Racing the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger
for Don Schumacher Racing, Ron Capps would like to end the 2010 NHRA Full
Throttle Drag Racing Series with his second victory of the year and a move
into the top five in points at this weekend's 46th annual NHRA Finals in
Pomona, Calif.
Entering the event in seventh place, Capps could easily move into fifth with
a strong finish. He trails fifth-place Bob Tasca III by 72 points after a
tough run in the six-race Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
"We talked about it before the last race in Vegas of trying to finish the
year strong," said Capps, who began the playoffs in fifth place. "You want
to end the year with a good chance of winning the NHRA Finals in Pomona.
That would make for a great off-season.
"We want to win, of course, but we'd also like nothing more than to help our
DSR teammate Matt Hagan clinch the championship. If we qualify well, get
lane choice first round, we might be able to help Hagan's team by beating
one of his close competitors for the championship. That would be great.
"We still feel like we could move up a spot or two in points into the top
five and that's what we¹re aiming for.
"(Crew chief) John Medlen has done a great job with the NAPA team. We stayed
and tested on Monday in Vegas, ran a 4.06 (-second pass) off the trailer and
then a 4.11 in the middle of the day. We really felt like we learned a lot.
So, I think we can use that information in Pomona. I'm excited about that,²
added Capps, a two-time Pomona winner.
RON CAPPS QUICK FACTS:
* Age 45 (June 20, 1965); born and raised in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
* Lives in Carlsbad, Calif., with wife Shelley and daughter Taylor (7/25/96)
and son Caden (7/1/01)
* No. 7 in standings after five of six races of the Countdown to the
Championship (four first rounds, one quarterfinal)
* Entered 2010 Funny Car Countdown in No. 5, after 17 events of the regular
season (one win, two runner-ups, four quarterfinals, four semifinals, six
first rounds)
* Is 285 points behind leader and DSR teammate Matt Hagan; 72 points out of
fifth place
* Has two national-event victories at Pomona: in 1998 and 2009, both in
Pomona 1
* Was runner-up in 2010 Pomona 1, again in 2006, and Pomona 2 runner-up in
2008
* Was No. 1 qualifier at Pomona 1 in 1999
* Qualified No. 5 at 2009 Pomona 2, lost semifinal to Ashley Force Hood
* Has 31 event wins in 64 final rounds to his credit (30 national event wins
in Funny Car, one in Top Fuel)
* Has nine career No. 1 qualifiers; none in 2010 so far
* His best season points finishes were seconds in Funny Car in 1998, 2000
and 2005
* Is tied with Tony Pedregon with longest qualifying streak among active
Funny Car drivers: 85
* NAPA AUTO PARTS is primary sponsor for third straight season
* Joined Don Schumacher Racing in 2005
* Races in Tony Stewart's Prelude to the Dream every year
* Capps' career round win-loss record is 395-295
* His career quickest ET at 1000 feet is 4.023 seconds (Phoenix 2009)
* Capps' career-best speed racing to 1000 feet is 314.09 mph (Houston 2010)
* (THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE THE FOUR-WIDE RACE IN CONCORD): Capps' career
record against 14-time champion John Force is 22-42 in round wins. He's won
14 of the last 20 meetings against Force, and has won five of the last seven
first-round match-ups over Force. His final-round record against Force is
3-1
* Ended 2009 season No. 3 in the point standings
* Won class-best five events in 2009 - Pomona 1, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Topeka,
Denver - in seven final rounds
* Has three U.S. Smokeless Showdown titles: 1998, 1999 and 2002
* Entered 2009 Countdown to 1 No. 2 in Funny Car "regular season" after
leading standings in 12 of the first 14 events
* No. 8 in 2008 Funny Car points; two runner-up, five semifinal, four
quarterfinal finishes, 13 first-rounds
* No. 4 in 2007 Funny Car point standings
* Led 2007 Funny Car point standings by as much as 154 points through 14 of
the first 17 races of the season
* Third in 2006 final point standings, with class-best five wins
* Had three wins, four runner-up finishes in 2005 (St. Louis was his first
win for DSR in '05)
* 2005 Funny Car championship runner-up, eight points short of title
* A perennial fan favorite, Capps has driven and won in both Top Fuel and
Funny Cars since he began his pro NHRA career in 1995
* His career-best elapsed time (established during an event) is 4.694
seconds, set in 2005 in Dallas (racing to 1320 feet)
* His career-best speed is 331.61 mph (Pomona 1, '07) - racing to 1320 feet
* Has tested for IROC Series and competed in Skip Barber Formula Ford, Dirt
Late Models, Mini-Sprints and Go-Karts
SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY, Nov. 12 - FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at 1:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, Nov. 13 - FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
SUNDAY, Nov. 14 - Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m. FULL THROTTLE SERIES
eliminations begin at 11 a.m.
