okie" car. His 4.038 - 181.83 was a good start to his weekend, putting him #19 on the qualifying sheets and near the top of the "C" field.

(LEFT) Laying down another hard burnout in the "Still Crazy" entry was Clay Cunningham as he prepared for his second qualifying attempt. This run put him in the #21 spot, in the "C" field, with a 4.040 - 181.58 coming up on the scoreboards.

(RIGHT) Two blown fuel entries paired up next, as Levi Keenen pushed the "Illinois Thunder" Plymouth Arrow (near lane) to a very good 3.881 - 189.35 to grab the #13 spot on the list and a solid position in the middle of the "B" field. Barely visible in the far lane is Dave Gallegos in his "Nitro Clown" who trailed with an early shutoff 4.162 - 142.16 that left him in the 25th spot on the qualifying sheets.

(LEFT) Next up was Mike Newkirk in his Top Alcohol Funny Car, laying down a hard burnout before taking it down the track to a very quick 3.831 - 205.99 that nearly nabbed a spot in the "A" field, falling just short as he landed in the 10th position on the ladder.

(RIGHT) Newlywed Keith Jackson didn't have a very "High Heaven" run as their run showed up at the bottom of the list, with no time allotted. Disqualfied or broke before getting to the finish line, we're not sure. In any event, they were down to one final shot to make the field, at noon Saturday.

(LEFT) Another solid runner on the circuit, finishing in the Top Ten for the past three seasons, Jeff Cameron wheeled his "Jake's Speed Shop" entry to a #9 qualifying 3.802 - 197.13 pass that put him near the top of a very crowded qualifying list.

(RIGHT) NHRA regular over the past three years, with a Top Ten finish in Top Alcohol Funny Car in 2021, Kyle Smith pushed his newly sponsored "PC Disposal.com" entry to the second best time of the day, with an excellent 3.560 - 211.33 lighting up the scorebaords.

(LEFT) The final pairing of the night matched the #1 & #2 finishers in the FCC standings last season in a fitting finale to the evening's second qualifying session. Seen here burning out was Kirk Williams in his "200 Proof" Firebird, before he put down a very good 3.686 - 203.23 that was "only" good enough for the #6 spot at the end of the session.

(RIGHT) Closing out the show was the three-time defending series champion, Ken Singleton, showing off his new sponsor ("Maxima Batteries") as he launched on his second qualifier. His earlier effort netted one of his best runs ever, a 3.662 - 215.15 that placed him #4 on the list. This run however, ended early as the crankshaft broke at half track, starting a huge fire that kept burning all the way down to the end of the track.

It took quite a bit of work for the safety crew to extinguish, and the car was virtually destroyed. Sadly, Singleton suffered some very serious burn injuries to a large percentage of his body, and as of late Friday was in the intensive care unit of the Burn Center at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. Further updates on his condition were provided on Saturday.

One bit of VERY GOOD NEWS was posted on the High Risk Racing Team Facebook page a few hours ago. Ken Singleton has been taken off the ventilator, had his sedation reduced, and is alert and talking. While he still has an incredibly difficult journey ahead of him, it appears that he is out of danger and starting on the road to recovery. Very, very good news indeed.

QUALIFYING - Session #3

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ELIMINATIONS - Round One

With the obvious withdrawal of Ken Singleton due to his Friday night fire, the ladders for all four fields were adjusted accordingly. The only change to the "A" field - which we start with - is the elevation of #9 qualifer Jeff Cameron into the field, as everyone below the #4 spot moved up one notch. In an attempt to equalize competition between vastly different combinations, and power levels, the FCC creates an index for the "C" and "D" fields. Normally, the index applies to the "B" and "C" fields, but with the number of racers at the Classic, and the four 8-car fields created, the index rules were changed for this event only.

At this event, the "A" & "B" fields run heads-up, with no breakout, and all final rounds are no breakout, allowing racers to run all-out in the big money rounds. The indexes are set two tenths below the quickest qualifier in each field, meaning that if the top car ran 4.00, the index would be 3.80, etc. With all the breakage and subsequent insertion of alternates, the quick e.t. for the "C" field was 3.976 (Tom Furches), making the index for that group 3.77. For the "D" field, Jade Cook set the pace with her 4.296, making the index 4.09 for that bunch.

(LEFT) Eliminations opened with low e.t. qualifier, and #1 overall, Brad Tuttle in his "Nitro Bandit" Mustang (near lane) advancing past #9 qualifier Jeff Cameron in the "Jake's Speed Shop" entry in the far lane. Cameron did his very best to even the odds against the NHRA "Big Show" car, cutting an .001 light, but Tuttle had cut that lead in half by the 60' clocks, and pulled away to a 3.352 - 246.02 to easily cover Cameron's very good 3.833 - 173.50 as he shut off early.

