LAS VEGAS – While a close first-round loss at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway brought Ron Capps’ race day to an early end Sunday at the NHRA Nevada Nationals, the three-time world champion left Las Vegas more energized than ever about the future of Ron Capps Motorsports. Debuting a brand-new Carlyle Tools Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Capps impressed right out of the gate with multiple 3.91-second runs in his Dean “Guido” Antonelli-led team heading into the 2025 season finale and beyond. Capps, who leaves the Nevada Nationals fourth in the Funny Car points standings, will shift his focus from the track to the SEMA Show, where he and future Ron Capps Motorsports Top Fuel driver Maddi Gordon will make a major announcement.

Capps’ brand-new Carlyle Tools Toyota GR Supra was among the quickest cars in Friday qualifying, lighting up the boards with a 3.919-second pass at 329.91 mph in Q2 to jump to fourth. After striking the tires early in the run on his third qualifying attempt, Capps in his Dean ‘Guido’ Antonelli-tuned machine powered to a strong 3.965-second pass to close out qualifying in the fourth session. Capps ended up No. 6 on the final qualifying sheet, putting him in the top half of the field for Sunday eliminations. Continue reading →

Las Vegas – Capps is returning to the bold black and “venom” green Carlyle Tools livery for this weekends event in Las Vegas.  Ron first debuted the striking paint scheme at the season-opening Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla. as part of a three-race campaign, concluding this weekend. The campaign highlights Carlyle’s recent rebrand, which reflects a new initiative geared towards reaching students and young technicians.

Powered to a runner-up finish at the series’ most recent event in Dallas, Capps is ready to win! He begins the weekend ranked fourth in the Funny Car standings with only two races remaining.  Only 149 points separate Capps from the No. 1-ranked driver.

Capps clinched his first win as an NHRA team owner at the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway when he raced to victory at the 2022 Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals to earn his first of nine wins for Ron Capps Motorsports. Continue reading →

ENNIS, TX – After battling through three rounds of eliminations at the Texas NHRA FallNationals, Ron Capps and his NAPA Auto Care Funny Car team met up with points leader Austin Prock in the final round to fight it out for a Wally, a points boost, and a Texas cowboy hat. A parachute malfunction early in the run acted like an anchor for Capps, though, preventing him from giving Prock a side-by-side race. After the fourth of six Countdown to the Championship playoff events, the three-time world champion remains in the No. 4 position in the Funny Car point standings but having made significant progress in narrowing the points deficit.

Capps and crew chief Dean ‘Guido’ Antonelli showed promise early in the weekend, as Capps began qualifying with a 3.965-second pass at 327.84 mph, the third-quickest of the first session, to earn one bonus point. He snagged two more bonus points in the second session with his 3.889 E.T. at 334.55 mph, which propelled him to the No. 2 position. Traction problems bit Capps in Saturday’s two sessions, but his standout performance on Friday night kept him in the No. 2 spot going into race day. Continue reading →

Ennis, TX – With his 1998 Spring race (now discontinued) victory, Capps is a three-time overall winner at the Motorplex.  Ron powered to a runner-up finish at the 2024 event.  He’s won at Dallas in 2021 and ’22, and went on to win the Funny Car championship both years.  Ron is seeking his fourth final round appearance in five years.

“Well, we’re at the halfway point of the Countdown to the Championship, and I can’t think of a better track or event to kick off this final stretch of three races than the FallNationals at the Texas Motorplex. The Meyer family has gone above and beyond all these years to make this a can’t-miss event. Obviously, our NAPA Auto Care team needs to make up ground this weekend. We’ve had great success at this track, and I’ve always said, the FallNationals seems to produce a lot of championship drama,” explained Capps.

“For us, if you look back at a few of our championship title runs, you can point right to the Dallas race as being a pivotal event. There’s a lot going on this weekend on top of running for a championship; the Stampede of Speed, the buildup, the excitement for all the fans, the Friday night qualifying bonus, and this year we’re celebrating a huge anniversary of the Motorplex. So, looking forward to getting out there, and we’ll see if we can’t have some of the success we’ve had there in the past and move back up in the points this weekend.” Continue reading →

MADISON, IL – The unpredictable nature of Funny Car competition in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship portion of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season bit three-time world champion Ron Capps in the opening round of eliminations at the NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals. Racing at World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis on Sunday morning, Capps came out swinging in a highly anticipated first-round match, leaving the starting line first before tire smoke set in and ended his chances at a fourth consecutive St. Louis final round appearance. It wasn’t the outcome Capps wanted at the third of six playoff races, but as a seasoned veteran in the nitro ranks, Capps knows he’s still in the hunt for a fourth world title in his NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra.

After spending Thursday visiting NAPA and McKay Auto Parts customers, Capps started qualifying on Friday with a promising run, but the parachutes came out early, slowing him to a No. 10-ranked pass. On the second qualifying pass, his car got out of the groove and moved toward the center line, and during the third session, he went into tire shake early in the run. Crew chief Dean ‘Guido’ Antonelli got the NAPA Auto Care machine back on track in the fourth qualifying session, sending Capps on a 3.982-second ride at 324.05 mph to end up No. 13 going into race day. Continue reading →

Madison, IL – With four St. Louis victories, Capps is the winningest Funny Car driver at World Wide Technology Raceway.  He’ll be seeking his fourth consecutive final round appearance after powering to a runner-up finish in 2022, ’23 and ‘24.  Capps won his first NHRA Funny Car race in 1997 at World Wide Technology Raceway’s inaugural event while driving for drag racing icon Don “The Snake” Prudhomme.

