The latest update as of May 27, 2025

DOUBLE CHAOS - Eddyville Raceway Park, Oskaloosa, IA

Unlike the (nearly) ill-fated season opener, which had to be rescheduled, then nearly rained out on the new date, the second race on the schedule went off on schedule, on time, albeit with a smaller car count, but still plenty of alky and nitro burning race cars. Qualifying for the three-day event started on time on Friday night, with the Funny Car Chaos crew leading off.

FUNNY CAR CHAOS - Qualifying Session #1

(LEFT) Last season's #4 racer in the final standings, Wayne Hofmann in the very familiar "China Syndrome" entry started his weekend with a strong burnout. He followed that up with a solid run of 4.41 - 159.57 to grab a very provisional top qualifying spot.... after the first pair of cars went down the track.

(RIGHT) Determined to overcome the 2024 season's string of blower woes, which sidelined him for most of the season, Keith Zimmerer laid down a strong burnout before taking the green light.... then going into instant tire smoke and coasting to the finish line at 18.11 - 29.69 mph.

(LEFT) The Colorado competitor, Bill Bernard in his "Grinder" entry left hard but took out the 330' timing block, which negated his 4.69 - 108.15 effort.

(RIGHT) Coming down from Bismarck, ND was regular competitor, Jim Chase in his ultra-cool and very competitive '57 Chevy, aptly named "Wicked Quick". He left with the wheels up, bounced a couple of times before shutting off to an 8.08 - 59.86 mph clocking that was wiped out by Bernard's timing block removal. At this point, we had four cars down the track and only one e.t. (Hofmann's 4.41) that was worth posting.

Another perennial championship contender moved into the water box next, as the Troxel & Schneider team, with Chris "The Butcher" Schneider driving, prepared to launch the '71 Mustang "Brutus" down the track. He left with the wheels up and finally set them down near the 300' mark before shutting off to a 4.636 - 121.00 clocking on a solo run. He was scheduled to run against the "Twisted Sister" entry of Colin Thomas that fell victim to a major oil leak when the car was fired.

Running alongside the #2 (by ONE point) driver from last season, Kirk Williams in the "200 Proof" entry, was Neil Girot in the ?"Twist 'n Shout' entry. Girot laid down a solid burnout and launched well with the wheels up, but his time was negated by Williams' taking out the finish line e.t and mph timing blocks. The scoreboards showed a "not to be believed" 3.64 - 222.99 for Girot, while Williams' side rang up a 3.74 - 201.34 time. Unfortunately, both sets of times were removed from the list.

(LEFT) Following a very impressive FCC debut at the seaso opener in Ennis, TX, Brian Lewis looked to follow-up on that performance with the "Grumpy2" at Eddyville. He launched hard and kept the hammer down to the 330' timers before clicking it off to a 4.638 - 112.53 that put him on the list into the "B" field with two more qualifying sessions remaining.

(RIGHT) Long-time FCC competitor, Steve Timosyzk in the Pancho Rendon tribute "Detroit Tiger" Monza, lined up against Lewis but was unable to keep the throttle open very long, shutting off early to record a 6.248 at only 81.77 mph.

(LEFT) The next pair featured a veteran racer and a relative newcomer. Making only his third start in FCC competition, Cody Chatfield in the "Booze Brothers" Monza put down a solid opening pass of to grab at least a temporary hold on the #1 spot in the qualifying order.

(RIGHT) Running with Chatfield was longtime FCC racer Mike Buchanan in the Charlie Therwanger tribute "Hombre" Vegas. He matched wheels with Chatfield most of the way to the finish line, ringing up a very respectable 4.312 - 173.48 that landed him in the #5 position at the end of the session.

(LEFT) Another full-on Top Alcohol flopper came out next in the tower lane as Robbie Massey in the "Moats, Massey & Grim" entry. The car ripped off a great .936 time at the 60' clocks, then pulled the pin early, stopping the clocks with a 4.399 - 120.97. The low speed showed there was a lot more on tap for the later sessions.

(RIGHT) The first blown fuel car of the evening ran in the lane opposite to Massey, and Colin Thomas was able to push the "Twisted Sister" to a very good, albeit early shutoff, 4.259 - 138.93 to slot into the #2 spot behind Cody Chatfield. If Colin had stayed on the loud pedal a little longer he would have easily taken the top spot on the ladder.

