Howard and Shane Farris, owners of the famed War Wagon nitro team announced on Thursday at the United Engine & Machine booth held at the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) trade show the purchase of the highly coveted and record breaking Tim Wilkerson owned, Richard Hartman driven, Fuel Altered.
The machine purchased from 24-time NHRA Nitro Funny Car winner Tim Wilkerson just a few years ago became the first Fuel Altered ever to dip below the 5 second mark with a scintillating 4.920 elapsed time and the first to break the 300 mile per hour barrier in the quarter-mile with a speed of over 304.53 miles per hour. The feat was accomplished at the renowned Texas Motorplex during the first Funny Car Chaos Classic in 2021, at the time titled Nitro Madness. No pun intended, the nitro madness continued that weekend with the War Wagon AA/FA driven by multi-talented wheelman Kebin Kinsley, upping the speed mark to a blistering 304.59 mile per hour record. A record that still stands to this day. On all counts these two high powered Altereds which are McKinney Corp. chassis are undoubtedly the quickest and fastest Fuel Altereds on the planet.
Shane Farris, head wrench on the War Wagon operation, remarked on the trip to PRI that his father, Howard Farris, “had a hair-brained idea the other day to buy Tim Wilkerson’s Fuel Altered.” In trying to grasp why they would add another wagon to the team that already has a stable of three cars (Fuel Altered, Nitro Pro Mod, & Nitro Front Engine Dragster), Shane simply wondered “why?” “Well, we could match race ourselves and be the first side by side 300 mile per hour Fuel Altereds,” is the answer that Howard provided. That was enough on this PRI trip to swing by Tim Wilkerson’s shop, make the deal, and take another nitro wagon back home to Texas.
With two historic Fuel Altereds now in their possession, the purchase does pose the question of who will drive the second car? That answer came from an optimistic and excited Howard Farris who stated “Well, I’m going to go to gym– start working out lose a little bit of weight, and see if I can still do it.” Howard is no stranger to wrangling a Fuel Altered down the dragstrip, having experience that dates back to the 1980s. If Howard feels that he isn’t capable of saddling up once again, he assures that a driver will be put in the car.
The now former Tim Wilkeson owned Fuel Altered has sat since that record breaking performance in 2021. Now in the hands of Team War Wagon, they have their own nitro rodeo that they’re ready to let the gate open on with plenty of experience and wins to back their efforts. The frequent Funny Car Chaos, Nitro Chaos, and match racing drag racers are ready to bring side by side 300 mile per hour plus Fuel Altered passes at a dragstrip near you. Maybe sooner than you ever imagined
For booking information contact Shane Farris at 817-523-5060 or email to [email protected].
This story was originally published on December 13, 2024. 
