CAPPS' VIRGINIA COUNTDOWN MEMORIES PROVIDE HOPE
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CARLSBAD, Calif. (Oct. 7, 2008) - Ron Capps was in a fierce battle for the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car championship at this time last year at the Virginia NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park. He recalled the drama as he anticipated his return to this weekend's third annual event in Petersburg, Va.
"Last year was an incredibly emotional event," said Capps, No. 10 in the points rankings driving the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car. "(Don Schumacher Racing teammate) Gary Scelzi and I basically had to go to the final round to advance to the Countdown to 1 (for the top four). We hadn't done well in qualifying (No. 15), but as race day went on, knowing that we had to keep advancing to even be a part of the Countdown at the next race in Las Vegas, we kept winning these hard rounds.
"We had Robert Hight in the first round, which is a team you don't want to see until the final round. We won that round and we kept going. It was bittersweet because our teammate Jack Beckman was in front of us in points and was actually in the Countdown to 1 prior to that race, but the fact that Scelzi and I went to the final round knocked Jack out of the Countdown to 1. I was happy for Gary and me, but we were upset that we had to eliminate our teammate.
"Talk about elation. I was happy to be in the final round, but that was one of the few times that I wasn't so unhappy that we didn't win a final round. I was racing my teammate Scelzi and we both just clinched our spots in the Countdown to 1 and the race track gave us great lanes, which is hard to come by.
"You look at this year and lane choice at every race has been so important. I think what was cool in Virginia last year was that the track was so even all day. And I talked to some NHRA officials this week and they said they have done some more grinding on the track and that it will be better this weekend than it was last year.
"It's definitely a different scenario this time," Capps said of his struggles this season to win his first Funny Car championship. "We're not completely eliminated from winning the championship, but for all intents and purposes, the championship is not going to happen for the NAPA team this year. So, it's going to be interesting to see what will happen with the different approach."
With 12 rounds of racing left in the final three races of the season (240 points plus qualifying points), Capps is 226 behind leader Tim Wilkerson.
"Watching the other very good teams that didn't even make it into the Countdown come alive, I see that it can really change your approach to each race. When you are involved in the Countdown it's much like being in the playoffs in any sport. So, I think being able to go in there and not have the pressure of being on top in the championship hunt, we can try some things that we would have been afraid to try on race day or during qualifying previously. For that reason I think you're going to see a different NAPA AUTO PARTS team show up in Richmond.
"Who knows? Maybe it will help us do well in Virginia, and we may be able to learn something we can use next year."
RON CAPPS QUICK FACTS:
* No. 10 in Funny Car points after 21 2008 events; one runner-up, four semifinal, four quarterfinal finishes, 12 first-rounds
* Is 226 points behind points leader Tim Wilkerson entering fourth of six events of Countdown to 1 playoffs
* Qualified No. 15 in Memphis in 2007, runner-up to Gary Scelzi
* Richmond Funny Car runner-up in 2000 (John Force) and 2007 (Gary Scelzi)
* Clinched a spot in the Countdown to 1 at Reading, Pa.
* 2008 round win-loss record is 15-21
* 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
* Had three wins in seven final rounds in 2007; two semifinal finishes, four quarterfinals, nine first rounds, and one DNQ
* Round win-loss record in 2007 was 32-19
* NAPA AUTO PARTS is new primary sponsor for 2008
* Joined Don Schumacher Racing in 2005
* Has three U.S. Smokeless Showdown titles: 1998, 1999 and 2002
* Third in 2006 final point standings
* Had class-best five wins in 2006
* 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
* Qualified No. 1 once in 2005, in Dallas; first time since Brainerd 2000
* Has seven career No. 1 qualifiers, none in 2006, '07, or '08 so far
* 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 best season points finishes were seconds in Funny Car in 1998, 2000 and 2005
* He has 25 event wins in 53 final rounds to his credit (24 national event wins in Funny Car, one in Top Fuel)
* His career-best elapsed time (established during an event) is 4.694 seconds, set in 2005 in Dallas
* His career-best speed is 331.61 mph (Pomona 1, '07)
* Capps' career round win-loss record is 328-252
* Capps' career record against 14-time champion Force is 17-41 in round wins. He's won nine of the last 14 meetings against Force, and has won four of the last six first-round match-ups over Force
* Age 43 (June 20, 1965); born and raised in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
* Lives in Carlsbad, Calif., with wife Shelley and daughter Taylor (11) and son Caden (7)
* Has tested for IROC Series and competed in Skip Barber Formula Ford, Dirt Late Models, Mini-Sprints and Go-Karts
<img src="http://www.nitromater.com/gallery/files/5/r_capps_642736.jpg" alt="r_capps_642736" align="right"borders="0"/>
CARLSBAD, Calif. (Oct. 7, 2008) - Ron Capps was in a fierce battle for the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car championship at this time last year at the Virginia NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park. He recalled the drama as he anticipated his return to this weekend's third annual event in Petersburg, Va.
