[coverattach=1]NORWALK, Ohio (June 27, 2009) - On probably the hottest race track the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series has seen all season, reaching temperatures of approximately 130 degrees, Ron Capps qualified the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Funny Car No. 4 for the NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio, today.
Although he posted his quickest lap of 4.236 seconds at 278.35 mph in the cooler Friday evening session, today's final round of four produced the most relevant run for him of 4.330/265.38, when the track surface was at its hottest. It was the fourth quickest pass of that round, and it followed his previous runs of 5.013/154.86 (No. 10), the 4.236/278.35 Friday evening (No. 4), and a 4.483/209.14 (No. 4) earlier today.
"Obviously the last session was better for us," said four-time 2009 winner Capps. "There were several sessions where one or two cars made it to the finish line without spinning the tires and even in that last session most cars spun the tires pretty good at the other end.
"It's really going to be a battle of not only attrition but of trying to negotiate these cars. We well see cooler temperatures on Sunday, we're told, but if we have the same conditions on Sunday as we had today we will probably see a lot of cars oiling the track down because you have to stay on the throttle during eliminations, and when the track doesn't hold what we're trying to put down, all it's going to do is raise the rpm in the engines and hurt them.
"Ace (crew chief Ed McCulloch) made a great call with the NAPA car this last pass, but, to be honest with you, it was spinning the tires a little bit at the other end and, for the sake of saving parts, I almost clicked it off. I'm glad I didn't. It still ran great.
"I think conditions will change so much tomorrow - we'll see the track cooler with cooler air temperatures - that it will be a whole new ballgame."
Capps faces Jeff Arend in the opening round of Sunday's eliminations.
Although he posted his quickest lap of 4.236 seconds at 278.35 mph in the cooler Friday evening session, today's final round of four produced the most relevant run for him of 4.330/265.38, when the track surface was at its hottest. It was the fourth quickest pass of that round, and it followed his previous runs of 5.013/154.86 (No. 10), the 4.236/278.35 Friday evening (No. 4), and a 4.483/209.14 (No. 4) earlier today.
"Obviously the last session was better for us," said four-time 2009 winner Capps. "There were several sessions where one or two cars made it to the finish line without spinning the tires and even in that last session most cars spun the tires pretty good at the other end.
"It's really going to be a battle of not only attrition but of trying to negotiate these cars. We well see cooler temperatures on Sunday, we're told, but if we have the same conditions on Sunday as we had today we will probably see a lot of cars oiling the track down because you have to stay on the throttle during eliminations, and when the track doesn't hold what we're trying to put down, all it's going to do is raise the rpm in the engines and hurt them.
"Ace (crew chief Ed McCulloch) made a great call with the NAPA car this last pass, but, to be honest with you, it was spinning the tires a little bit at the other end and, for the sake of saving parts, I almost clicked it off. I'm glad I didn't. It still ran great.
"I think conditions will change so much tomorrow - we'll see the track cooler with cooler air temperatures - that it will be a whole new ballgame."
Capps faces Jeff Arend in the opening round of Sunday's eliminations.
