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INDIANAPOLIS, post-race: Jon Capps advanced to the quarterfinals in the Vegas Fuel Funny Car on Monday at the prestigious NHRA Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at O'Reilly Raceway Park. Capps upset No. 1 qualifier and good friend Jeff Arend in the opening round after qualifying for his first career NHRA national event on Saturday,
Capps waited until the biggest drag race in the world to qualify for his first NHRA national event in a fuel Funny Car. Making just his second NHRA Funny Car start, Capps roared to a career-best 4.826 at 311.49 mph Friday evening which was good enough for the top half of the field. Crew chief Paul Smith tuned Capps to a pair of mid 4.80 runs as qualifying progressed and the team got a handle on the racing conditions. But Friday's 4.82 stood up for the No. 16 qualifying position and Capps had earned the chance to compete on drag racing's biggest stage on Monday.
After greeting the crowd during opening ceremonies it was down to business for Capps. Paul Smith is a master of racing on warm race tracks and it paid off for Capps in round one. Both cars left the starting line together but Capps had the lead by the 330-foot mark and never looked back. The Las Vegas resident took the victory with a great 4.896 at 316.11 mph to Arend's 4.927 at 317.79 mph, earning his first NHRA round win and sending the Vegas Fuel Funny Car to the quarterfinals.
Capps squared off against championship contender Tony Pedregon in the second round. Capps left the stating slightly ahead of Pedregon, but the Vegas Fuel car shook the tires and went into tire smoke several hundred feet down track and Pedregon advanced to the next round.
The magnitude of Capps' incredible accomplishment's in competing at his first U.S. Nationals, especially racing in the amidst so many high dollar race teams, hadn't seemed to set in on him completely after racing was over.
"This weekend is the kind of thing you dream about when you are a race fan as a kid," said Capps. "You dream about driving a nitro Funny Car and going to the biggest race of the year and actually qualify.
"I'm real proud to be able to make the show. A lot of big guys didn't make it and it makes you feel real good. We ran hard out here today and we had as good a shot as anybody in the heat. Paul Smith is definitely the guy you want tuning when you're running a Funny Car on a hot track.
"We don't get a chance to test a lot like the other guys," Capps continued, "and so we kind of went out there and tried something in the second round and we lost to Pedregon. Everybody over here on the Vegas Fuel team has every reason to hold their head high. With the associate support of VF Trucking, Paul Smith and the guys have done a great job and I look forward to a lot more round wins in the future.
"John Force told me this morning, 'alright kid, you've been waiting for this all your life, go out there and make some enemies."
Capps is well on his way.
Capps advances to the quarterfinals at the U.S. Nationals
INDIANAPOLIS, post-race: Jon Capps advanced to the quarterfinals in the Vegas Fuel Funny Car on Monday at the prestigious NHRA Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at O'Reilly Raceway Park. Capps upset No. 1 qualifier and good friend Jeff Arend in the opening round after qualifying for his first career NHRA national event on Saturday,
Capps waited until the biggest drag race in the world to qualify for his first NHRA national event in a fuel Funny Car. Making just his second NHRA Funny Car start, Capps roared to a career-best 4.826 at 311.49 mph Friday evening which was good enough for the top half of the field. Crew chief Paul Smith tuned Capps to a pair of mid 4.80 runs as qualifying progressed and the team got a handle on the racing conditions. But Friday's 4.82 stood up for the No. 16 qualifying position and Capps had earned the chance to compete on drag racing's biggest stage on Monday.
After greeting the crowd during opening ceremonies it was down to business for Capps. Paul Smith is a master of racing on warm race tracks and it paid off for Capps in round one. Both cars left the starting line together but Capps had the lead by the 330-foot mark and never looked back. The Las Vegas resident took the victory with a great 4.896 at 316.11 mph to Arend's 4.927 at 317.79 mph, earning his first NHRA round win and sending the Vegas Fuel Funny Car to the quarterfinals.
Capps squared off against championship contender Tony Pedregon in the second round. Capps left the stating slightly ahead of Pedregon, but the Vegas Fuel car shook the tires and went into tire smoke several hundred feet down track and Pedregon advanced to the next round.
The magnitude of Capps' incredible accomplishment's in competing at his first U.S. Nationals, especially racing in the amidst so many high dollar race teams, hadn't seemed to set in on him completely after racing was over.
"This weekend is the kind of thing you dream about when you are a race fan as a kid," said Capps. "You dream about driving a nitro Funny Car and going to the biggest race of the year and actually qualify.
"I'm real proud to be able to make the show. A lot of big guys didn't make it and it makes you feel real good. We ran hard out here today and we had as good a shot as anybody in the heat. Paul Smith is definitely the guy you want tuning when you're running a Funny Car on a hot track.
"We don't get a chance to test a lot like the other guys," Capps continued, "and so we kind of went out there and tried something in the second round and we lost to Pedregon. Everybody over here on the Vegas Fuel team has every reason to hold their head high. With the associate support of VF Trucking, Paul Smith and the guys have done a great job and I look forward to a lot more round wins in the future.
"John Force told me this morning, 'alright kid, you've been waiting for this all your life, go out there and make some enemies."
Capps is well on his way.