TELEVISION:
Saturday, Nov. 13, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two hours of qualifying
highlights at 10:30 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, Nov. 14, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise NHRA Race Day, a 30-minute
news magazine show, at 10 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, Nov. 14, ESPN3.com will televise of coverage of eliminations
starting at 2 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, Nov. 14, ESPN and ESPNHD will televise two hours and 30 minutes of
coverage starting at 9 p.m. (ET).
SATELLITE:
Friday, Nov. 12, 8:30 - 9 p.m. (ET), AMC 3 / Transponder 21K
(Digital SD feed) Saturday, Nov. 13, 9:30 - 10 p.m. (ET), AMC 3 /
Transponder 21K
Sunday, Nov. 14, 9:30 - 10 p.m. (ET), AMC 3 / Transponder 21K
(12111 MHz, horizontal; Data Rate: 18.295441161 Mbp; Symbol Rate: 13.235 Ms;
FEC: ¾; Bandwidth: 18 Mhz)
Video news release contains race action highlights each day and winners¹
interviews on Sunday.
for Don Schumacher Racing, Ron Capps would like to end the 2010 NHRA Full
Throttle Drag Racing Series with his second victory of the year and a move
into the top five in points at this weekend's 46th annual NHRA Finals in
Pomona, Calif.
Entering the event in seventh place, Capps could easily move into fifth with
a strong finish. He trails fifth-place Bob Tasca III by 72 points after a
tough run in the six-race Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
"We talked about it before the last race in Vegas of trying to finish the
year strong," said Capps, who began the playoffs in fifth place. "You want
to end the year with a good chance of winning the NHRA Finals in Pomona.
That would make for a great off-season.
"We want to win, of course, but we'd also like nothing more than to help our
DSR teammate Matt Hagan clinch the championship. If we qualify well, get
lane choice first round, we might be able to help Hagan's team by beating
one of his close competitors for the championship. That would be great.
"We still feel like we could move up a spot or two in points into the top
five and that's what we¹re aiming for.
"(Crew chief) John Medlen has done a great job with the NAPA team. We stayed
and tested on Monday in Vegas, ran a 4.06 (-second pass) off the trailer and
then a 4.11 in the middle of the day. We really felt like we learned a lot.
So, I think we can use that information in Pomona. I'm excited about that,²
added Capps, a two-time Pomona winner.
