From Drag Illustrated | Photo: Drag Illustrated
Coming off a disappointing showing at the NHRA U.S. Nationals near Indianapolis, Top Alcohol Funny Car racer Chris Marshall was admittedly feeling down. But after switching back to proven, time-tested parts, the Oregon-based driver found himself with the quickest entry on the property at US 131 Motorsports Park.
“My car runs fine with all my regular old stuff, and this weekend proved it,” Marshall said. “I took all that new stuff back off and put all my old regular stuff in it and it ran great and dominated the class. ET wise, the car was running really good. If we would’ve run like that in Indy, we would’ve been competitive.”
With Indy in the rearview mirror, Marshall kicked off MWDRS testing with a 3.58 at 213 MPH. He had the front wheels up in the air for most of the run, so he added weight for qualifying. That adjustment calmed the car down enough to make quick, consistent passes, including the 3.608 at 211.37 that gave Marshall the No. 1 spot.
Marshall’s performance continued in eliminations, where he had to race the husband-wife duo of Jim and Annie Whiteley. In the first round, Marshall used a 3.606 at 212.36 to drive around Jim and his 3.707 at 207.18. Annie went red by just .002 and lifted in the final round, while Marshall slowed to a 3.623 at 212.06 to get the win.
“Jim tried to beat me in the first round,” Marshall said. “He had a great light and I had a terrible light. I squeaked by on that one by two thousandths of a second. Apparently, Jim told Annie what to do too, so she went to go chop down the tree and she went .002 red on me. If she would’ve been green, I would’ve had my hands full there. At least I had a .034 light on that one, so I was safe.”
Even though he got the win – his first of the season – Marshall was hoping for a better performance in the final round.
“After analyzing the data, really what happened there was I just didn’t have enough for that track,” Marshall said. “The track was so good. Clutch cars are finicky to wheelspeed, so the track was so good that the clutch separated. I needed to put some more clutch on it. I easily could’ve ran a .57 or a .58 in the final if I would’ve just got after it a little bit. But the car was running so consistent and smooth down the track every single run, I just hated to mess it up.”
Still, the win gave Marshall a much-needed boost in the points. He entered the weekend third after a broken starter prevented him from running the first round of eliminations at the last race in St. Louis. But points leader Sean Bellemeur didn’t attend the Martin race, so Marshall and Annie Whiteley went around Bellemeur.
“It was imperative that we got back in the hunt by winning this race,” said Marshall, who’s finished second behind Bellemeur in the MWDRS TAFC championship the last two seasons. “Clearly, it helped that Sean Bellemeur didn’t show up. He obviously has won every one he’s been to, so he’s a tough competitor. Fortunately for Annie and I and anybody else in the running, Sean isn’t doing all the races this year. That gives us a chance, to be honest. Sean’s a great racer and a great car. My understanding is he’s still going to miss one more race. As long as I can keep ahead of Annie, I think I should be doing pretty well as far as the championship hopes.”
Marshall thanked his crew, noting, “I can’t do this without them. They do everything right every time. It’s very difficult to do. When we can minimize errors, that really makes my world a lot easier to go out and focus on getting down the track and doing my job. I definitely have to thank the crew for being there, showing up, and doing their job.”
Marshall also thanked his wife, Briana, who is typically right there by his side at the races, but had to miss Martin due to a bone infection.
“This was the first race I’ve won where she wasn’t here with me,” Marshall said. “That was tough for both of us. I am fortunate for such a wonderful and understanding wife for allowing me to come do these things even when she can’t be here.”
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