MADISON, IL – Reigning NHRA Funny Car world champion Ron Capps boosted his ‘Capps Trick’ campaign for a third consecutive title by racing to a runner-up finish at the NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway. He dropped a spot to fourth in the points standings after a tie-breaker final round against Matt Hagan, but the second-year team owner is as motivated as ever to chase another championship in his NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra.

Capps, who earned his first career Funny Car win at St. Louis in 1997, was one of several top-ranked drivers who struggled to get down the track in the first qualifying session on Friday. He rebounded in the second session on Saturday with the second-quickest run of the round, a 4.023 E.T., to earn two bonus points. He just missed out on bonus points in the third and final session with his 3.952, which was the fourth-quickest pass of the session. It also moved Capps up a spot to the No. 7 position.

The first round of eliminations saw Capps line up against Tim Wilkerson, who owns a NAPA AutoCare Center in nearby Springfield, Ill. Capps grabbed a .025-second advantage on the starting line, and it paid off at the finish line when his engine expired. NHRA’s marquee matchup lived up to the hype, as Capps recorded a 3.998 E.T. at 306.12 MPH to beat Wilkerson’s 3.977 E.T. at 318.47 MPH on a holeshot. Capps was first off the line again against Alex Laughlin in the second round and powered on to a winning 4.066-second performance. With crew chief Dean ‘Guido’ Antonelli calling the shots, Capps improved to a 4.014 E.T. at 323.35 MPH to defeat Blake Alexander and earn lane choice for the final round by just .002 seconds.

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CONCORD, NC – With just two first-round losses in the first 16 races of the 2023 NHRA Camping World Series season, three-time and defending Funny Car world champion Ron Capps wasn’t expecting an early exit at the betway NHRA Carolina Nationals. But when Capps’ NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra drove into tire smoke in the first round of eliminations on Sunday morning, Capps and his Ron Capps Motorsports team were left packing up early at the second of six races in the Countdown to the Championship.

Capps kicked off qualifying with a solid 3.885-second pass, the second-quickest run of the first session, to earn two bonus points. He went up in smoke in the second session on Saturday, then fired off a 3.864 E.T. to move up to the No. 5 spot going into eliminations.

Rolling into race day as the three-time and defending event champion, Capps paired up with Dave Richards in the opening round. The two drivers left the starting line together, then Capps started to lose traction around 400 feet down the track. He tried to recover by pedaling his 11,000-horsepower machine, but he eventually had to lift off the throttle and watch as Richards turned on the win light. It was one of four pairings where the quicker qualified driver was upset.

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READING, PA – As the regular season champion going into the NHRA Countdown to the Championship, Ron Capps needed a strong points-earning weekend at the NHRA Reading Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway. While he fell short of a third consecutive event win in his NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra, the three-time and reigning world champion did reach the semifinals after qualifying No. 2. He slipped to second in the points standings, though he has a consistent three-second hot rod going into the next race in just a few days.

Under the guidance of crew chief Dean ‘Guido’ Antonelli, Capps went down the track in all four qualifying sessions with passes well into the three-second zone. His worst pass was a 3.938-second blast in the first session, and his best was a 3.879 E.T. at 333.99 MPH in the final session that put Capps second going into race day. He collected a total of three bonus points over the course of qualifying.

Capps’ consistency carried over into Sunday eliminations, as he started the day with a 3.903-second pass to beat Dave Richards. It was a battle between the two winningest drivers in Funny Car history in the second round when Capps paired up with John Force. Capps moved first and held the lead through the finish line, recording a 3.899 E.T. at 326.40 MPH to advance to the semifinals against Robert Hight.

Rain showers after the quarterfinals forced NHRA officials to push the rest of eliminations into Monday. True to his record of leaving first in 71% of his semifinal matches, Capps grabbed a holeshot advantage, but he lost traction and had to coast through the finish line while Hight made a clean pass to advance. Hight went on to win the event, taking over the points lead from Capps in the process.

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Reading, PA – Capps is seeking his third consecutive event win this weekend after having powered to victory in Indianapolis and Brainerd, Minn., the two most recent events on tour.  Reading marks the start of the 2023 NHRA Countdown to the Championship and the beginning of the Ron Capps Motorsports ‘Capps Trick’ campaign where the three-time Funny Car world champion will begin his pursuit for a third consecutive Funny Car title.

