Recently, we made a trip down to State Capital Raceway in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for the Chaos Cajun Nationals to get some action shots of Neal Racing and Geeslin Family Racing. They are our “Mississippi Mafia” Edelbrock Group ambassadors running in the Funny Car Chaos (FCC) series. Look for some racer profiles on those guys coming soon.
However, while we were there, we had the opportunity to sit down with Funny Car Chaos Founder Chris Graves to learn more about this relatively new and super exciting drag racing series. Chris was very gracious with his time during a very hectic weekend to tell us more, and we’d like to thank him for fitting us in on short notice. If you have yet to attend an FCC series event, you’ll see why you should put one on your calendar. It’s a taste of yesteryear with modern flair and a very interactive, family-friendly atmosphere with the rowdiest cars on the planet!
Funny Car Chaos Background
As the name implies, FCC is an outlaw Funny Car-only series run on eighth-mile drag strips in the Midwest. There are no restrictions on body styles, engine combinations, or fuels used outside of safety requirements. To keep the competition close in this “run whatcha’ brung” format, FCC divides racers into eight-car fields depending on how many cars qualify. Each event could have an A, B, C, and even D field, with each racer earning equal points and a winner for each group.
With nine events scheduled in 2024, FCC is not just about the thrill of racing but also about creating an unforgettable, family-friendly experience. Imagine the atmosphere — smoky burnouts, dry hops, backup girls, and nitro flames — all like they had back in the day. In between rounds, other exciting support series, such as Dirty South Gassers and South East Gassers, often run, ensuring the fans minimal downtime. Also, jet cars and wheelstanders are often on the docket.
FCC takes immense pride in offering an immersive, inclusive environment in the pits. Everyone, from the youngest fan to the seasoned enthusiast, is welcome to talk to the racers and crews, who all have hero cards for kids to get autographs. It’s also not uncommon to see kids walk away with some signed used parts!
In 2023, they celebrated the participation of the 200th different Funny Car, a testament to the series’ growing popularity. 2024 marked a significant milestone with the 50th event at Penwell Knights Raceway at Caprock Motorplex in Odessa, Texas, proving the series shows no sign of slowing down. The biggest Funny Car drag racing event in nearly 50 years occurred during the 2021 season opener on March 25-26 at the Texas Motorplex in Ennis, Texas. 68 Floppers competed to get into a 32-car field!
At the heart of FCC is its founder, Chris Graves, a true grassroots racing enthusiast. Alongside his wife, Tera, they are the race directors and owners of this series that started with a single race and has now blossomed into a nine-race extravaganza spanning eight states.
Interview With Chris Graves
As mentioned, we had a few minutes to sit down with Chris to ask about FCC and what makes it so unique. He was very gracious with his time, as race weekends are extremely hectic, trying to make the experience into everything he promised. We threw 20 quick-fire questions at him, so let’s get right to them!
1. What is your background? How did you get involved in racing?
My family has a history of hot rodding dating back to my grandfather. The Graves family has been fans of drag racing since its inception, and that tradition will continue into its fourth generation with our two-year-old son Levi.
2. What year did you start FCC?
September of 2017 at the now-closed North Star Dragway, north of Dallas.
3. What made you start the series?
The first Funny Car Chaos event was to be a one-and-done event. After great interest and success, the racers and fans demanded more, and off FCC went!
4. How much of a leap was it from idea to inception? How long did it take?
It was less than a year, honestly. I had already been hosting several feature events at North Star Dragway. Funny Car Chaos was just another brainstorming idea for an event. We announced it several months out and had over 20 Funny Cars from across the country at the first event.
With support from a dear friend, partner, and my first series sponsor, Randy Ranew, formerly of Red Line Shirt Club, we expanded to a four-event tour in 2018. Then, with the support of John Hale of Best of Texas BBQ Sauce, we were able to double that to an eight-race tour in 2019, which was the debut of the FCC points series.
5. How hard has the journey been to get to this point?
This could be a very long answer [Chris laughs]. Drag racing is all I know. From being a fan my entire life to working on multiple nitro teams to being in an assistant manager role at a drag strip to spending 20 years behind a camera lens operating an independent drag racing photography company (Max Cackle Photos) and now switching to full-time event promotion.