After the major damage to the front half of the chassis was repaired following the FCC Classic, Jordan Ballew went out on a solo pass to ensure that the repairs to the "Ballew Thunder" were going to hold up. The car launched hard, Jordan pedaled it once then shut off and coasted to a mid 6-second elapsed time.

One of the most colourful cars in the chaos crowd has to be second generation drag racer Bob Alberty Jr.'s Oldsmobile-bodied "Thunderin' Okie". He laid down a good burnout and launched with the wheels up before having to get out of the throttle and coast to the finish line at 8.790 - 48.64.

Defending series champion Shayne Lawson in the Mustang-bodied "Man O' War" ran very well to the 330' mark before losing traction and clicking it off to a decent 4.290 at only 120.81 mph.

(LEFT) Long time competitor in FCC, Justin Herbst did one of his patented long burnouts in the "Executioner"before staging up and pedaling his way to a so-so 5.429 - 132.00 pass that put him on the board in the middle of the "B" field.

(RIGHT) In a sharp looking new car, making only his second appearance on the circuit, Rick Stockman had trouble early in the "Hellraiser" and was on and mostly off the throttle before stopping the timers with a 7.016 - 73.28 timeslip.

(LEFT) The next pair turned into a pair of single runs, with Kris Battey and his aptly named "Batmobile" leaving the starting line on a bye run, going into instant tire smoke, pedaling and smoking again, before finally finding some grip and blasting through the lights at 5.716 - 158.67. The speed was fourth quickest of the session but the e.t was well down the list.

(RIGHT) Doing an abbreviated burnout, then needing to be pushed back to the starting line, Danny Mann looked to be dead in the water in his "Pony Up" Mustang. However, after Battey made his pass, Mann hammered it through to a solid 4.638 - 149.80 clocking.

Making only his second appearance at a Chaos race, after debuting the "Giant Killer" at the season opener, Lee Loveall made a strong run in his Nova-bodied entry, jumping to the top of the list with a strong 4.209 - 153.11 effort. He was scheduled to run alongside Casey Geeslin but "The Gambler" lost fire before starting his burnout.

Seldom seen at NHRA Top Alcohol races, but still very competitive, Lance Van Hauen in the "Van Hauen Brothers" late model Camaro, hit the throttle hard but instantly lost traction and gave up on the run. He still had enough momentum to reach the finish line at 7.727 - 106.81 to at least get a time on the board.

ARMLESS ARCHER vs FARMTRUCK

(LEFT) This blown alky doorslammer is piloted by Matt "The Armless Archer" Stutzmann and runs very well. It's a mystery to me how he can control the car - and very well I might add - without his arms. He's also a world class archer that is an inspiration to anyone, especially those with a serious disability.

(RIGHT) A very familiar sight from the Street Outlaws television show, it's Sean "Farmtruck" Whitley, with his sidekick Jeff "AZN" Bonnett took on the formidable Top Sportsman car of the Armless Archer. The Farmtruck was given a 1.5 second headstart, and while no times showed up on the scoreboard, the winlight did come on for the Farmtruck.

NITRO CHAOS - Qualifying Session #1

(LEFT) The first pair of Nitro Chaos racers showcased the diversity of the competition with Dave Hill in hs Mustang-bodied "Mad Max" faced off against a front-engined dragster. Dave's opening shot was somewhat abbreviated as he drifted close to the centerline and took out the finish line timing block to conclude his 4.158 - 133.61 pass. The car was running very hard but Dave had to lift early, hence the low mph.

(RIGHT) In the other lane was Indiana's Brian Inouye in the beautiful "Frantic Fueler". Despite the FOR SALE sign on the cowl, the team was loaded for bear and left with the wheels up and trucking as it blasted out the low e.t. and top speed of the evening with a tremendous 3.733 - 200.62 lighting up the scoreboard.

Of course it's a blown fuel Hemi under the hood of this Pro Mod Camaro. Andy Fangman, is running one of the few nitro pro mods still in existence, at least until Scott Palmer rebuilds or replaces his destroyed "Studezilla". Fangman stood on the loud pedal, despite having to pedal a couple of times, and stopped the timers with a respectable 4.328 - 150.75 to grab the #4 spot on the qualifying list.

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