Ron begins the Countdown from the No. 1 seed after winning the regular-season championship during the U.S. Nationals.

In 2022, Capps began the Countdown ranked second and closed out the season in first place; Capps’ 2022 Countdown campaign included two event wins in four final round appearances (16 round wins overall). The second-year team owner is pursuing a fourth series title (2016, 2021, 2022) and the second for Ron Capps Motorsports.

Capps owns both ends of the Maple Grove Raceway Funny Car track records: E.T.: 3.837 seconds (2019) and speed: 339.28 mph (2019); Capps’ speed is also an overall facility record (includes Top Fuel), and is the second-fastest run in NHRA history.

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INDIANAPOLIS – Fifty years after Don ‘The Snake’ Prudhomme won the 1973 NHRA U.S. Nationals in Funny Car, reigning event champion Ron Capps put the iconic ‘Snake’ Hot Wheels livery back in the winner’s circle at the 69th annual NHRA U.S. Nationals on Monday at Indianapolis Raceway Park. With Prudhomme standing behind Capps’ Hot Wheels/NAPA Toyota GR Supra on the starting line, Capps defeated J.R. Todd in the Funny Car final round to win his second consecutive ‘Big Go’ Wally in his third consecutive final round at the prestigious race.

With support from NAPA Auto Parts and Toyota, Capps unveiled the tribute livery in his Ron Capps Motorsports pit area on Friday. Prudhomme then hopped in the cockpit to warm up the 11,000-horsepower Funny Car before the first qualifying session. The throwback look and matching uniforms, which were inspired by Prudhomme’s iconic Hot Wheels Funny Cars from the early 1970s, earned the Best Appearing Car and Best Appearing Crew awards.

Qualifying was jam-packed with five sessions, including eliminations in two specialty races. Capps posted a 3.917-second pass in the first session to sit fourth on Friday night. In the second session on Saturday, which doubled as the first round of the final Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge of the season, Capps was the fourth quickest of the session yet again to beat Bob Tasca III.

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Indianapolis, IN – Capps’ NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra Funny Car will sport a throwback livery paying tribute to his former team owner, Don ‘The Snake’ Prudhomme, and his legendary Hot Wheels Funny Car this weekend. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Prudhomme’s victory at the 1973 Indianapolis event, as well as the 10th anniversary of the ‘Snake & Mongoose’ film, which featured a cameo by Capps.

Prudhomme will warm-up Capps’ car at 4:00 p.m. on Friday in preparation for the event’s first qualifying session.  Returns as the defending event champion after he went wire-to-wire last year, sweeping the 2022 Indianapolis event by winning the race, the All-Star Callout, and clinching the No. 1 qualifier position. Capps is one of eight drivers to have qualified for the 2023 All-Star Callout field and will be looking to go back-to-back at the specialty race.

Capps’ 2022 triumph – his first at the ‘Big Go’ – came after more than two-and-a-half decades of attempting to achieve  a U.S. Nationals win. The defending event champion advanced to the finals in 2021 and 2022, and is seeking his third consecutive U.S. Nationals final round appearance in 2023.

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BROWNSBURG, IN – Ron Capps, reigning NHRA Funny Car world champion and winner of the 2022 NHRA U.S. Nationals, will have a new look when he defends his title at Indianapolis Raceway Park over Labor Day weekend. Capps’ NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra will sport a throwback livery paying tribute to his former team owner, Don ‘The Snake’ Prudhomme, and the legendary Hot Wheels x NHRA Funny Car. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Prudhomme’s victory at the 1973 U.S. Nationals, as well as the 10th anniversary of the ‘Snake & Mongoose’ film.

Capps, who formed his own team, Ron Capps Motorsports, over the 2021-2022 offseason, raced for Prudhomme’s Snake Racing team from 1997 through 2004. They won 13 events in Funny Car together, and now almost 20 years later, they have an opportunity to add a 14th with the Hot Wheels throwback livery.

“This is a dream come true both as a kid growing up and now as an NHRA driver,” said Capps, who swept the 2022 U.S. Nationals by qualifying No. 1, winning the All-Star Callout race, and winning the event. “It’s exciting to bring together the old-school Hot Wheels fans like myself with the next generation and offer up a tribute car with Don ‘The Snake’ Prudhomme. It’s also a tribute to what Hot Wheels did for the sport with ‘The Snake’ and ‘The Mongoose.’ It’s going to be incredibly emotional to be on the starting line at Indianapolis Raceway Park with ‘The Snake’ standing behind the car.

