Chris King sets the fastest and quickest runs of his career at the Texas NHRA Fall Nationals, clocking 4.038 seconds at 311.22 mph at the Texas Motorplex.

The Howards Cams/Competition Products Funny Car driver achieves those marks on his third qualifying attempt. It is his 19th career appearance and third start at this Dallas-area event.

The run initially places King 16th, leaving him on the bubble in a deep Nitro Funny Car field. The weekend threatens a landmark, with every qualifier capable of a three-second pass.

King enters the final session with a chance to secure race-day progression. A late improvement elsewhere, however, bumps him to 17th, narrowly excluding him from Sunday eliminations.

Despite missing the cut, the outing validates the team’s development path. The Brownsburg, Indiana, shop move earlier this year is already translating into on-track performance.

Crew chief Bob Peck leads a methodical tuning program aimed at repeatability. The objective is clear: turn headline figures into consistent qualifying security and Sunday pace.

The field’s compact performance window underscores the stakes. As previewed before the weekend, depth across Funny Car leaves minimal margin for error in qualifying at Dallas.

King emphasizes the milestone as a platform for further gains. That stance reflects increasing confidence in the car’s baseline and the crew’s processes.

The Texas Motorplex weekend forms part of the ten-day festival known as the Stampede of Speed. King engages fans at the Champion’s Dinner, autograph sessions, and a Q&A.

Off-track, the Chicago Fire Department lieutenant continues outreach to first responders and veterans. He invites them to sign the Funny Car, reinforcing community connections.

This is King’s fourth start of a selective 2026 program. The trend line is positive, even as the schedule offers limited live-fire testing opportunities.

Across the Dallas weekend, competitive storylines extend beyond Funny Car. Notably, Top Fuel’s Jordan Vandergriff advances to the semifinals in a strong showing on Saturday.

King plans to outline his 2027 program soon. The goal is to convert this peak performance into regular Sunday participation and meaningful bracket pressure.

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Nicholas Rivera

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.