Chris King Returns To NHRA U.S. Nationals With Upgraded Funny Car Program

The NHRA U.S. Nationals has a way of making every qualifying run feel bigger than normal, and Chris King knows that better than most.

The part-time Funny Car driver and team owner will return to competition at the 72nd Cornwell Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, where 24 Funny Cars are expected to battle for only 16 spots in the field. King and his Competition Products/Howards Cams team will arrive with a new-look 12,000-horsepower Funny Car, several mechanical upgrades, and the belief that three years of steady progress are starting to come together.

For a small-budget operation competing against some of the deepest teams in professional drag racing, simply making the U.S. Nationals field is an accomplishment.

Chris King Debuts A New-Look Funny Car At Indy

King’s Funny Car will have a noticeably different appearance when it rolls into the staging lanes at Indianapolis.

The Howards Cams/Competition Products machine will debut a new look at the U.S. Nationals, but the changes aren’t limited to the bodywork. Since the team’s most recent appearance at the Gerber Collision and Glass Route 66 Nationals outside Chicago, the operation has moved into a new shop and made substantial improvements to the race car.

King, who works full-time as a Chicago firefighter when he isn’t racing, has been methodically building the program rather than attempting to grow faster than the budget allows.

“The new Funny Car looks amazing, and we can’t wait to start making passes. We have been trying to build this program the right way on a small budget,” said King, who is a full-time firefighter in Chicago when he is away from the track. “My crew chief Bob Peck has gotten our tune-up moving in the right direction, and our crew guys have really stepped up. I think this weekend in Indy could be a big race for us. There will be a ton of Funny Cars trying to qualify, and we just want to be in the mix.”

Twenty-Four Funny Cars Are Fighting For 16 Spots

The U.S. Nationals Funny Car qualifying battle is shaping up to be brutal. Twenty-four entries are expected to compete for the traditional 16-car field, meaning eight teams will leave Indianapolis without getting a chance to race on Monday.

King has already experienced just how stressful that situation can become. Two years ago, he entered the final qualifying session sitting on the bump spot at No. 16 with a 4.079-second run. One competitor after another took a shot at knocking him out of the field, leaving King and his crew watching the scoreboard and waiting to see whether their number would survive.

King secured the final qualifying position in what became one of the quickest U.S. Nationals Funny Car fields in event history. He’d prefer not to repeat that experience.

“The car count for the U.S. Nationals this year is awesome,” said King. “A few years ago we had a stressful final session, but we got into the show. This year we want to make the most of the qualifying runs and not have to sweat it out. Bob and I have a plan, and we are excited to show off the work we have done leading up to the race. We also have some new marketing partners that we want to highlight.”

A New Shop Gives King’s Team Room To Improve

For a part-time nitro team, improvements away from the racetrack can be just as important as what happens on the time slip.

King’s operation has moved into a new shop since its last appearance in Chicago. The new facility gives the team more opportunity to properly service the Funny Car, organize parts, and make the kind of incremental improvements required to compete against full-time operations.

“It’s great to be coming back, and honestly it is way overdue,” said King. “We made some big changes to the car, so we are expecting to see results. Moving into our new shop has provided us with the chance to make some other big improvements for us to get work done. Every improvement we make is predicated on making the team stronger for the long run.”

King has credited crew chief Bob Peck with helping push the Funny Car’s tune-up in the right direction. That’s especially important for an independent team that doesn’t have unlimited testing opportunities.

Every qualifying run becomes data. Every successful pass provides another baseline. And every mistake has to teach the crew something useful because there often isn’t an endless supply of parts or another test session waiting the following week. Indy gives Peck and King five opportunities during qualifying to establish what the car wants and, ideally, put themselves comfortably inside the field before the final session.

Cruz Pedregon Open House Starts King’s Indy Weekend

Before King gets down to business on the racetrack, he’ll spend Thursday evening with NHRA fans at one of the biggest annual gatherings of U.S. Nationals week.

King will be among the featured drivers at the Cruz Pedregon Open House and Car Show on Thursday, September 3, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The free event has become one of the largest driver autograph sessions surrounding the U.S. Nationals and routinely attracts thousands of fans.

“Being a part of the Cruz Pedregon Open House before the race starts really gets you into a great mood,” said King. “There are a ton of fans there and the list of drivers and celebrities is huge. You can’t help but get excited for the race and I appreciate all the fans wishing our team good luck.”

Chris King’s Funny Car operation isn’t trying to pretend it’s something it isn’t. It’s a part-time team working with a limited budget against organizations that race nearly every weekend. King balances nitro racing with a full-time career as a firefighter, and his team has spent the past several seasons adding capability one piece at a time.

The U.S. Nationals offers five qualifying sessions, a massive field, and one of the most prestigious trophies in all of drag racing. King and the Competition Products/Howards Cams team have been waiting months to show what they’ve changed.