Capps’ fifth win Sunday matches career best for season as reigning NAPA champion with Tobler heads to Ohio to defend Norwalk title

BROWNSBURG, IN – While Ron Capps is in Northern Ohio this weekend with his NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car team competing in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, the NHRA Wally Trophy he won on Sunday will be touring Central California with his father, John.

Capps, who won for the fifth time this year at Bristol, Tenn., found a unique way to share the victory with his father while giving a unique Father’s Day gift.

Winning on that special day was made even better by winning on a fabled track.

“You go down the list of people that used to race at Bristol, the history is unbelievable,” said Capps, who with crew chief Rahn Tobler extended their points lead to 163 over Don Schumacher Racing teammate Matt Hagan. “And throw Father’s Day on top of it.

“I was blessed with a dad who took me to drag races every weekend. Whether we raced or not, we were at a drag race somewhere. Those were my weekends and I was OK with it. Now I get to send this trophy home to my dad and it’s going to be fun.”

Capps, who tied John Force with most wins at the track with four, moves on to Norwalk, Ohio, this weekend for the fourth and final race of a four-week stretch that will mark the halfway point of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season and leave seven events left in the regular season.

Points are reset for the six-race Countdown to the Championship, but nothing will wipe out the NAPA AUTO PARTS team’s success through the first 11 events.

At this point a year ago in Capps’ championship season, the NAPA team had three wins and ended with five; so far, the team has five wins. A year ago, their record in Sundays’ elimination rounds was 20-6; it now is 30-6. His points total was 841 after 11 races; now it is 1,044.

“It’s just been preparation in the offseason,” Capps said of his NAPA AutoCare Centers crew led by Tobler and assistant Eric Lane. “That’s off-season preparation, that’s Rahn Tobler.

“Not very many teams out here are prepared to pull a (back-up) car out and have it really ready to run and win.”

Capps referred to a bold decision by Tobler after two disappointing qualifying attempts Friday to pull out the team’s new car for the rest of the weekend. Getting to the final with a car built by DSR’s fabrication, prepared by the crew and tuned to a difficult, hot track somewhat overwhelmed Capps.

And what he neglected to mention in the post-race press conference was that he had a remarkable 0.026 second reaction time – 0.000 is prefect – to overcome a quicker car driven by teammate Jack Beckman, who had a stellar 0.044 reaction, for the win.

The NAPA team faces another milestone at Norwalk where Capps returns as the defending event winner.

He has won five titles in a season for the sixth time, and No. 6 would blaze a new trail.

Papa John’s dragster advances to fourth final round at Bristol as Pritchett closes in on reclaiming points lead at Norwalk

– The Papa John’s Pizza Top Fuel team with driver Leah Pritchett wasn’t happy with how its dragster ran last weekend at Bristol, Tenn.

Nonetheless, the team led by crew chief Todd Okuhara and assistant Joe Barlam advanced to its fourth final round in 11 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series events where it narrowly lost to Clay Millican. Pritchett’s time of 3.881 seconds at 307.09 mph was a blink slower than Millican’s 3.825 (316.38) that allowed him to win by about 9 feet.

“It was a great race that will go down in the history book,” she said of fan-favorite Millican’s first NHRA title in 254 races.

The Bristol event was held under hot, humid conditions that challenged every team. But the Papa John’s team was able to make a big jump from the previous week when it lost in the first round for the only time this year.

The series completes the June Swing this weekend at Norwalk, Ohio, with the last of four races in four weeks.

“Bristol gave us a taste of redemption that we were looking for,” she said. “We expect to be able to get a full bite of the track at Norwalk. We’re still hungry no matter how many times we’ve gotten to the final round or how much Papa John’s pizza we eat.”

Don Schumacher Racing’s Papa John’s team was able to move up one spot to second in the standings and will start Friday only 11 points out of first, a position they had held after eight of 11 races.

“We’ll have a little bit of extra confidence going to Norwalk where it isn’t expected to be as hot as Bristol. We admit we didn’t have the best tune-up for those conditions but we learned from that, and we should be able to run a set-up we’re more confident running at Norwalk.

“We came extremely close to winning Sunday and that just makes us want to win more. There are only a couple ways to win and a million ways to lose.”

Johnson and Chandler’s Make-A-Wish Dodge look to keep improving this weekend as NHRA Series moves to Norwalk in Northern Ohio

– The “June Swing,” comes to a close this weekend as the fourth race of a four-race swing ends at the 11th annual NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio, and Tommy Johnson Jr., driver of Terry Chandler’s Make-A-Wish Dodge Funny Car, is ready to close out the month with a win.

“I think we’ve done well in the previous three races after coming out of that slump,” Johnson said. “We’ve turned our team around and I’m excited for the hotter weather and summer conditions.”

The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing series is in the heat of its 2017 season. June consists of four races in four weeks. The Make-A-Wish team has advanced to the quarterfinals or better at each of the three events so far.

As temperatures continue to go up this month, the Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car Powered by Pennzoil, has traveled down hot race tracks as many other cars went up in tire smoke.

“It’s seems to be to our team’s liking. Our car seems to run better when it’s hot and we’re heading into the hotter events now.”

The NHRA Nationals in Norwalk is the 12th event of the 2017 NHRA season.

“I do enjoy the track and the fans there,” Johnson said. “The facility is really nice. It’s a race I always look forward to every season.”

Last year in Norwalk, the Make-A-Wish team, led by crew chief John Collins and assistant Rip Reynolds, finished qualifying as the No. 8 seed.