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BRAINERD, MN – Three-time and reigning NHRA Funny Car world champion Ron Capps secured a milestone victory Sunday afternoon when he defeated Robert Hight in the final round of the NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway (BIR). After qualifying No. 1 for the 38th time in his career, Capps drove his NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra to his 75th NHRA national event victory. He also moved into the points lead with just one race left before the NHRA Countdown to the Championship kicks off.

Qualifying saw highs and lows for Capps and his Ron Capps Motorsports team. A broken wheelie bar prevented Capps from making the first qualifying run on Friday, but he bounced back in the evening session by throwing down a 3.894 E.T. at 330.23 MPH. It was the quickest pass of the session, giving Capps three bonus points. It also held up as the quickest pass of all four qualifying sessions to give Capps his second No. 1 qualifier of the season and second at BIR.

Capps started eliminations ranked second in points behind Matt Hagan. When Hagan lost his first-round race ahead of Capps, it opened the door for the NAPA team to gain ground. Capps started with a 3.906-second single pass, as first-round opponent Jim Campbell was shut off after the burnout. He dipped back into the 3.80s with a 3.892 E.T. at 333.08 MPH to set low E.T. of the round and take out a tire-smoking Tim Wilkerson in the second round. Capps also secured a spot in the next Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge with the win. In a semifinal battle with the most recent event winner, Bob Tasca III, Capps laid down a 3.914-second effort to defeat Tasca, who smoked the tires. It was the quickest pass of the session once again, and the win moved Capps into the points lead.

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BRAINERD, MN – Ron Capps scored his second No. 1 qualifier of the 2023 NHRA Camping World Series season on Saturday at the NHRA Brainerd Nationals, the penultimate event before the Countdown to the Championship playoffs begin. The three-time and defending Funny Car world champion earned the pole on the strength of his 3.894 at 330.23 MPH run from the weekend’s second qualifying session on Friday to earn his 38th No. 1 qualifier overall and second at Brainerd International Raceway. With the exception of the Charlotte Four-Wide Nationals, the owner-driver of the NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra hasn’t qualified lower than sixth in 2023.

“You never take anything for granted. We saw Bob Tasca run 3.92 ahead of us and ‘Guido’ (Dean Antonelli, crew chief) went into the box and made some adjustments,” said Capps of the weekend’s final qualifying session. “I think he was going to try and run 3.88 but obviously it didn’t stick. This yellow (No. 1 qualifier) hat is such a tribute to how good our NAPA guys are. There is not a lot you can do as a driver. You pretty much stage the car and keep it in the groove.”

As the No. 1 seed, Capps will face Jim Campbell during the opening round of eliminations on Sunday. Capps, a four-time finalist in 2023, is seeking his second victory of the season as he looks to reclaim the Funny Car point lead, currently occupied by Matt Hagan. A 59-point margin separates Capps from his former teammate.

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BRAINERD, MN – Ron Capps powered the NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra to the provisional pole on Friday night at Brainerd International Raceway. The three-time and twice-defending Funny Car world champion clocked a 3.894 at 330.23 MPH time aboard his 11,000-horsepower machine during the second qualifying session to launch to the top of the field.

Capps’ race weekend at the NHRA Brainerd Nationals got off to an unusual start. As the Dean ‘Guido’ Antonelli-led team staged the car for the first qualifying round, they noticed a wheelie bar issue and wisely opted not to make the run. When they returned for the second round, ready to put a number on the timing sheets, they were faced with another challenge. One of the cars in the pair that ran before them caused a massive oildown delay, leading to a nearly hour-long clean-up. As the sun was setting on the track, conditions drastically changed during that time but Antonelli is always quick to adapt and tuned the NAPA Supra to a powerful 3.894 E.T., which held up to be the best run of the session.

“It was interesting today,” said Capps, reflecting on the day’s two qualifying rounds. “It’s very rare that our NAPA team doesn’t make a run. I can’t thank the guys enough for catching what they caught in Q1 because it could’ve been dangerous, and could’ve potentially hurt me or the car. So, another great moment for our crew guys for being so on the ball.

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