RON CAPPS QUICK FACTS:
* Age 45 (June 20, 1965); born and raised in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
* Lives in Carlsbad, Calif., with wife Shelley and daughter Taylor (7/25/96)
and son Caden (7/1/01)
* No. 7 in standings after five of six races of the Countdown to the
Championship (four first rounds, one quarterfinal)
* Entered 2010 Funny Car Countdown in No. 5, after 17 events of the regular
season (one win, two runner-ups, four quarterfinals, four semifinals, six
first rounds)
* Is 285 points behind leader and DSR teammate Matt Hagan; 72 points out of
fifth place
* Has two national-event victories at Pomona: in 1998 and 2009, both in
Pomona 1
* Was runner-up in 2010 Pomona 1, again in 2006, and Pomona 2 runner-up in
2008
* Was No. 1 qualifier at Pomona 1 in 1999
* Qualified No. 5 at 2009 Pomona 2, lost semifinal to Ashley Force Hood
* Has 31 event wins in 64 final rounds to his credit (30 national event wins
in Funny Car, one in Top Fuel)
* Has nine career No. 1 qualifiers; none in 2010 so far
* His best season points finishes were seconds in Funny Car in 1998, 2000
and 2005
* Is tied with Tony Pedregon with longest qualifying streak among active
Funny Car drivers: 85
* NAPA AUTO PARTS is primary sponsor for third straight season
* Joined Don Schumacher Racing in 2005
* Races in Tony Stewart's Prelude to the Dream every year
* Capps' career round win-loss record is 395-295
* His career quickest ET at 1000 feet is 4.023 seconds (Phoenix 2009)
* Capps' career-best speed racing to 1000 feet is 314.09 mph (Houston 2010)
* (THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE THE FOUR-WIDE RACE IN CONCORD): Capps' career
record against 14-time champion John Force is 22-42 in round wins. He's won
14 of the last 20 meetings against Force, and has won five of the last seven
first-round match-ups over Force. His final-round record against Force is
3-1
* Ended 2009 season No. 3 in the point standings
* Won class-best five events in 2009 - Pomona 1, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Topeka,
Denver - in seven final rounds
* Has three U.S. Smokeless Showdown titles: 1998, 1999 and 2002
* Entered 2009 Countdown to 1 No. 2 in Funny Car "regular season" after
leading standings in 12 of the first 14 events
* No. 8 in 2008 Funny Car points; two runner-up, five semifinal, four
quarterfinal finishes, 13 first-rounds
* No. 4 in 2007 Funny Car point standings
* Led 2007 Funny Car point standings by as much as 154 points through 14 of
the first 17 races of the season
* Third in 2006 final point standings, with class-best five wins
* Had three wins, four runner-up finishes in 2005 (St. Louis was his first
win for DSR in '05)
* 2005 Funny Car championship runner-up, eight points short of title
* A perennial fan favorite, Capps has driven and won in both Top Fuel and
Funny Cars since he began his pro NHRA career in 1995
* His career-best elapsed time (established during an event) is 4.694
seconds, set in 2005 in Dallas (racing to 1320 feet)
* His career-best speed is 331.61 mph (Pomona 1, '07) - racing to 1320 feet
* Has tested for IROC Series and competed in Skip Barber Formula Ford, Dirt
Late Models, Mini-Sprints and Go-Karts
SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY, Nov. 12 - FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at 1:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, Nov. 13 - FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
SUNDAY, Nov. 14 - Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m. FULL THROTTLE SERIES
eliminations begin at 11 a.m.
TELEVISION:
Saturday, Nov. 13, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two hours of qualifying
highlights at 10:30 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, Nov. 14, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise NHRA Race Day, a 30-minute
news magazine show, at 10 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, Nov. 14, ESPN3.com will televise of coverage of eliminations
starting at 2 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, Nov. 14, ESPN and ESPNHD will televise two hours and 30 minutes of
coverage starting at 9 p.m. (ET).
SATELLITE:
Friday, Nov. 12, 8:30 - 9 p.m. (ET), AMC 3 / Transponder 21K
(Digital SD feed) Saturday, Nov. 13, 9:30 - 10 p.m. (ET), AMC 3 /
Transponder 21K
Sunday, Nov. 14, 9:30 - 10 p.m. (ET), AMC 3 / Transponder 21K
(12111 MHz, horizontal; Data Rate: 18.295441161 Mbp; Symbol Rate: 13.235 Ms;
FEC: ¾; Bandwidth: 18 Mhz)
Video news release contains race action highlights each day and winners¹
interviews on Sunday.
