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POMONA, Calif. (Feb. 9, 2008) - Ron Capps powered the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car into the No. 8 spot for Sunday's season-opening NHRA Winternationals, posting four consistent laps, beginning with his first run of 4.876 seconds at 320.51 mph, followed by a 4.830/322.73, 4.850/314.53, and finally his quickest and fastest of the weekend, a 4.836/325.30. Tim Wilkerson earned the pole with a 4.790/325.22.
"We went up there to run a 4.78 or a .77 and when that car went in the sand in front of us it bought us a little bit of time with the sun going down," said Capps. "We really thought the conditions were there, but the track actually got a little better than Ace (crew chief Ed McCulloch) thought. And we just didn't have enough clutch in it.
"But it's great. The NAPA AUTO PARTS team was 'the bomb' with another 4.83-second lap in the final pass, which was a little bit quicker and put us in the top half of the field. That just shows you how tough this deal is. I will take four runs with the consistency that we had in the conditions we've seen here. And with all the new stuff that NHRA has thrown at us (100 pounds added, and nitromethane percentage upped to 90 percent), I will take that over being low qualifier any day of the week. I think it really pressures a lot of people to have to run better. I know when I've had to run a team that ran all four runs so well in qualifying, it really put a lot of pressure on me mentally.
"Ace is doing the same fabulous job he's always done. And having NAPA AUTO PARTS on board and being able to prove that they did the right thing by going out to the first race and qualifying where we did is exciting.
"You can't overlook the fact, and Ace will be the first to tell you, that the guys on the NAPA AUTO PARTS team give Ace an absolutely flawless car every time, with no parts falling off, and nothing stupid happening. And the preparation is so unbelievable, it lets Ace do his job and I just want to make sure those guys get the credit they deserve."
Capps faces John Force Racing's Robert Hight in first round of eliminations on Sunday.
CAPPS IS MR. CONSISTENCY IN POMONA QUALIFYING, GRABS NO. 8
POMONA, Calif. (Feb. 9, 2008) - Ron Capps powered the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car into the No. 8 spot for Sunday's season-opening NHRA Winternationals, posting four consistent laps, beginning with his first run of 4.876 seconds at 320.51 mph, followed by a 4.830/322.73, 4.850/314.53, and finally his quickest and fastest of the weekend, a 4.836/325.30. Tim Wilkerson earned the pole with a 4.790/325.22.
"We went up there to run a 4.78 or a .77 and when that car went in the sand in front of us it bought us a little bit of time with the sun going down," said Capps. "We really thought the conditions were there, but the track actually got a little better than Ace (crew chief Ed McCulloch) thought. And we just didn't have enough clutch in it.
"But it's great. The NAPA AUTO PARTS team was 'the bomb' with another 4.83-second lap in the final pass, which was a little bit quicker and put us in the top half of the field. That just shows you how tough this deal is. I will take four runs with the consistency that we had in the conditions we've seen here. And with all the new stuff that NHRA has thrown at us (100 pounds added, and nitromethane percentage upped to 90 percent), I will take that over being low qualifier any day of the week. I think it really pressures a lot of people to have to run better. I know when I've had to run a team that ran all four runs so well in qualifying, it really put a lot of pressure on me mentally.
"Ace is doing the same fabulous job he's always done. And having NAPA AUTO PARTS on board and being able to prove that they did the right thing by going out to the first race and qualifying where we did is exciting.
"You can't overlook the fact, and Ace will be the first to tell you, that the guys on the NAPA AUTO PARTS team give Ace an absolutely flawless car every time, with no parts falling off, and nothing stupid happening. And the preparation is so unbelievable, it lets Ace do his job and I just want to make sure those guys get the credit they deserve."
Capps faces John Force Racing's Robert Hight in first round of eliminations on Sunday.
