Austin and Krabill have built a strong nucleus for a team, which except for a weird break here and there, would have given Krabill a second or even third championship.

A large part of Krabill’s overall success has been his dominance at Firebird Raceway outside of Eagle, Idaho. Krabill has won at Firebird seven times, and has won once every year at either the Ignitor or Nightfires since 2012.

This year it looks like those weird breaks are behind the team, because Austin/O’Brien and Krabill have taken the first two events on then NHRA Heritage Series (March Meet and Ignitor) and have done it with brute force. Dominating performances that have left many competitors shaking their heads in astonishment, running the quickest time in NHRA Heritage Series Funny Car racing at 5.552 seconds.

At Firebird, Krabill drove a literal bracket car in eliminations, going 5.67 twice and 5.69 in the final round to take out Dan Horan Jr.

I took a few moments to speak with Krabill after his win at the Ignitor.

DRO: Maybe they should start calling this race the Kris Krabill invitational.

KK: Hey, I’m all for it. This place, the race that the New family put on, it’s an amazing place. All the good racers who come up here…it’s awesome. I really do have the most professional team here at Austin and O’Brien; I am very thankful and blessed.

DRO: The car was so consistent, so dominant, I was beginning to wonder if Krabill would stick the car in Super Pro and collect another check. It went 5.67 twice and 5.69 in the final. That is tough to beat.

KK: You know I made a mistake in the final qualifying session ’cause it should have run a sixty then, but I double stepped at the hit. But, Bucky and Hank Johnson did an amazing job getting the car down the track. Plus you have to be consistent as a driver and I feel I was that.

DRO: With what you did at Bakersfield running that 5.55 in the final and with what happened this weekend, you have to be favored for the championship, and maybe start getting into the other competitors’ heads a bit?

KK: Well, half the battle is mental, right? I hope I am in their heads, but it is a long year and there is a lot of racing left, so…. I think back a couple of years and I was five rounds back with two races left to run, and got within five points of winning a championship. There are a lot of great racers out there. Steven Densham just made a mistake we all have made (red lighting), but they will bounce back. Then you have Townsend and a lot of good guys. This thing is not over, it is way too early in the season.

DRO: There has been a great deal of talk about the new Victory Race Car body. There is speculation and maybe some evidence of a performance advantage, but you guys seem to nullify that advantage?

KK: Well, the Victory body has an advantage, and whether you like it or don’t like it the NHRA approved it, and you know I like it. It is a good body. Everybody has an opinion on if it is great for the class or whatever, but it is approved. So you can’t blame anybody for having that body, and we might even have it next year, but that is up to Bucky. But you know what, we were able to do it old school style at this race, and it is what it is. It is all about win lights, it’s not about speed or ET, it’s about winning. [Krabill confirmed that the team will have a new Victory chassis for 2017 but Bucky has not decided on a body as of this time.]

DRO: So the next stop is in Salt Lake City.

KK: Yeah, Salt Lake is next, and I am excited. I have Dayton Superior who is a leader in concrete and chemical accessories in the concrete world, is coming on board the car, and will be a major sponsor for me this year.

DRO: Then back to another Firebird race that you seem to dominate, The Pepsi Nightfire Nationals.

KK: You know, when you beat a John Force record, one needs to be as humble as you can, but I am a four-time champion of the Nightfires, and I am proud of that, and have worked my butt off all these years to achieve that, and I’m gonna be a five time champion. Look forward to coming back in August.

DRO: Congrats on the win and continued success.

KK: Thanks to all the media outlets who support us and this has been such a great day.

Krabill’s year has started on the direction not only to achieve the fifth Nightfires win, but to win a Championship.

He seems to be in a great place personally as well. Kris and his wife, Natalie, are expecting their first child, a girl, in late July.

Many people say the stars shine bright in Hollywood, and right now “Hollywood” Kris Krabill’s star is shining as brightly as possible.