Paul Smith Racing
Courtesy of Paul Smith Racing
GAINESVILLE, FL – Funny Car racer Blake Alexander will be starting off his 2012 season at the Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals this weekend, following a long off-season. Blake and team owner Paul Smith have been working all
winter to put the right pieces into place to field a competitive Fuel Funny Car.
“A lot has been happening over the winter. Paul and the team put together a new chassis and motor, which will be hitting the track for the first time atGainesville. The major achievement was putting together a nine-race schedule, promoting the Auto Service Plus brand,” explained Alexander.
Blake will be a part of the fierce battle for the Auto Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award, or Rookie of the Year. He joins rookies Courtney Force, Alexis DeJoria, and Todd Lesenko in Funny Car.
JON CAPPS PROGRESSIVELY IMPROVING AFTER ATLANTA
Courtesy of Paul Smith Racing
Commerce, GA – After completing his fifth career National Hot Rod Association Full Throttle Series race day start this past weekend at Atlanta Dragway, Jon Capps, driving for the Paul Smith Racing / Biesenbach Inc. Monte Carlo
Funny Car team, is progressively improving and remains upbeat following a first round loss to the current NHRA Funny Car point leader, Mike Neff.
“We came here to compete, not just qualify and today Neff was just a taste better than us,” said Capps, the Las Vegas, Nev. resident who qualified in the number 11 position and recorded a career best elapsed time and speed during the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals. “We learned quite a bit during the weekend, but had some issues taming what was a very tricky right hand lane. I felt like I had a good light (reaction time) and the car was charging pretty hard in the first 60 feet, but about 300 feet into the run it started to rattle the tires and smoked the hoops. By the time I caught it, Neff had zipped by me to take the win.”
JON CAPPS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT SUNDAY ELIMINATIONS
Courtesy of Paul Smith Racing
Commerce, GA – The 2,000 mile flight from Las Vegas, Nev. to Commerce, Ga. was well worth it to Jon Capps.
He will make his second consecutive National Hot Rod Association Fuel Funny Car division start of the 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Series, when he squares off with Mike Neff, the current NHRA Funny Car point leader in the first round of eliminations during the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway.
Capps, from the 702 area code of Las Vegas, Nev. completed qualifying today under constant threatening skies. Prior to the third qualifying session, team owner Paul Smith made the decision to pull the car out of the session, as the team believed track conditions would not yield better performance than their stout 4.166 elapsed time recorded in the cool conditions of Friday evening. The team was also solidly qualified in the 16-car field, so the decision to save crucial parts for eliminations was made.
CAREER BESTS HIGHLIGHT ATLANTA DAY ONE FOR J. CAPPS
Courtesy of Paul Smith Racing
COMMERCE, GA – The Paul Smith Racing team, with versatile nitro driver Jon Capps behind the wheel, powered their way to a 4.166 second elapsed time and speed in excess of 291 
miles per hour, en route to a provisional number 10 qualifying spot after day one of the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals contested at Atlanta Dragway. Both timing standards were career bests for Capps, who is competing in his second National Hot Rod Association National Event of the 2011 season.
Capps, the 41-year old admissions counselor for Wyotech and part-time stunt driver from Las Vegas, Nev., entered the final qualifying session after laying down a very smooth and consistent 4.279 elapsed time in Q-1 (first qualifying session).
“Paul tuned it up for a good baseline run in Q-1 and that’s exactly what the Beisenbach Inc. / Paul Smith Racing Monte Carlo laid down,” noted Capps. “When I hit the throttle, the car drove hot, straight and normal, just like a torpedo looking for a target. Paul is a master at getting a car down the track from A to B. The run also gave me another solid lap under my belt and we were confident we could improve vastly in Q-2.” Continue reading
JON CAPPS RIDES MOMENTUM INTO ATLANTA
Courtesy of Paul Smith Racing
Commerce, GA – After a successful qualifying effort last week in Houston, Texas at the NHRA Springnationals, Jon 
Capps is east bound and down and will return to the seat of Paul Smith’s Monte Carlo Nitro Funny Car this weekend at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals contested at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Ga.
Capps, the 41-year old admissions counselor for WyoTech Automotive, Transportation and Technical College (http://www.wyotech.edu) from Las Vegas, Nev. has not come down for the virtual high of competing in the National Hot Rod Association’s premier Funny Car division for the first time since 2007. Although the Paul Smith owned and tuned Funny Car lost in a one round battle with perennial fan favorite Tim Wilkerson, Capps is convinced the Paul Smith Racing team can build off the positive momentum gained at Royal Purple Raceway last weekend.
FIRST ROUND EXIT PROVIDES INSPIRATION FOR JON CAPPS
Courtesy of Paul Smith Racing
Baytown, TX – A first round loss to NHRA Full Throttle Series veteran Tim Wilkerson may have ended the weekend racing festivities for Jon Capps and the Biesenbach Inc. / Paul Smith Racing Monte Carlo Funny Car, but for Capps,
who made his first National Hot Rod Association Professional Category start this season at the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals held at Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown, Texas, the weekend was nothing short of a winning effort.
The Las Vegas, Nev. resident and Admissions Councilor for WyoTech Automotive Transportation and Technical College (http://www.wyotech.edu), took the reins of legendary Independent Funny Car owner Paul Smith’s competitive Monte Carlo bodied Nitro Funny Car this weekend, with support from David Biesenbach and his company Biesenbach Inc. (http://www.biesenbach.com) and long-time friend Henry Gutierrez the owner of Bexar Waste. Capps entered eliminations qualified in the number 15 position and paired up against Springfield, Ill.’s Tim Wilkerson, the driver of the Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Mustang.
JON CAPPS PLEASED WITH FIRST DAY EFFORT IN BAYTOWN
Courtesy Paul Smith
Baytown, Texas – After three year break from the highly competitive NHRA Nitro Funny Car contingent, versatile NHRA Nitro Pilot Jon Capps dusted off the cobwebs and ended the f
irst day of qualifying at the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals provisionally qualified in the number 11 position, behind the wheel of Paul Smith’s owned and tuned Monte Carlo Funny Car.
For the Las Vegas, Nev. resident, the return to the NHRA Big Show was exactly what he expected and so much more.
“It was awesome to get back into Paul’s car today,” noted Capps, who returned to the NHRA Full Throttle Series and promptly laid down a solid 4.262 Elapsed Time in the first qualifying session of the day. “Heading into our first run, we planned to lay down a good base-line to prepare for the cooler conditions in Q-2. Before that pass I had not raced in the (new to me) 1,000’ format and to be honest, I kind of over thought what was going to happen.
JON CAPPS TO DRIVE PAUL SMITH’S FLOPPER IN HOUSTON
Courtesy of Paul Smith Racing
Las Vegas, Nev. – The NHRA Fuel Coupe fraternity will expand by one driver with a familiar last name, when the 
2011 Full Throttle Drag Racing Series rolls into Baytown, Texas. Jon Capps will return to the wheel of the Paul Smith Racing Team Monte Carlo bodied flopper at the 24th Annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals contested at Royal Purple Raceway.
“It is a welcomed relief to finally return to the NHRA big show after a brief hiatus,” noted Capps, who currently works as an admissions counselor for WyoTech Automotive, Transportation and Technical College (http://www.wyotech.edu).
“Ever since debuting with Paul Smith’s team in April 2007, I’ve scratched and clawed for a successful return. I have had a great relationship with Paul and his team and his amazing sponsors for the past few years and I am confident we will enjoy a great weekend of racing and some hometown hospitality from our great marketing partners next weekend in Baytown.”
