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It was a Cinderella story for sure. Race day at the AC Delco NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville marked an important victory in the career of Funny Car driver Phil Burkart Jr. In fact, it marked 3 important victories: one in each round of eliminations, culminating with a match up between Burkart and Ron Capps in the final. Although Capps crossed the line first and grabbed the win, Burkart and the rest of the Paul Smith FX Caprara team didn’t feel let down in the least.
“We came here expecting to put forth our best efforts,” said Burkart. “We were realistic – I mean, we’re on a shoestring budget, even with the help of the guys at FX Caprara Kia, and Fram/Autolite, VF Trucking and Valvoline. This was supposed to be a one-race deal, and we planned to come out here and be competitive, but the final round, man, that’s a whole lot to be excited about and frankly, a little more than we expected.”
The team put on their formals, made it to the ball on time and danced flawlessly. Friday and Saturday qualifying brought the crew to the number 5 spot on race day, where Burkart and the FX Caprara team squared off against veteran Bob Gilbertson in round one. The 5th spot gave Burkart lane choice, but Gilbertson still presented a challenge, holding a 4 – 0 record over PBJ. However, 5 – 0 wasn’t to be – Gilby struck the tires and Burkart pedaled to a 5.63 and the win light. “That round gave us the confidence boost we needed,” he said. “We were supercharged.”
Round two pitted Burkart against Ashley Force, with more tire smoke but a win light. “We were going to the semi’s, and Paul and the guys from FX Caprara were elated. The day just kept getting better.”
Jim Head had his own version of Cinderella playing out, and had every intention of blocking Burkart’s path to the final round in the semi-finals, but it wasn’t to be. A .088 light rocketed Burkart off the starting line and to the win with a 4.91 at 318 mph.
The finals matched Burkart opposite Ron Capps. Burkart and Capps had raced each other 12 times heading into the Gainesville finals; Burkart held 5 of the wins. A starting line advantage following a .093 light evaporated and Capps’ 4.77 ET edged Burkart’s 4.87 at 316 mph into the runner-up position. Burkart wasn’t disappointed. “It’s would be hard to say we’re all broken up about not winning the final,” he said. “I mean, look at what we accomplished out there. We went out there and qualified in the top half of the field, we raced in four rounds against some stiff competition, and we won 75 percent of our races. That’s nothing to be disappointed about. I am so proud of the team and I’m really proud to have been a part of this effort. I know the guys at FX Caprara Kia are psyched, they have already said they want to come out and do this again, so hopefully I’ll be back out again soon.”
For Phil Burkart, Paul Smith and the FX Caprara Kia folks, the AC Delco NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville was more than just a fairy tale. It was a weekend of high performance, high energy and high returns. It was a storybook weekend, complete with a storybook ending - a final round appearance. For Burkart and the FX Caprara Kia team, the slipper definitely fit.
Final round puts an exclamation point on weekend
It was a Cinderella story for sure. Race day at the AC Delco NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville marked an important victory in the career of Funny Car driver Phil Burkart Jr. In fact, it marked 3 important victories: one in each round of eliminations, culminating with a match up between Burkart and Ron Capps in the final. Although Capps crossed the line first and grabbed the win, Burkart and the rest of the Paul Smith FX Caprara team didn’t feel let down in the least.
“We came here expecting to put forth our best efforts,” said Burkart. “We were realistic – I mean, we’re on a shoestring budget, even with the help of the guys at FX Caprara Kia, and Fram/Autolite, VF Trucking and Valvoline. This was supposed to be a one-race deal, and we planned to come out here and be competitive, but the final round, man, that’s a whole lot to be excited about and frankly, a little more than we expected.”
The team put on their formals, made it to the ball on time and danced flawlessly. Friday and Saturday qualifying brought the crew to the number 5 spot on race day, where Burkart and the FX Caprara team squared off against veteran Bob Gilbertson in round one. The 5th spot gave Burkart lane choice, but Gilbertson still presented a challenge, holding a 4 – 0 record over PBJ. However, 5 – 0 wasn’t to be – Gilby struck the tires and Burkart pedaled to a 5.63 and the win light. “That round gave us the confidence boost we needed,” he said. “We were supercharged.”
Round two pitted Burkart against Ashley Force, with more tire smoke but a win light. “We were going to the semi’s, and Paul and the guys from FX Caprara were elated. The day just kept getting better.”
Jim Head had his own version of Cinderella playing out, and had every intention of blocking Burkart’s path to the final round in the semi-finals, but it wasn’t to be. A .088 light rocketed Burkart off the starting line and to the win with a 4.91 at 318 mph.
The finals matched Burkart opposite Ron Capps. Burkart and Capps had raced each other 12 times heading into the Gainesville finals; Burkart held 5 of the wins. A starting line advantage following a .093 light evaporated and Capps’ 4.77 ET edged Burkart’s 4.87 at 316 mph into the runner-up position. Burkart wasn’t disappointed. “It’s would be hard to say we’re all broken up about not winning the final,” he said. “I mean, look at what we accomplished out there. We went out there and qualified in the top half of the field, we raced in four rounds against some stiff competition, and we won 75 percent of our races. That’s nothing to be disappointed about. I am so proud of the team and I’m really proud to have been a part of this effort. I know the guys at FX Caprara Kia are psyched, they have already said they want to come out and do this again, so hopefully I’ll be back out again soon.”
For Phil Burkart, Paul Smith and the FX Caprara Kia folks, the AC Delco NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville was more than just a fairy tale. It was a weekend of high performance, high energy and high returns. It was a storybook weekend, complete with a storybook ending - a final round appearance. For Burkart and the FX Caprara Kia team, the slipper definitely fit.
