The 72nd running of the historic Cornwell Quality Tools U.S. Nationals did not go in favor of Funny Car driver and team owner Chris King but the full-time Chicago firefighter is leaving Indianapolis more determined than ever. King and his new-look Howards Cams Competition Products Funny Car gave it their all in qualifying over three days, but a driveline failure derailed the veteran driver yesterday during qualifying.
“I am frustrated but also so thankful,” said King. “We had a driveline failure during the fourth qualifying run, and we simply didn’t have the parts to get it back together for the final session. We had a great race car and we made progress every run. It is very disappointing, but I am also so proud of this Howards Cams Competition Products Funny Car team. We came out here against the best of the best and we gave it 100 percent.”
On Friday King rolled off the trailer and ran to the No. 13 qualified spot with a solid 4.136 second run during the lone session on the opening day of the U.S. Nationals. On day two King stepped up with a quicker 4.112 second run to keep him in the top sixteen going into the final day of qualifying on Sunday. In the opening session on Sunday King was on a solid pass but he felt something happening in the Funny Car and he smartly lifted but the damage was done, the team realized when they returned to the pits. Even though they were unable to make the final session and were pushed out of the quick sixteen, King was appreciative of the effort.
Before he took to the track King was part of one of the largest pre-race events of the NHRA season, the Cruz Pedregon Open House, on Thursday night. Over 30 drivers and sports celebrities signed autographs and mingled with fans to get the event started. During the event King was one of the drivers hosted by NHRA announcer Hannah Rickards on the NHRA stage. King spoke with fans about his season, the race and his passion for drag racing.
“Being a part of the U.S. Nationals during the 75th anniversary season of the NHRA was huge,” said King. “We had a great time at the Cruz Pedregon Open House on Thursday night, and we were on the NHRA stage on Sunday morning. We got to talk with so many fans all weekend and it was very encouraging. All weekend we had first responders and veterans signing our Funny Car and that makes it special. I would have loved to have been in the show and racing on Monday, but our day will come. Races like this only make me more determined.”
The race and the unfortunate outcome will have King and crew chief Bob Peck heading back to their new shop in Brownsburg, Ind., to evaluate their next moves. The team has not been able to investigate the full impact of the damage, but they plan on competing at several more races this season with possibly the Midwest Nationals and Texas Fall Nationals in St. Louis and Dallas on their radar.
“We will look at the damage and then see what the next steps are,” said King. “Bob has been doing a great job and now that we have the Brownsburg shop, we have a lot more support from some of the other teams. There is no quit over here. I want to thank every one that has been reaching out to see how they can help.”