One of the hardest things to do was to retire from our photography company in 2019. We had worked so hard to build it, but we sold the cameras and put our full effort into promoting and expanding the FCC series.
6. What is your biggest challenge in putting on the FCC series?
Babysitting old grumpy men! [he laughs] All jokes aside, the biggest challenge is managing 80 hours a week and trying to keep our sanity while performing the job of three or four people. But hey, that’s what entrepreneurship and small business are all about. At the end of the day, that is what Funny Car Chaos has become.
7. It’s tough to put on one big event, let alone the series you have with FCC. How big is your team, who are they, and what do they do?
My budget only allows me to have so much help. But trust me, when we can find the right marketing partner to allow an expanded staff, that will be the first thing we do. Meanwhile, my wife is truly my only full-time teammate. Her involvement since the beginning has been handling all the graphic design, racer payouts, taxes and accounting, pairing in the staging lanes, and working the front gate, among whatever other random tasks just need to get done.
Thankfully, I have been able to hire a few on-site staff members to help, starting with my race director, Bubba Corzine. Bubba comes with decades of operations experience in drag racing. He is a massive asset to the FCC series.
Next is our event announcer, David Rattan, whom I worked with for many years prior to the first Funny Car Chaos event. His role as ‘the voice of Chaos’ is a huge part of our overall success as we strive to provide a professional and high-value entertainment option for the fans who attend our events.
8. FCC is a “run whatca’ brung” style of racing, but teams have varying budgets. For those who don’t understand, how do things stay competitive?
It is common for people to not understand the format, but it proves itself time and time again. We qualify 24 cars in three different eight-car fields — the A, B, and C Fields. The top eight qualifiers qualify in the A, 9-16th qualifiers in the B, and 17-24th qualifiers in the C.
Thus, each field is composed of eight cars that are performing as close to each other as any other cars on the property, which results in very competitive elimination ladders and racing. Additionally, each field has equal points earning opportunity, so any car on the property can win, and any team in the series has an equal chance at being a Champion.
9. There are several different fuels that cars can run. Are there any rules to what they can/can’t run?
There are absolutely zero rules regarding power adders, engines, transmissions, fuels, body styles, etc. The only ‘rules’ we have, which we refer to as race procedures, are regarding safety and general drag racing etiquette.
10. Some of the cars obviously have old bodies (or old-appearing bodies); are they originals, or are they replicas with modern chassis?
We have a mix of cars, which means there’s a Funny Car on the property that nearly anyone can relate to. Modern style, nostalgia style, older originals, and brand-new carbon fiber jobs. The pits are a very entertaining place to be at a Chaos event.
11. We know safety has changed since the old days. What are the rules/guidelines to keep the FCC racers safe?
We do anything and everything we can. In the past two years, we have added two safety vehicles that we travel with and our own safety director, Brad Thompson. This is all in addition to the regulated requirements each host facility must provide as their sanctioning body agreement outlines.
We do the best we can; everyone does. At the end of the day, this is a dangerous hobby, but no more dangerous than driving down the highway on your way to work. Honestly, it’s likely safer.
12. You work with some awesome smaller market tracks. How did you decide which tracks to pursue?
Having been in the drag racing industry for over 20 years prior to the first event, I had a long list of connections. My wife and I attended 60-plus events a year across the country with our photography business, so I already knew many track owners. Finding venues to race at is easy; finding a venue that can sustain the many things needed to successfully host a Funny Car Chaos event is another.
13. What should anyone interested in racing or building a car for FCC do?
Come to a Funny Car Chaos event, walk the pits, and talk to the drivers. Once they do that, they’ll understand what the Chaos family is all about. At nearly every event, someone walks up to me and says, “I’m building a car for Chaos. See you soon!”
14. Are you looking to expand the FCC series to other facilities or more races?
Funny Car Chaos has a full schedule of seven to nine events per season. Our new sister series, Nitro Chaos, launched its inaugural points series in 2023 and has expanded to more events in 2024.
Nearly every week, we get approached by a drag strip somewhere in the United States, wanting to know how to book an event. But with over a dozen events on the combined schedules, there’s only so much Chris, Tera, and Levi to go around. It’s a fine balance trying to manage that many events per year and still sit back and smell the roses every now and then.