Johnson beat Tim Wilkerson in the first round and Del Worsham in the quarterfinals. He then was defeated by Courtney Force in the semifinals.

The Make-A-Wish team earned the event title in Las Vegas in March but has yet to revisit the winner’s circle. Johnson says he and the team would love to earn their second win of the season at Norwalk.

“Not having won a race there in the past, it would be nice to get a win there just because it’s such a nice event and great track.”

Hometown race for DSR partner Matco Tools, crew chief Corradi gives three-time, reigning champ Brown added motivation this weekend

– For three-time and reigning Top Fuel champion Antron Brown and the Matco Tools team this weekend’s event in Norwalk, Ohio, is a special one.

About 80 miles east of Summit Motorsports Park is Matco Tools headquarters in Stow, Ohio, and getting a win at Norwalk would give the team led by crew chiefs Brian Corradi, an Ohio native and resident, and Mark Oswald, another Ohio native, the momentum they need to close out the first half of the Mello Yello season.

“Norwalk is a big race for a lot of reasons,” said Brown. “It’s home for Matco, it’s home for our crew chief Brian (Corradi) and it’s just a big race. The Bader family packs the place with fans and it’s just got a special feeling.”

This weekend’s NHRA Nationals at Norwalk marks the halfway point of the 24-race NHRA Mello Yello season with only 7 races remaining before the points are reset for the six-race Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

The Matco Tools team is on par with their 2016 championship-winning performance thus far. At this point in 2016, Brown had two event titles in four final round appearances and was second in points.

This season, Brown has been to the final round five times coming away with two event titles and are third in Top Fuel points standings, trailing Don Schumacher Racing teammate Leah Pritchett in second by nine points and 20 behind points leader Steve Torrence.

“It’s a battle each and every week for the top spot. Last week we had it, this week we don’t. But we’re close. We’re digging. We just have to keep our heads down and keep pushing. The competition out here is just so tough. I say that every year and it just keeps getting tougher.

“Norwalk is going to close out four in a row for our boys and we just want to end it on a high note. Getting the win would be incredible but we just need to take it one round at a time and race the racetrack.”

Beckman, Chandler’s Infinite Hero team hope to remain hot after win, runner-up heading to Norwalk this weekend

– After advancing to their second straight final round last weekend, Terry Chandler’s Infinite Hero Foundation Funny Car is ready for the final race of the four-race June Swing at the 11th annual NHRA Nationals at Norwalk, Ohio.

“I don’t think there’s anybody in the pro pits that isn’t absolutely exhausted by now,” said Jack Beckman, driver of the Infinite Hero Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car.

“We’ve gone back-to-back-to-back.”  June consists of four events in four weeks for the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing series. Norwalk, Ohio is the final stop of the swing that began in Epping, N.H.

“Epping was just postcard weather and Englishtown and Bristol were pretty brutal. Then we’re probably going to have another hot and nasty weekend and I can’t wait to get out there and I know our team feels exactly the same way.”

The Infinite Hero team took home the event title two weeks ago at Englishtown, N.J.’s Summernationals then advanced to the finals last weekend in Bristol at the Thunder Valley Nationals.

For Englishtown and Bristol, Beckman lined up against his Don Schumacher Racing teammate and NHRA points leader, Ron Capps.
In Englishtown, Beckman bettered Capps then in Bristol, Capps won over Beckman.

“I truly believe that attitude often dictates results. But let me tell you, winning a race is really good for everybody’s attitude. Then coming back, seven days later and going right back into another final and losing by four-thousandths of a second against what’s been the car of the year so far, we know we’re right at the top now.”

Englishtown was the team’s first final round appearance of the season. Beckman believes the team can continue their momentum from the past two events into Norwalk this weekend.

“We’ve turned a corner with our car. We have crossed our first win off the list. We’ve moved away up into third in points. It looks like we’re heading in the right direction.”

Two-time Funny Car champ Hagan hopes to bookend four-race swing with wins for Mopar Express Lane team this weekend in Norwalk

– The only way Matt Hagan wants to end the first half of NHRA’s 24-race season this weekend at the NHRA Nationals at Norwalk, Ohio, is with a win.

The three-time winner in 2017 with the Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car Powered by Pennzoil sits second in points behind Don Schumacher Racing teammate and reigning Funny Car champion Ron Capps.

“We’re trying to catch Capps but man, they’re making it tough racking up these wins,” Hagan said of Capps winning for the fifth time Sunday in Bristol, Tenn., while Hagan went to the semifinals.

“So we’re just focusing on us and getting a good hot weather tune-up and we’re getting closer each weekend. Bristol was the hottest track we’ve seen all year and it challenged us and everyone else. But we went rounds and made it to the semis and Dickie (Venables) is getting ahold of it.”

This weekend’s Mello Yello event marks the fourth and final consecutive event of the June Swing that kicked off in Epping, N.H., with a win by the Mopar team led by crew chief Venables and assistant Michael Knudsen.

“We opened up this month with a win and that’s the way we want to close it. If we could bookend this deal, it would mean a lot to us. These guys have been working so hard and they got to go back to the shop for a couple days this week and hit reset. Which is good. They’re going over all the parts and pieces and getting set up for this weekend and they got some time at home as well.”

Although Hagan keeps a pretty strict diet and exercise routine, a win at Norwalk would call for an ice cream treat.

“I’ve never won at Norwalk and they just pack that place full of people. It’s neat to pull up in the lanes and to the line and see just a wall of people. Ice cream is their deal there, man. I’d love to be able to scoop out some ice cream in the winner’s circle.”