The halfway point of the Spell Paving Services Funny Car Chaos and DMP Awnings Nitro Chaos Championship series has arrived, and the competition is heating up. The pursuit of both the championship title and a share of the $30,000 in year-end points payouts has intensified, making each qualifying session and elimination round crucial for the teams involved.

In the Funny Car Chaos series, Alex Barker, the young driver of the "Back In Black" GTO-bodied alcohol burner from Oklahoma, had been leading the standings for most of the first half of the season. However, a recent Cordova Dragway event setback resulted in a first-round loss, allowing Tom Furches, the runner-up in the 2022 FCC Championship, to take the lead.

Reflecting on the current standings, Furches said, "Leading the Funny Car Chaos points at the halfway point of the season is a reminder of the goals that were set for the 2023 season. We know we have a car capable of winning a championship. The Chaos formula works, and it's all about camaraderie, competition, and competitiveness between teams."

Though leading the pack, Furches only holds a narrow seven-point lead over Barker in second place, with defending series Champion Kirk Williams trailing by twenty-two points. The top five drivers are all within seventy-six points of each other, underlining the highly competitive nature of the championship. Notably, Jordan Ballew, known as the "Dry Hop King," has solidified his position in the top five, driving the family-owned "Ballew Thunder" and gaining popularity amongst fans. Ballew's car is the only Funny Car in the world to have participated in all forty-two Funny Car Chaos events.

Regarding his performance this season, Ballew expressed his gratitude, saying, "So far, our season has been pretty good. We've set career-best numbers, and the Chaos has not only let me live out my dream of racing a funny car but has also allowed us to make new friends and travel the country. We can't thank Chris and Tera enough for giving us a place to race and all the sponsors that support our team and the series."

The upcoming races at Kearney Raceway Park, Albuquerque Dragway, Mo-Kan Dragway, and State Capitol Raceway in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, promise an exciting second half of the season for the Funny Car Chaos competitors. Throughout the championship, the series extends thanks to Spell Paving Services, Wulff Pumps, Performance Motorcoaches, Excel Drywall, and Fat Tirez Apparel for their support, which guarantees substantial payouts for each event and a year-end payout for the top ten finishers. With seventy-six teams competing in Funny Car Chaos this season, the series expects over two hundred funny car teams to have participated by the end of the seventh season.

The inaugural season of the DMP Awnings Nitro Chaos Championship has provided thrilling competition for participants in the fuel-burning category. Despite a shorter four-race schedule, the series has attracted strong car counts and diverse nitro burners, including front engine dragsters, rear engine dragsters, funny cars, fuel altereds, and pro mods. With thirty drivers already earning points in the first two events held at Edgewater Sports Park in Ohio and Eddyville Raceway Park in Iowa, the Nitro Chaos Championship has quickly gained popularity.

The decision to convert Nitro Chaos into a points series was motivated by support from sponsors DMP Awnings, McKinney Motorsports, and CP-Carrillo, which funded the year-end points fund and created a buzz around the nitro-fueled competition. The Southwest and Midwest teams joined the series to experience the Chaos points series action seen in Funny Car Chaos. Among them is World Champion Megan Meyer, currently tied for first place in the Nitro Chaos standings.

Expressing her determination to win the inaugural championship, Meyer said, "Coming into the Nitro Chaos series this year, I have my eyes set on the inaugural championship. Our Gunk team knows how to work in sync, and I have faith that the 'Nitro Queen Bee' dragster can get the job done. We're having so much fun competing in this new series, and I don't miss the NHRA at all."

Garry Wheeler Jr., who drives an outlaw Nostalgia Top Fuel dragster from Oklahoma, is tied for the points lead with Meyer. Wheeler's early-season success can be attributed to back-to-back runner-up finishes in the CP-Carrillo 'B' Field. The Nitro Chaos series presents an intriguing dynamic, with racers in different fields driving different-style cars but enjoying an equal chance at the championship.

Regarding the excitement surrounding Nitro Chaos, Wheeler Jr. said, "We are halfway through the inaugural season of Nitro Chaos, and it's been everything we could have expected from Chris and Tera. We're having so much fun, and it's a fight to the very end.