15. FCC definitely has a family atmosphere. We saw many kids at the Baton Rouge event and lots of people in the pits until late into the night. There are many series that say they are family-friendly, but it doesn’t always show at the track. How do you nurture that environment?
We are all about the kiddos. At nearly every event we host, kids twelve and under are allowed to get in free! It’s a big part of our promotions as well, and it works, as we see lots of kiddos walking the pits with big stacks of hero cards in their hands.
Our teams have come together this year to start a new program, “Chaos Kids,” which is only two events old at this point, but already gaining big progress. We look forward to doing more things to keep the kids involved and build future Funny Car fans and drivers in the pits at Chaos events.
16. Backup girls (and men) play a big part in the show to help with the nostalgia aspect of an FCC event. The ladies (and guys) who participate embrace the job they do and really get into the outfits. Was that set forth from the get-go, or did that develop over time?
Backup girls were a part of the drag racing scene back in the good ol’ days, and to a degree, Funny Car Chaos is certainly a spin-off of the good ol’ days. With that, we inherited some of the old traditions, and one of those is backup girls.
The entertainment value is undeniable. We’ve even had fans and marketing partners step up to sponsor backup girl bonus programs, and things to make it even more fun. One thing is for sure — CHAOS has the best ‘bugs’ in the business.
[For more on the backup girls, check out the BackupGirslOfficial website or Facebook page. They even have a dedicated podcast on Spotify! Or even check out the YouTube video below!]
17. As all drag racing does, speed and E.T.s are getting faster, with four or five guys in the 3-second range at State Capital. Do you have plans to slow things down in FCC, or how do you keep it from getting out of hand?
Heads-up drag racing can’t be slowed down. Having been in the photography and journalism industry for many years, I’ve seen several ‘styles’ of drag racing come and go. I’ve seen lots of rich guys and gals come and go. I’ve seen tracks close, and I’ve seen tracks built from scratch. It’s an ever-evolving thing, like everything else in life.
Speed, a lower elapsed time, and a win light are three things all drag racers strive for. You can’t slow a drag racer down. But what you can do is structure your series to cater to all styles of cars, budgets, and performance goals, and we’ve done that.
We have many teams pulling into the pits with stackers and toter homes that cost more than my house. Meanwhile, the other half is pulling in with a pickup truck and a small trailer, a few cans of brake cleaner, and a lawn chair, and both approaches can create wins at Chaos.
18. Two of the newest (and maybe youngest) drivers are the MS Mafia teams of the Gambler and Burnin’ Love. What have those guys brought to FCC?
Two of the biggest things that the Geeslin and Neal teams have brought to CHAOS since their debut in 2023 are youth and enthusiasm. Not to call a majority of the competition ‘old,’ but they most certainly are an older crowd. Funny cars are popular with the people who watched them in the ‘70s and ‘80s.
Getting people who were born in the ‘90s interested in funny cars is tough. We have to compete with drifting, Street Outlaws, video games, and TikTok. Continuing to attract teams like the Geeslin and Neal teams will end up proving critical to continuing Funny Car Chaos fifteen years from now.
19. What is on the horizon for 2025 and beyond for FCC?
Have fun! When it’s not fun, I’ll go fishing.
20. Is there anything else you’d like to tell people about FCC?
If you’ve never been to an event, please come experience a Chaos event. Our teams are ready to talk to you and put on a show for you. We do everything we can to overdeliver on our entertainment value and keep the family-friendly environment, especially at an affordable price. Typically, you can see a Chaos show for less than $1 per Funny Car on the property — it simply can’t be beaten!
Get Out To FCC
We concur with Chris. We highly recommend it if you have yet to see a Funny Car Chaos event. You can’t beat the entertainment value anywhere is sports, and your kids won’t be bored wanting to play on the phone or go home. Get out to an FCC race as soon as you can. Talk to the drivers and crews and get a feel of what things were like in the ’70s and ’80s. But while FCC leans on history, don’t think for a minute that Funny Cars are a thing of the past — they are alive and thriving! Here is the schedule for 2024!
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