https://shop.fervogear.com/cart
Chip King Sets Historic NHRA Pro Mod 5.50-Second Record in St. Louis
Highlights
- Chip King ran first-ever 5.50-second pass in NHRA Pro Mod.
- King’s record: 5.596 seconds at 257.24 mph in Madison, Illinois.
- Multiple Pro Mod records set throughout qualifying at Midwest Nationals.
- Record changed hands several times before King’s final qualifying run.
- King lost quarterfinals to reigning champion J.R. Gray on race day.
- World Wide Technology Raceway hosted historic, competitive Pro Mod event.
Chip King makes NHRA Pro Mod history at the Midwest Nationals in Madison, Illinois, delivering the category’s first 5.50-second pass at World Wide Technology Raceway.
His 5.596 seconds at 257.24 mph arrives in cool conditions during the final qualifier, capping a record-strewn weekend.
Chip King clocks 5.596 at 257.24 mph—the first 5.50 in NHRA Pro Mod history.
The run reshapes the performance ceiling and underscores how setup choices and preparation can unlock step-change gains in Pro Mod.
Momentum begins Friday night as Justin Bond posts 5.619 at 256.06 mph in a screw-blown ’68 Camaro, before Billy Banaka matches the elapsed time but trails on speed.
The record changes hands several times in qualifying before King’s decisive final pass.
Saturday’s third session tightens further. Stevie “Fast” Jackson clocks 5.618 at 256.75, then Nick Januik edges it with the same time and a superior 256.94 in Red Line Oil Camaro.
Derek Menholt resets the mark with 5.605 at 253.80, reinforcing how rapidly teams adapt as the surface evolves and temperatures drop.
King’s camp pivots before the last run, installing a transmission for cleaner acceleration, then delivers the 5.596 on the session’s fourth pass. Tuner Joe Oplawski says, “It’ll either go or it won’t. It went,” after committing to power.
King admits the number exceeded expectations. “We were just hoping for low .60s, but a .59 is unbelievable,” he says, crediting crew, tuner, and faith for execution under pressure.
Cool ambient and a prepped lane widen the setup window, letting aggressive power management stick. Teams lean on blower efficiency and ratio choices to combine early bite with downtrack speed.
“It’ll either go or it won’t. It went,” says tuner Joe Oplawski after a decisive transmission change.
Come race day, the benchmark doesn’t translate into victory. King exits in the quarterfinals to reigning champion J.R. Gray, underscoring Pro Mod’s balance between single-lap pace and eliminations execution.
King’s breakthrough draws on two decades in the class. Competing since 2001, he also identifies St. Louis as a personal stronghold, helping frame confidence when conditions demand commitment.
The venue’s grip-rich surface cements World Wide Technology Raceway as a milestone stage, echoing recent coverage of the Lucas Oil Series stop in St. Louis and its competitive profile.
Attention now shifts to Texas, where pre-event activities around the Texas FallNationals Fanfest frame the next performance benchmark teams will chase.
Visual Summary
5.596sec
🚀 New Pro Mod Record!
Chip King rockets to the first-ever 5.50s pass in NHRA Pro Mod history at St. Louis:
5.596 sec @ 257.24 mph
5.596 sec @ 257.24 mph
😲
“Absolutely not. We were just hoping to get into the low .60’s, but a .59 is unbelievable!”
— Chip King
— Chip King
Record Tumble
Each pass, a new record—until King smashed them all:
Each pass, a new record—until King smashed them all:
Justin Bond
5.619
256.06 mph
Billy Banaka
5.619
255.97 mph
Stevie “Fast” Jackson
5.618
256.75 mph
Nick Januik
5.618
256.94 mph
Derek Menholt
5.605
253.80 mph
CHIP KING
5.596 (NEW!)
257.24 mph
Drag Racing History ⏱️
After 23 years in NHRA Pro Mod,
Chip King finally conquers the impossible barrier.
Chip King finally conquers the impossible barrier.
St. Louis—the scene of legends.
Nicholas Rivera delivers NHRA Top Fuel and Funny Car news, including eliminator-round results and reaction-time stats. He brings track-side interviews, contender profiles, and championship-point breakdowns straight from drag-racing’s biggest national events.