“Well, here we are, a year later and while some things stay the same, there have certainly been a lot of changes going into the third race of the Countdown this season, compared to years’ past. For us, we always look forward to heading to World Wide Technology Raceway. We’ve been in the final round there the last three years in a row, and while those weren’t wins, they certainly show the consistency of our race team. And, this is the part of the year where you have to have that consistency,” explain Ron.

“I can remember going to the first race at this track when the dragstrip reopened, driving for Snake (Don Prudhomme). Such a great racing community in the area, and McKay NAPA Auto Parts is such a great, local supporter of ours. Going to do a store appearance in Illinois on Thursday, we’ve got a couple of NAPA appearances and customer events leading up to the race. Continue reading →

CONCORD, NC – Ron Capps’ race day at the NHRA 4-Wide Carolina Nationals came to a dramatic end in the second round Sunday afternoon as a massive engine explosion destroyed the body on his NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra. Though Capps didn’t advance to the final quad at zMAX Dragway, the three-time world champion had the second-quickest car in qualifying, and he threw down the quickest pass of eliminations in the opening round. He leaves Charlotte, the second of six races in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs, third in the Funny Car points standings as he pursues a fourth world championship.

For the second straight race, Capps, crew chief Dean ‘Guido’ Antonelli, and the NAPA Auto Care team battled back from a challenging first day of qualifying. Capps faced traction issues in Friday’s two qualifying sessions, sending him into Saturday’s final two sessions on the bump spot. He had to lift off the throttle early in the third session on Saturday but moved up a spot to No. 15. With the pressure on in the final session, Antonelli sent Capps on a 3.899-second pass at 329.67 mph to propel Capps from the No. 15 spot up to the No. 2 position on the final qualifying order. Continue reading →

Concord, NC – Capps advanced to the semifinals at the 2025 Countdown opener last weekend in Reading, Pa. and moved up one spot in the Funny Car standings to third.

This weekend kicks off the first-ever four-wide Countdown event. Capps’s previous four-wide successes include: Powering to a runner-up finish at this year’s Charlotte Four-Wide Nationals contested earlier this Spring.

Ron Capps Motorsports’ grabbed their first race victory during the ’22 Las Vegas four-wides from the pole position.  He was the 2017 Charlotte four-wide event champ, and ’14 Charlotte four-wide No. 1 qualifier.

Capps’ NAPA GR Supra will carry the Warren Oil logo on its rear quarter panel this weekend. Warren Oil is proud to partner with NAPA, delivering trusted performance from their family-owned headquarters in North Carolina. Warren Oil delivers a full range of lubricants, greases, and automotive chemicals – engineered to perform across industries worldwide. From passenger cars to heavy-duty fleets, agriculture to marine, Warren Oil products keep the world moving. Continue reading →

READING, PA – Ron Capps’ 2025 NHRA Countdown to the Championship campaign kicked off with an eventful outing at the 40th NHRA Reading Nationals presented by Nitro Fish at Maple Grove Raceway near Reading, Pa. The three-time Funny Car world champion and his Ron Capps Motorsports team had to thrash to repair the NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra after a second-round win ended with an engine explosion at the finish line. Though the team’s efforts weren’t rewarded with a win light in the semifinals, Capps did gain a position in the points standings as he pursues his fourth Funny Car world title in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.

Capps’ qualifying effort got off to a tricky start as he went up in smoke early in the first two qualifying sessions on Friday, leaving him on the bump spot going into Saturday’s two sessions. The pressure was off after the third session, though, as crew chief Dean ‘Guido’ Antonelli guided Capps to a 3.949-second pass at 330.07 mph to move into the No. 11 spot. In the final session, Capps just missed out on bonus points by making the fourth-quickest run of the session, a 3.967 E.T. at 319.22 mph. He ended up No. 12 on the final qualifying order.

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Mohnton, PA – The three-time Funny Car world champion will start the 2025 NHRA Countdown to the Championship from the No. 4 seed.
In its first four years, the Ron Capps Motorsports organization has finished the season ranked third (2024), fourth (’23), and No. 1 (’22).

He scored win light No. 100 for the Ron Capps Motorsports organization at Reading in 2024 and owns both ends of the Maple Grove Raceway Funny Car track records: E.T.: 3.837 seconds (2019) at 339.28 mph (2019); Capps’ speed is also an overall facility record including Top Fuel.

“You read any of the pre-race media leading into Reading, and the talk is always about kicking off the Countdown to the Championship playoffs on a strong note. This time of year, at Maple Grove, those fans are always rewarded with some of the best weather and track conditions you’ll see all season long, and this weekend is shaping up to be no different. The temperature is looking to be about as perfect as you can get, and the fans will probably get to see some of the quickest and fastest runs across the board. So, as a driver, you prepare yourself for that, and the crew chiefs, they’re all licking their chops. Our NAPA Funny Car has held the E.T. and speed records for some time at that track and we’re very proud of that, but I would bet there will be some cars taking shots at it this weekend, and I hope our NAPA Toyota Supra is one of them. We’d love to get our Countdown off to a great start and hope to end our weekend in the winner’s circle, ” explained Capps. Continue reading →