Ron Capps aboard his Mopar-powered Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car for Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) reached the finals of the 5th Annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio, on Sunday, June 26.
Capps, the No. 2 qualifier, began his march to the finals with an opening round win over Melanie Troxel, laying down a pass of 4.118-second/299.26 mph with a reaction time of 0.065 to his opponent’s 4.188/284.99 with a 0.098 off the line. In the quarterfinals, Capps was up against DSR teammate Jack Beckman, who downed Bob Tasca III in the opening round. Capps won the pedalfest, as both drivers had severe tire shake and got out of the racing groove. Capps used a 4.559/213.81 with a 0.083 reaction time to Beckman’s 4.607/258.47 with a 0.086 reaction time to move on.
Capps got off the line with a blazing reaction time of 0.030 in the semifinals against 15-time Funny Car champion John Force, who went up in smoke just after the start. Capps would advance to the finals with a run of 4.818/228.58. Capps, in his first final round of the season, would have the advantage off the line against Mike Neff, with a reaction time of 0.055 to his opponent’s 0.083. Neff wound up catching Capps and edging him with a 4.211/289.94 to a 4.259/279.09.
"It’s not often you see a smile on the face of a driver who lost a race," said Capps. "Considering we started the weekend losing the first two rounds of qualifying to rain, we had an uphill battle on our hands. Tim Richards (crew chief) is still learning this car and needs every round he can get to continue his progress."
Matt Hagan downed Bob Bode in the opening round to put three DSR cars in the quarterfinals. Hagan went up in smoke in the quarterfinals against eventual event winner Mike Neff. Fellow DSR driver Johnny Gray failed to qualify for the event.
Beckman is currently second in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Funny Car standings, with fellow Mopar-powered DSR drivers Hagan fifth, Capps sixth and Gray 10th.
Next up is the 14th Annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals, July 7–10 at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill. For more information on the NHRA, log on to NHRA.com.
Capps, the No. 2 qualifier, began his march to the finals with an opening round win over Melanie Troxel, laying down a pass of 4.118-second/299.26 mph with a reaction time of 0.065 to his opponent’s 4.188/284.99 with a 0.098 off the line. In the quarterfinals, Capps was up against DSR teammate Jack Beckman, who downed Bob Tasca III in the opening round. Capps won the pedalfest, as both drivers had severe tire shake and got out of the racing groove. Capps used a 4.559/213.81 with a 0.083 reaction time to Beckman’s 4.607/258.47 with a 0.086 reaction time to move on.
Capps got off the line with a blazing reaction time of 0.030 in the semifinals against 15-time Funny Car champion John Force, who went up in smoke just after the start. Capps would advance to the finals with a run of 4.818/228.58. Capps, in his first final round of the season, would have the advantage off the line against Mike Neff, with a reaction time of 0.055 to his opponent’s 0.083. Neff wound up catching Capps and edging him with a 4.211/289.94 to a 4.259/279.09.
"It’s not often you see a smile on the face of a driver who lost a race," said Capps. "Considering we started the weekend losing the first two rounds of qualifying to rain, we had an uphill battle on our hands. Tim Richards (crew chief) is still learning this car and needs every round he can get to continue his progress."
Matt Hagan downed Bob Bode in the opening round to put three DSR cars in the quarterfinals. Hagan went up in smoke in the quarterfinals against eventual event winner Mike Neff. Fellow DSR driver Johnny Gray failed to qualify for the event.
Beckman is currently second in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Funny Car standings, with fellow Mopar-powered DSR drivers Hagan fifth, Capps sixth and Gray 10th.
Next up is the 14th Annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals, July 7–10 at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill. For more information on the NHRA, log on to NHRA.com.