(RIGHT) Running her old "Guardian" car (she recently purchased an NHRA "Big Show" car from Todd Simpson), Nancy Matter (near lane) faced a formidable opponent in the #3 qualifying Ronny Young, driving the iconic "Blue Max" tribute car (far lane). Young slowed a little from his qualifying pace, but still took the win with a 3.776 - 184.98 to advance to the semis. Matter was in trouble early, smoking the tires and shutting off to a 9.279 - 47.26 time.

(LEFT) Despite his Nitro Pro Comp win three weeks ago at the March Meet, Lyle Greenberg, (near lane) came into eliminations as a bit of an underdog from the #8 spot in his "Cone Hunter" Corvette. In the far lane, NHRA Top Alcohol racer Kyle Smith held a nearly two tenths of a second edge based on qualifying times, but it was Greenberg turning on the winlight and moving into the second round with a very good 3.729 - 202.70, coupled with a quick (.041) light. Smith was right there with him all the way down the track, leading by nearly three hundredths at the 60' mark, but fell just a few feet short at the finish with a 3.740 - 203.58, in the closest race of eliminations. The margin at the finish line was just .009 seconds.

(RIGHT) The next pair featured two NHRA Top Alky cars, with Kirk Williams in the aptly named "200 Proof" entry in the near lane, and on the far side, Texas veteran Bryan Brown in the sinister looking all-black "Empire Iron Works" car. Based on qualifying times, 3.675 for Brown, and 3.686 for Williams, it was a pick-em race. In a bit of a surprise, Brown took the win with an excellent 3.683 - 209.09 over Williams, who shook the tires early and coasted to a 5.339 - 92.06 for the loss.

(LEFT) The "B" field didn't see any changes other than everyone moving up one notch, and #17 qualifier, Mike Tobacco, climbing into the bottom of the field from the top spot in the "C" field. The #2 car in the adjusted field, Mike Newkirk, was scheduled to race Dave Hill (not shown) in his "Zeus" entry, but Hill broke on the burnout, giving Newkirk a single. He didn't take it easy though, carding a solid 3.924 - 194.59 to advance.

(RIGHT) Still not adorned with his familiar "Rednecks 'n Fuel" paint scheme/wrap, Terry Totten (near lane) in his blown fuel car faced one of the "Back in Black" entries (far lane). This one, the 'Vette is being driven by Tod Barker and running an injected nitro combination. (One that actually gets down the track as evidenced by his 3.869 qualifying time). Totten stepped up from his 3.91 best in qualifying to a 3.595 - 235.23 as Barker redlighted (-.130) and shut off to a 7.529 - 73.54 clocking.

(LEFT) In a bit of a surprise, Don Knoblauch (in the near lane) took out higher qualified Levi Keenen (far lane) with a consistent 3.925 - 193.72 and advanced to the semi-finals. Knoblauch did qualify decently with a solid 3.907 - 188.73 for a new career best e.t., and kept up the pace in the first round. Keenen smoked the tires on the launch and coasted to a 9.969 - 44.59 to end his weekend.

(RIGHT) Instead of being top dog in the "C" field, Mike Tobacco in the ex-"Crazy" Jake Crimmins car, now named "Pandemic", found himself at the bottom of the "B" field and having to race heads-up with no breakout. Paired up with the top qualifying Chuck Loftin in his "Motivation" Mustang, Tobacco gave it a good shot with a solid 4.013 - 192.88 that wasn't too far behind Loftin's winning 3.860 - 200.45. The winning margin for Loftin was much larger than the e.t.'s would indicate as Tobacco was nearly comatose when the lights flashed, with a .324 reaction time.

(LEFT) The "C" field started with last year's #5 runner in the FCC points standings, Tom Furches in the patriotically hued "Made in America" entry (near lane) facing the newly named "Maximum Overdrive" (from last year's 'Mistress') car of Smiley Cordero (far lane). Based on qualfiying times and positions, Furches' 3.976 (#18) should have easily covered Cordero's 4.287 (#32), and knowing that, Cordero attempted to saw down the tree. He missed by -.001, giving the automatic win to Furches. Cordero's decent 4.395 - 166.62 wouldn't have been close to Furches' much better 3.985 - 170.75 in any case.

(RIGHT) Qualifying near the middle of the field with his NHRA Nostalgia Funny Car, Terry Haddock, in his Vega-bodied "Fool's Errand" (near lane) paired up with Clay Cunningham (far lane) in the "Still Crazy" car. Cunningham left first by a "bunch" - .004 to .180 reactions - and to add injury to insult, ran away from Haddock's 4.185 - 179.62 pass, with a 4.060 - 180.17 to turn on the winlight and move to the next round.