"Last year was an incredibly emotional event," said Capps, No. 10 in the points rankings driving the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car. "(Don Schumacher Racing teammate) Gary Scelzi and I basically had to go to the final round to advance to the Countdown to 1 (for the top four). We hadn't done well in qualifying (No. 15), but as race day went on, knowing that we had to keep advancing to even be a part of the Countdown at the next race in Las Vegas, we kept winning these hard rounds.
"We had Robert Hight in the first round, which is a team you don't want to see until the final round. We won that round and we kept going. It was bittersweet because our teammate Jack Beckman was in front of us in points and was actually in the Countdown to 1 prior to that race, but the fact that Scelzi and I went to the final round knocked Jack out of the Countdown to 1. I was happy for Gary and me, but we were upset that we had to eliminate our teammate.
"Talk about elation. I was happy to be in the final round, but that was one of the few times that I wasn't so unhappy that we didn't win a final round. I was racing my teammate Scelzi and we both just clinched our spots in the Countdown to 1 and the race track gave us great lanes, which is hard to come by.
"You look at this year and lane choice at every race has been so important. I think what was cool in Virginia last year was that the track was so even all day. And I talked to some NHRA officials this week and they said they have done some more grinding on the track and that it will be better this weekend than it was last year.
"It's definitely a different scenario this time," Capps said of his struggles this season to win his first Funny Car championship. "We're not completely eliminated from winning the championship, but for all intents and purposes, the championship is not going to happen for the NAPA team this year. So, it's going to be interesting to see what will happen with the different approach."
With 12 rounds of racing left in the final three races of the season (240 points plus qualifying points), Capps is 226 behind leader Tim Wilkerson.
"Watching the other very good teams that didn't even make it into the Countdown come alive, I see that it can really change your approach to each race. When you are involved in the Countdown it's much like being in the playoffs in any sport. So, I think being able to go in there and not have the pressure of being on top in the championship hunt, we can try some things that we would have been afraid to try on race day or during qualifying previously. For that reason I think you're going to see a different NAPA AUTO PARTS team show up in Richmond.
"Who knows? Maybe it will help us do well in Virginia, and we may be able to learn something we can use next year."
RON CAPPS QUICK FACTS:
* No. 10 in Funny Car points after 21 2008 events; one runner-up, four semifinal, four quarterfinal finishes, 12 first-rounds
* Is 226 points behind points leader Tim Wilkerson entering fourth of six events of Countdown to 1 playoffs
* Qualified No. 15 in Memphis in 2007, runner-up to Gary Scelzi
* Richmond Funny Car runner-up in 2000 (John Force) and 2007 (Gary Scelzi)
* Clinched a spot in the Countdown to 1 at Reading, Pa.
* 2008 round win-loss record is 15-21
* 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
* Had three wins in seven final rounds in 2007; two semifinal finishes, four quarterfinals, nine first rounds, and one DNQ
* Round win-loss record in 2007 was 32-19
* NAPA AUTO PARTS is new primary sponsor for 2008
* Joined Don Schumacher Racing in 2005
* Has three U.S. Smokeless Showdown titles: 1998, 1999 and 2002
* Third in 2006 final point standings
* Had class-best five wins in 2006
* 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
* Qualified No. 1 once in 2005, in Dallas; first time since Brainerd 2000
* Has seven career No. 1 qualifiers, none in 2006, '07, or '08 so far
* 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 best season points finishes were seconds in Funny Car in 1998, 2000 and 2005
* He has 25 event wins in 53 final rounds to his credit (24 national event wins in Funny Car, one in Top Fuel)
* His career-best elapsed time (established during an event) is 4.694 seconds, set in 2005 in Dallas
* His career-best speed is 331.61 mph (Pomona 1, '07)
* Capps' career round win-loss record is 328-252
* Capps' career record against 14-time champion Force is 17-41 in round wins. He's won nine of the last 14 meetings against Force, and has won four of the last six first-round match-ups over Force
* Age 43 (June 20, 1965); born and raised in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
* Lives in Carlsbad, Calif., with wife Shelley and daughter Taylor (11) and son Caden (7)
* Has tested for IROC Series and competed in Skip Barber Formula Ford, Dirt Late Models, Mini-Sprints and Go-Karts
