Imagine for a moment a group of Funny Car racers who all decided to give their cars catchy names , just like in the early days of the sport . Ponder the scene of state-of-the-art , modern Funny Cars , as well as tribute-themed nostalgia entries , right down to forgotten cars that had been literally retrieved from a barn , cleaned up , refurbished and put back into heads-up action on the drag strip . As long as we ’ re dreaming , consider if you will , blown alcohol cars , nitro cars , even nitrous-assisted Funny Cars if you please , all competing with no weight restrictions , any length or style of body ( so long as it represents a Funny Car in the purest of form ) with dry-hops strongly encouraged !
It sounds like a crazy dream I realize , but this deal is for real , it ’ s gaining lots of interest and it was also on my “ bucket list ” of things to see in person . It ’ s called Funny Car Chaos , and it ’ s among the coolest things I ’ ve come across in a while .
A big part of the appeal to the racer is the freedom to build your flopper any way you want instead of following a precise rulebook . No matter if you envision your Funny Car to sport a sleek , new-style body or a boxy nostalgia lid from yesteryear , the choice is yours to make .
This series features an 8-car qualified “ A ” field , backed up by an 8-car “ B ” field of cars , and each is equally entertaining as the other , so just get in where you fit in and let the good times roll !
The whole thing started in 2017 when Texas native Chris Graves decided to branch out from professional photography and being a race car crew member to include race promoting to his long resume of exploits
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. North Star Dragway became the testing grounds for what would eventually become Funny Car Chaos , initially with booked-in match races . Afterwards , the idea was to offer some purse money and see who wanted to come compete for it . Before long , this deal exploded into a multi-state touring , points-earning series that ’ s packing grandstands , often to capacity !
I was fortunate enough to catch this header-cackling act in Missouri over Labor Day weekend at the legendary Smokin ’ Mo-Kan Dragway ,
where 22 of the most diverse floppers you ’ ve ever seen in one place showed up to do battle and entertain fans ... with a strong emphasis on “ entertainment .”
Long , smoky burnouts are highly recommended and pretty much expected . You ’ ll find back-up girls dressed for the part , staging duels and qualifying grudge races , and I even saw one crew member donning an elaborate costume and waving a sword , much to the delight of the energized fans ! The whole thing is an epic display of horsepower , with tons of showmanship mixed in . For
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the fan of the sport , it ’ s the “ personal experience ” that they ’ ll never forget .
“ You ’ ll not find signs that read , ‘ Driver will be back at 4:30 to sign autographs .’ These guys are available anytime . You can sit in their race cars and if you ’ re hungry they ’ ll feed you !” laughs Graves .
These folks even throw barbecues during Thursday ’ s pre-race festivities , and it seems the camaraderie is what they live for . Sure , you ’ ll find some sprawling rigs in the pits , but not many of them . These are sweat-of-the-brow , working-class
Americans who labor away all week , just so they can meet up with their Funny Car friends on weekends and do their thing .
The choice of venues is the other important component that makes this deal work marvelously well . The idea is to refrain from touring this series to tracks that already host national events , but rather , take it to vintage , time-honored facilities that are sometimes a half-century old , if not older .
Take Mo-Kan Dragway for example – a facility that famously went nearly 30 years without so much as
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being sanctioned , until IHRA lured them out of outlaw status and into their fold a few years ago . This is the kind of venue that delivers the goods when creating the perfect atmosphere to experience Funny Car Chaos .
Incidentally , when Graves brought his “ plastic fantastic ” show to Mo-Kan in late August , the resulting fan turnout was the single largest one-day crowd in track history . What ’ s more , the grandstands at Mo-Kan are situated in a way that provides an up-close and personal experience in drag racing ... the way it was meant to be enjoyed .
The advertised field of Funny Cars alone would be enough to rock most people ’ s world , but there ’ s more to this thrill show than the headlining act . The Texasbased Dirty South Gassers group also tours with this series to select events , bringing anywhere from 30-50 of some of the coolest , wheelstanding nostalgia cars you ’ ve ever seen . When the tour goes further north , the popular Ozark Mountain Super Shifters club will take part in the show . Graves is also a big believer in booking a jet car for added thrill show value . “ You gotta have a jet !” he declares .
Graves strives to maintain an 8-race schedule , with this year ’ s events touring to Iowa , Nebraska and Missouri , along with the popular stops in Texas , where the earliest roots are firmly planted .
To be clear , this was one bucket list item I was sure happy to scratch off the list , only it didn ’ t satisfy me for long , as I traveled to San Antonio in early October to catch the season finale of Funny Car Chaos , ‘ cause I soon realized that this was one show that definitely needed an encore ! DI
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