(LEFT) A veteran FCC racer, Chris Schneider, in the Troxel & Schneider "Brutus" Mustang (near lane) took on Mitch Bowen's "Northland Express" (far lane) and managed to get past the quicker qualified (4.016 to 4.114) car to move into the next round. Schneider cut an excellent (.028) light and beat Bowen at both ends of the track, with his 4.070 - 179.39 covering Bowen's good try of 4.179 - 177.60 in the losing cause.

(RIGHT) The first round of "C" field eliminations closed with Dustin Bradford, in the near lane, pushing his "American Dream" to a win over series newcomer Joacim "Joe" Ljungberg, (far lane) all the way from Sweden, in the "Raw Valley" entry. Schneider dipped into the 3-second zone in qualifying in the 19th position at 3.999 for what might be his first visit to that "club". Then he bettered that run with a 3.972 - 182.77 to easily cover Ljungberg's game effort of 4.370 - 165.36 mph.

(LEFT) The "D" field kicked off with the period correct "Detroit Tiger" Monza of Steve Timoszyk in the near lane, taking on the "Back Attack" entry of Bradshaw & Lawson in the far lane, being driven at this event by Pro Mod racer Steve Wiley. The "Tiger" team took the winlight as Timoszyk advanced to the semifinals with a decent 4.329 - 175.27 clocking. Wiley tripped the timers first though with his much quicker - and ultimately too quick - 3.980 - 176.71 that broke out of the 4.09 index by more than a tenth of a second.

(RIGHT) Two closely matched (in qualifying) racers came out next, with #37 qualifying Charles Ware in the "Juggling Rubies" (near lane), against #36 car of Anthony Whitfield in the blown fuel Small-Block Chevy-powered "Mighty Mouse" in the far lane. Unfortunately for Whitfield, it was another breakout decision, as the "Mouse" was just a little too quick at 4.026 - 188.12 that made Ware the winner with a safe 4.518 - 140.30. Whitfield left on Ware by five hundredths, but just couldn't slow his car enough to stay above the index.

(LEFT) While it appears that Mike Buchanan (near lane) in his Vega-bodied "Hombre" has a lead off the line, he had redlighted with an -.052 reaction, negating his 4.582 - 153.28 effort. Taking advantage of his plight, Jade Cook (far lane) in her familiar yellow "Nemesis", lived up to that moniker again, as she took another round win at 4.343 - 163.37 to start her 2022 FCC season on the right note.

(RIGHT) The first round of eliminations closed with a new Funny Car driver, Christine Foster, (moved over from Top Alcohol Dragster) in her "Family Feud" entry (near lane) against newcomer Wayne Hofmann in his homage to his late father Al "China Syndrome" Dodge Omni in the far lane. While Hofmann qualifed nearly three tenths quicker than Foster, the times meant nothing going into eliminations. Hofmann took the round win in his first appearance at a Funny Car Chaos event, cutting a perfect .000 light, then laying down a 4.465 - 156.33 for the win. Foster had trouble instantly, smoking and/or shaking the tires and barely managing to limp across the finish line at 16.553 - 16.19 mph.

ELIMINATIONS - Round Two

(LEFT) With the skies darkening as the sun hit the horizon, the second round started with the flames showing brightly from Brad Tuttle's Nitro Bandit in the near lane. Bryan Brown (far lane) took an early lead off the line and kept the lead to the 330' mark before Tuttle's BIG horsepower took over and turned on the winlight with a very quick 3.503 - 199.04, despite a very early shutoff. Brown gave it his best shot, with a five hundredths holeshot, another five hundredths quicker 60' time, but fell short with a 3.707 - 207.25 clocking.

(RIGHT) With opponent Ronny Young broken (see below), Lyle Greenberg's "Cone Hunter" took an easy single at 4.552 - 123.81 to advance to the final against Tuttle. Knowing that he one more round of racing, Greenberg made the wise choice to shut off early and save the parts and fuel.

(LEFT) The camera was zoomed in on the "Blue Max" at the end of Ronny Young's burnout as he prepared to face Lyle Greenberg in a match to see how would face Brad Tuttle in the final round.

(RIGHT However, it all came undone for Young during the burnout as a trail of leaking fuel stretched down the track from the starting line, with the leak ultimately forcing him to shut off and watch Greenberg run away to the final.

(LEFT) In the first race of the "B" field semifinal, there was another upset win for the "Atomic Punk" team, as the Jeff Diehl-tuned car (near lane) was really running well and consistently. Driver Don Knoblauch turned on the winlight with a very good 3.914 - 187.59 to advance to the final round. Falling by the wayside in the far lane was the top qualifier (in the "B" field), Chuck Loftin in the "Motivation" Mustang as his 4.036 - 181.06 wasn't enough to catch the "Punk". What made the decision close was Loftin's seven hundredths holeshot, making the true-win margin just five hundredths, or about one car length.

