If you’re a fan of old-school drag racing, nitro, turbos, wheelstands and racing without the rulebook, look into the Funny Car Chaos Classic at the Texas Motorplex in Ennis.
Originally planned for April. 2-5, it has been postponed to May 1-3 due to inclement weather. Just 45 minutes south of Dallas, the Funny Car Chaos Classic will be running Thursday, May 1 from 10 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday, May 2 from Noon-10 p.m. and Saturday, May 3 from 10am-10pm.
Outside food and drink are not permitted, though there will be food and drink available for purchase at the event. Ear protection is highly recommended, especially for kids.
Advanced pricing is available for Thursday, May 1 at $17.60 per ticket with a 20% discount for military and first responders. Kids age 12 and under enter free.
General parking is available for $10 at the parking gate each day while pit parking–parking in the racer pits with closer access to the event–is also available at $42.70 per day or $61 for the full three scheduled days. Pit camping is also available as is an option for a golf cart pass with which to cruise the pits.
Tickets for the event are available for purchase through the official event page: https://www.texasmotorplex.com/event-details/funny-car-chaos/schedule-tickets or at the box-office day-of while supplies last.
The Funny Car Chaos series is a grassroots touring series running in the Southwest and Midwest and has been growing steadily in popularity, but the Chaos Classic is the largest funny car event in the world.
The event pulls in a huge lineup of classic and even exotic-fueled funny cars, many of them sporting retro paint jobs.
It’s a living museum of old school horsepower. Many of the cars pay homage to the golden era of drag racing — the 1970s — when funny cars truly exploded in popularity.
The first funny cars were factory experimental (FX) cars that were stripped down to two-door coupes with lightweight parts. In 1964, the first true ‘funnies’ made their debut with a trio of Dodge 330’s called the ‘Dodge Chargers’ that ran exhibition races in the Super/FE class.
Racers cobbled together their own versions of FX racers–the most heavily modified FX cars–with fuel injections and eventually superchargers and nitromethane fuel. That same scrappy spirit persists amongst racers today.
Unlike the more rigid NHRA-style events, the Funny Car Chaos Classic doesn’t concern itself with cubic inches, blower overdrives or specific fuel mixtures. Cars are grouped into A, B, C and D fields based on qualifying times.
With over 60 cars typically entering the event, the pits are jammed with everything imaginable. Everything from funny cars, nitro chaos cars, dirty south gassers and jet dragsters will be featured at the event.
The Funny Car Chaos event has open pits. That means fans can talk to the race teams, watch them work on their cars, talk to the drivers and, for particularly polite fans, even snap a quick photo.
The classic is more than just heads-up drag racing. It’s a weekend-long party for car lovers. Between rounds, check out car shows, swap meets, live music and vendor displays.
Chris Graves, the promoter and founder of the Funny Car Chaos series, had a vision: create a place where the love of funny cars could thrive without the red tape of modern racing.
The success of the Classic proves he was onto something. Each year, the event draws bigger crowds. At its heart, the Funny Car Chaos Classic is about fun.
Come and see what old school drag racing is all about. I know I’ll be there.