DALLAS (October 12, 2025) — The Stampede of Speed and the NHRA Texas Fall Nationals is recognized as one of the biggest motorsports events not just in Texas but across the country. The 10-day event encompasses country music concerts, bull riding and NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series championship racing as part of the 6-race playoff Countdown. Driver and team owner Chris King brought his Funny Car team from Chicago, Illinois, to the Lone Star State to compete against the best of the best. The Howards Cams Competition Product Funny Car rolled into the Texas Motorplex on Wednesday in preparation for the four-day national event.
Through two days of qualifying King held tough securing the No. 16 qualifier spot going into the final round of qualifying on Saturday. During the final session King was bumped out of the top 16 and in his last-ditch effort to get back into the field came up a few hundredths of a second short. The full-time Chicago firefighter wound up No. 17 when the session concluded.
Chris King wowed the crowd on Friday Night at the JEGS Friday Night Live! qualifying session, photo credit Innovation Creative Experts
Chris King Continues to Chase Dream on Biggest Stage in Texas
DALLAS (October 12, 2025) — The Stampede of Speed and the NHRA Texas Fall Nationals is recognized as one of the biggest motorsports events not just in Texas but across the country. The 10-day event encompasses country music concerts, bull riding and NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series championship racing as part of the 6-race playoff Countdown. Driver and team owner Chris King brought his Funny Car team from Chicago, Illinois, to the Lone Star State to compete against the best of the best. The Howards Cams Competition Product Funny Car rolled into the Texas Motorplex on Wednesday in preparation for the four-day national event.
Through two days of qualifying King held tough securing the No. 16 qualifier spot going into the final round of qualifying on Saturday. During the final session King was bumped out of the top 16 and in his last-ditch effort to get back into the field came up a few hundredths of a second short. The full-time Chicago firefighter wound up No. 17 when the session concluded.
Chris King wowed the crowd on Friday Night at the JEGS Friday Night Live! qualifying session, photo credit Innovation Creative Experts
“We had to get aggressive in the final qualifying session to try and get around Blake (Alexander),” said King. “We just gave it a little too much. My crew guys busted their tails all weekend and my crew chief Bob Peck was great. It is just really, really tough out here running with these full-time teams.”
While the on-track performance was not what King expected, his pre-race involvement was incredibly busy. On Wednesday night King was one of the featured drivers at the Texas Fall Nationals Champions Dinner, celebrating the former winners of the prestigious national event. On Thursday night King joined almost all his fellow professional competitors at the annual Prestage Fanfest event in downtown Waxahachie, Texas, at Railyard Park. King signed autographs, posed for photos and talked with fans from across the country at the free family friendly event.
“The Champions Dinner was amazing,” said King. “The Meyer family and their team did a great job and it was cool to just hang out with so many Texas Fall Nationals race winners and other drivers. The Thursday night fan fest was one of the biggest events like this on tour and there were fans everywhere. I signed a ton of hero cards and got to talk with lots of fans. The whole experience was just very cool.”
King will head into the off-season looking at his 2026 racing options. For the past several seasons he has been presenting sponsors with tremendous value on and off the track at NHRA national events. This season he continued to impress at events in Chicago, Norwalk, Ohio, the prestigious U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis and this weekend at the Texas Fall Nationals outside of Dallas.
King plans on making several sponsor appearances at the PRI Show in Indianapolis December 11-13, 2025 at the Indianapolis Convention Center.
Qualifying Results Q1: 6.383 sec; 104.41 mph; Qual. 15 Q2: 4.157 sec; 244.27 mph; Qual 16 Q3: No Time; Qual. 16 Q4: 7.417 sec; 91.11 mph; Qual. 17