(RIGHT) In full darkness, the cars were well illuminated under the Motorplex lights, as Mike Newkirk went on a single into the final round. His solid 4.059 - 185.72 wasn't necessary as opponent Terry Totten, sat in the pits after suffering major engine damage in the first round.

(LEFT) In the first pair of the "C" field semis, the "Still Crazy" car of Clay Cunningham (far lane) took a commanding lead right off the starting line, with an .006 light against the .195 reaction of Tom Furches. The elapsed times were close though, as Cunningham's 3.994 - 181.60 was only a little better than the "Made in America"'s (near lane) 4.029 - 156.89 time, but the gap at the finish line was several car lengths.

(RIGHT) The other match pitted Dustin Bradford in the "American Dream" (near lane) against Chris Schneider in the "Brutus" entry. Schneider left first by a small margin (.032 - .078) but his 4.066 - 178.33 wasn't quite quick enough to stay in front of Bradford's winning 3.966 - 182.82, as he dipped into the 3-second zone once more.

(LEFT) With both sides of the christmas tree showing green lights, it was a good start for Wayne Hofmann, in his FCC debut in the "China Syndrome" Omni (near lane), but at the finish line the winlight was flashing in Steve Timoszyk's lane as the "Detroit Tiger" advanced to the "D" field final. Hofmann left first again but not nearly as quickly as his perfect light in the first round, but his 4.494 - 156.18, wasn't nearly enough to stay in front of Timoszyk's 4.148 - 167.60 timeslip.

(RIGHT) Burning out on her own, Jade Cook warmed the tires on her nitrous-assisted "Nemesis". She was scheduled to race Charles Ware in his "Juggling Rubies" entry, but he was broken and unable to show. She took an easy single at 5.777 - 67.50 to advance into another final round. That makes five finals, and two wins so far, in the eight races of her FCC career.

ELIMINATIONS - Final Round

The Outlaw Fuel Altered final pitted two of the toughest racers on the circuit, with four time series champion Jimmy Jones in his "Texas Tremor" in the near lane, facing defending series champion Keith Zimmerer in his "Penny Pincher" entry. We don't have any results to report at this point.

(LEFT) The two finalists in the "D" field left strongly, with Jade Cook in her "Nemesis", barely visible in the far lane, slightly ahead of Steve Timoszyk in the "Detroit Tiger" (near lane). The reaction times favoured Cook by three hundredths, and she was still in front for a hundred feet, but Timsozyk pulled away with a good 4.108 - 180.73, taking the event win and visiting the winners circle for the first time since his "A" field win at Eddyville Raceway two years ago. Cook gave it a good try with her best run of the weekend at 4.292 - 163.05 to take the runnerup trophy.

(RIGHT) The "C" field final was a strange one, as the "Still Crazy" entry of Clay Cunningham, (far lane) left first - with a redlight - then ran much quicker with a 3.993 - 182.17. The automatic winner, Dustin Bradford, (near lane) in the "American Dream" Dodge Challenger crossed the centerline, invoking the age old "first or worst" rule and making Cunningham the winner. The event win was Cunningham's first since his 2020 "B" field victory at San Antonio.

(LEFT) Coming out of the gate first - by a bunch - .032 to .166 reactions, was Mike Newkirk in the near lane, but his good 4.108 - 194.07 was overtaken by a career best run by Don Knoblauch (far lane). The "Atomic Punk" Camaro stopped the clocks with a 3.874 - 189.19, for a two car length margin at the 660' finish line to win the "B" field and the $5,000 winners check. It was a great job by the entire team, led by crew chief Jeff "The Surfer" Diehl and cheered on by Leeza Diehl, the "Nitro-A-Go-Go" girl.

(RIGHT) Speeding off into the night on a single run, heading straight for the "A" field winners circle was Lyle Greenberg in his "Cone Hunter" Corvette. He took it easy with his second single of the evening, this time a leisurely 6.078 - 75.28 pass as scheduled opponent Brad Tuttle was unable to show after destroying an engine in his semifinal win. With two big wins in less than a month, Greenberg's on quite a roll. Congratulations to the team and driver for a great performance on a big stage.

The event ended with a big fireworks show over the Texas Motorplex as the racers celebrated their wins, or calculated their losses after a race filled with an awful lot of breakage, some great performances, a number of upset wins (and losses), and a successful conclusion. This year's second edition of the Funny Car Chaos Classic didn't have as many race cars, especially not of the NHRA "Big Show" variety, and the spectator count appeared less than last year.

But the biggest "minus" to the 2022 edition - by far - had to be the horrible fire suffered by Ken Singleton in his "High Risk" car. That Friday evening catastrophe cast a very large shadow over what should have been a very joyous and exciting event that turned so dark so quickly. To their immense credit, the racers, crews, and officials came together to complete the race to the best of their ability on Saturday, despite the pall cast over it on Friday.