As a Funny Car team owner and driver, Chris King has to balance more than a handful of responsibilities. The Chicagoan who has been building his racing program to eventually race on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series full time is currently a full-time firefighter who was recently promoted to lieutenant. The promotion was a positive career move, but it impacted his racing 2025 schedule, pushing his first race to this weekend’s Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 Nationals. The opportunity to race in front of his hometown fans and sponsors was a welcome opportunity to get the season started.
“I love racing in Chicago, and this is a race that I would someday like to win,” said King. “We had a lot going on and we got thrown a curveball by my son Shane. I am so proud of him and he is graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee this year. We found out that his graduation ceremony would be today and there was no way I was missing that. I talked to my sponsors and we made a team decision to run qualifying and skip the race.”
Through two days of qualifying, King made the most of his two days on track in his Howards Cam/Competition Products Funny Car. Last year King’s team was bedeviled with gremlins providing them with only one quality run. This weekend King and his Bob Peck-tuned Funny Car made three good runs that they shut off early. The goal was to get as much data to be ready for the Norwalk national event in June.
“I talked to all my sponsors and team when the season started, and we saw the schedule. I told them we were racing Chicago, but we are going to get as much data as possible under national event conditions. There was no way I was missing Shane’s graduation,” said King. “As much as I want to get into the show and then hopefully win some rounds there are more important memories and moments in life. Shane has worked so hard to earn his degree that being there for him is more important than running a race.”
Over the off-season King invested in new parts and a new trailer to give his team the best possible shot at making the 16-car field at future events. This was King’s third time racing in front of the hometown crowd. He made a solid run in the 19-car Funny Car field and wound-up No. 17 when qualifying ended yesterday.
“The past two years we have come so close to making the field, but I think we have learned a lot from those races. I definitely think we could have qualified but I have no regrets,” said King. “Last year we started in Chicago and made improvements at every race including qualifying for the toughest U.S. Nationals Funny Car field. I am grateful to continue to have this outlet for my passion, and there’s no better place to get my season started than right at home. We will be ready for Norwalk and we won’t be holding anything back.”
Fans will be able to continue to cheer King on in 2025 at the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio, June 26-29.
This story was originally published on May 19, 2025. 
