READING, Pa. (Sept. 14, 2025) – 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.
On race day, Capps joined fellow Toyota driver J.R. Todd to form the marquee matchup of the first round as the first pair of Funny Cars. Capps jumped off the starting line first and rolled to a 3.95 E.T. at 331.85 mph to get the win over Todd and his 5.976 E.T. Things got tense in the second round, where Capps and Jack Beckman raced side-by-side through the 1,000-foot finish line. Capps made it across first with a 3.974-second pass at 327.74 mph, but he lost an engine and damaged the body in a major explosion just past the finish line. That required the Ron Capps Motorsports team to bring out their backup body, sporting the bold Carlyle Tools livery from the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, for the semifinals. Capps took a slight starting line advantage over Blake Alexander, but he drove into tire smoke almost immediately and lifted off the throttle.
“We felt great about going up for the semifinals, and I’m sure Guido will figure out what happened,” Capps said. “Considering all that happened throughout the weekend, it’s not a bad start to get to the semifinals. You certainly love to be in the final round, but to move up in the points, and go to Charlotte within striking distance of the points lead, is incredible. All-in-all, great job by our NAPA Auto Care team. We had an immense crowd from NAPA Auto Parts and Auto Care, and all our local people, close to 500 guests. Plus, it was a sold-out crowd here at Maple Grove, so it was a great weekend to kick off the Countdown.”
Capps, who moved up one spot to third in the Funny Car points standings, will now move on to the first-ever four-wide race to take place during the Countdown to the Championship playoffs, the NHRA Four-Wide Carolina Nationals, Sept. 19-21, at zMAX Dragway in Concord, N.C. Capps was the runner-up at the spring Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte.
Qualified: No. 12 (3.949 E.T. at 330.07 MPH)
Elimination Round Results:
E1: 3.950 E.T. at 331.85 MPH defeated J.R. Todd 5.976 E.T. at 172.45 MPH
E2: 3.974 E.T. at 327.74 MPH defeated Jack Beckman 4.013 E.T. at 325.77 MPH
E3: 9.055 E.T. at 80.81 MPH defeated by Blake Alexander 4.608 E.T. at 199.02 MPH
The post Ron Capps Kicks Off Countdown with Resilient Semifinal Finish at Reading appeared first on Ron Capp Motorsports.
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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.
On race day, Capps joined fellow Toyota driver J.R. Todd to form the marquee matchup of the first round as the first pair of Funny Cars. Capps jumped off the starting line first and rolled to a 3.95 E.T. at 331.85 mph to get the win over Todd and his 5.976 E.T. Things got tense in the second round, where Capps and Jack Beckman raced side-by-side through the 1,000-foot finish line. Capps made it across first with a 3.974-second pass at 327.74 mph, but he lost an engine and damaged the body in a major explosion just past the finish line. That required the Ron Capps Motorsports team to bring out their backup body, sporting the bold Carlyle Tools livery from the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, for the semifinals. Capps took a slight starting line advantage over Blake Alexander, but he drove into tire smoke almost immediately and lifted off the throttle.
“We felt great about going up for the semifinals, and I’m sure Guido will figure out what happened,” Capps said. “Considering all that happened throughout the weekend, it’s not a bad start to get to the semifinals. You certainly love to be in the final round, but to move up in the points, and go to Charlotte within striking distance of the points lead, is incredible. All-in-all, great job by our NAPA Auto Care team. We had an immense crowd from NAPA Auto Parts and Auto Care, and all our local people, close to 500 guests. Plus, it was a sold-out crowd here at Maple Grove, so it was a great weekend to kick off the Countdown.”
Capps, who moved up one spot to third in the Funny Car points standings, will now move on to the first-ever four-wide race to take place during the Countdown to the Championship playoffs, the NHRA Four-Wide Carolina Nationals, Sept. 19-21, at zMAX Dragway in Concord, N.C. Capps was the runner-up at the spring Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte.
Qualified: No. 12 (3.949 E.T. at 330.07 MPH)
Elimination Round Results:
E1: 3.950 E.T. at 331.85 MPH defeated J.R. Todd 5.976 E.T. at 172.45 MPH
E2: 3.974 E.T. at 327.74 MPH defeated Jack Beckman 4.013 E.T. at 325.77 MPH
E3: 9.055 E.T. at 80.81 MPH defeated by Blake Alexander 4.608 E.T. at 199.02 MPH
The post Ron Capps Kicks Off Countdown with Resilient Semifinal Finish at Reading appeared first on Ron Capp Motorsports.
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