Ron Capps No. 1 Friday at NHRA Carolina Nationals

DSR Charlotte II Friday Qualifying Report

CONCORD, NC –  Ron Capps raced to the provisional Funny Car qualifying lead under the zMAX Dragway lights on Friday night during the second round of qualifying. Capps powered the NAPA NIGHTVISION Lamps Dodge Charger R/T to a run of 3.875-seconds at 329.42-mph to take the No. 1 spot.

“We knew coming in that conditions were going to be better than great, and they quite possibly could be as good tomorrow during Q4, so by all means we’re not sitting on this No. 1,” said Capps, who is aiming for his first No. 1 qualifier of the season and second at zMAX Dragway.

“In Q1, (crew chief Rahn) Tobler tuned our car just as he had during St. Louis Q3 and it went out and ran exactly the same,” said Capps of his opening pass of 3.925-seconds, which held up to be third quickest of the session. “And then in Q2 he said it would run an 87 or 88, and it ran 87. When he gets that kind of confidence flowing through his veins, it really trickles down to everyone else around me. The best part is looking up and seeing Don Schumacher smiling because he gives us everything. These moments, to see the boss smile, it’s big.”

Capps and the NAPA NIGHTVISION Lamps Funny Car team entered the race weekend ranked sixth in the Countdown to the Championship standings, 172 points out of first. Capps knows that he and his Rahn Tobler-led team have their work cut out for them if they want to win the 2018 championship but feels confident in his team’s abilities to remain in the hunt through the end of the year.

“In St. Louis we saw the cool conditions for the first time since NHRA backed the track prep up and made the tracks a little less sticky. St. Louis we went 87, and that was big. Rahn Tobler has always been known for his adverse, hot race day tune-up. He’s a great racer. When we ran that good in St. Louis when the conditions cooled off, that was huge. To see his smile knowing that he finally found what he was looking for in those cooler conditions was great. Every year that we haven’t won the championship but we’ve been close, we felt like we lost it in the cool Countdown races. Vegas when it cools off, this race now being swapped around with Maple Grove, and of course Pomona, it cools off fast there. You know that you need a cold weather tune-up. When I left the NAPA race trailer just now, it was a high-five and a hug from Rahn because he’s comfortable in these cool, fast conditions. I’m super pumped about the rest of the year.”

If Capps is able to retain his spot at the top of the Funny Car ladder by the time the fields are set, he’ll have clinched his 22nd No. 1 qualifier of his career, and first in more than two years, with his last No. 1 start occurring at Bristol Dragway in 2016.

“I always focused on race day, I didn’t get too hung up on those No. 1’s. Let other people have those little points, we want the big 20 points per round, but this was big today. We said when we left Dallas, we’ve got to run the table because if we win it, that means the people in front of us won’t. And we need to make a move. There’s 150 points available in Pomona. We’re pretty far back, but anything can happen. This No. 1 is a great start.”
Q1: 3.925 E.T. at 327.66 MPH (One bonus point for third quickest run of the session)
Q2: 3.875 E.T. at 329.42 MPH (Three bonus points for quickest run of the session)

Bonus Points: Four

Driver Information:

Top Fuel:

ANTRON BROWN
Driver of the Matco Tools ‘Tools for the Cause’/U.S. Army Top Fuel Dragster

Q1: 4.022 E.T. at 239.14 MPH
Q2: 4.882 E.T. at 148.46 MPH

Provisional Qualifying Position: No. 15

LEAH PRITCHETT
Driver of the Papa John’s Pizza/FireAde Top Fuel Dragster

Q1: 3.829 E.T. at 322.96 MPH
Q2: 3.763 E.T. at 320.58 MPH

Provisional Qualifying Position: No.  7

TONY SCHUMACHER
Driver of the U.S. Army Top Fuel Dragster

Q1:  3.747 E.T. at 330.39 MPH (Two bonus points for second quickest run of the session)
Q2: 3.748 E.T. at 328.54 MPH

Provisional Qualifying Position: No. 5

Funny Car:

JACK BECKMAN
Driver of the Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat

Q1: No Time, Broke
Q2: 3.953 E.T. at 324.98 MPH

Provisional Qualifying Position: No. 10

MATT HAGAN
Driver of the Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat

Q1: 3.970 E.T. at 320.66 MPH
Q2: 3.903 E.T. at 325.14 MPH

Provisional Qualifying Position: No. 5

TOMMY JOHNSON JR.
Driver of the Make-A-Wish Foundation Dodge Charger R/T

Q1: 3.917 E.T. at 327.98 MPH (Three bonus points for quickest run of the session)
Q2: 3.901 E.T. at 329.26 MPH

Provisional Qualifying Position: No. 4

Bonus Points: Three