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CARLSBAD, Calif. (June 19, 2007) - Fresh from a second-place finish in a Mini-Sprint at his Don Schumacher Racing teammate's Gary Scelzi & Friends All-Star Challenge charity event in Visalia, Calif., last Saturday, Funny Car points leader Ron Capps is focused on defending his 2006 Funny Car victory at this weekend's ProCare Rx NHRA SuperNationals in Englishtown, N.J.
With the new Countdown to the Championship in place this season, in which only the top eight in points will run for titles in their respective pro classes after 17 of 23 national events, Capps, driver of the Brut "Test Drive" Dodge Charger R/T, leads the Funny Car class by 140 points, despite one DNQ in nine events so far.
"It's been a strange year with all the big names not qualifying for different races," he said of DNQs by second-in-points Robert Hight, 14-time NHRA champ John Force and speed demon Mike Ashley, among others. "But it's kind of OK because of how the new Countdown works. Of course, we all want to win every event for our sponsors, but, in order to win the championship, our main concern will be to make sure we're in the top eight after 17 races.
"We've had one DNQ and we're still leading by 140 points at this time going into Englishtown. John Force is 17th in points and I bet he's not worried about the championship right now. What he's looking at is No. 8 and, with 20 points earned for each round win, how many rounds out he is. And he's really not that far out of being in the No. 8 spot.
"Everybody has their own goals at this point and, starting with Englishtown, it's going to be six races in a row for us, and the last three are part of the grueling Western Swing.
"So, a lot of things are going to happen. And, they are not going to pan out until we're done with this six-race swing. After that, there's only two races left before Indy, and they are Brainerd, Minn., and Reading, Pa."
There are benefits to holding such a strong lead at this stage, despite the points reverting to 10-point increments after 17 events. "It gives us an opportunity to try some things under race conditions," said Capps. "Granted, in the last two races the track conditions during the race have changed as far as the track preparation goes. The NHRA is trying some new things, and it has kind of thrown the crew chiefs a big curve ball, because it's been inconsistent. It's become more difficult to test during the race.
"You'd better run well on Friday night or you'll have a chance of not qualifying, because that run has become THE run to make the show, especially through the summer months. We know the conditions are going to be warm in Englishtown, so it's imperative that we get down on Friday night.
"I was lucky enough last year to win in E-Town. It was Father's Day. In your career when you start out you obviously want to win the U.S. Nationals in Indy before you retire, but the other races that you always look at wanting to win are those with the prestige and the heritage of Englishtown. Gainesville (Fla.) is one of them, and I've gotten to win that twice.
"Englishtown is the Pomona of the East Coast. Our sponsor Brut is headquartered nearby in Danbury, Conn., and you always want to do well at a race that's close to the headquarters of your sponsor."
Besides his 2006 win in Englishtown, Capps was Funny Car runner-up in 2003 and 2005.
RON CAPPS QUICK FACTS:
* Leading 2007 Funny Car point standings after back-to-back wins in Gainesville and Houston, another win in St. Louis, two runner-up, two semifinal, one quarterfinal finishes and a DNQ in first nine races
* Leads Robert Hight in rankings by 140 points
* Qualified 14th last year in Englishtown, won event over teammate Gary Scelzi
* Has one career win and two runner-up finishes in E-Town
* Third in 2006 final point standings
* Had class-best five wins in 2006: Gainesville, Fla., Bristol, Tenn., Topeka, Kan., Houston and Englishtown, N.J.
* Had three wins, four runner-up finishes in 2005 (St. Louis was his first
win for DSR in '05), won at Chicago 2 at Route 66 Raceway and Las Vegas 2
* 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 or 2007 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 50 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 record against 14-time champion Force is 17-38 in round wins. He's won nine of the last 11 meetings against Force, and has won the last four first-round match-ups over Force
* Age 41 (June 20, 1965); born and raised in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
* Lives in Carlsbad, Calif., with wife Shelley and daughter Taylor (10) and son Caden (5)
* Is featured, along with son Caden and the Brut Revolution racing crew, in a number of Brut ads appearing in mainstream magazines, such as People, Sports Illustrated, etc.
* New to Don Schumacher Racing in 2005 after eight years with Don Prudhomme.
* Has tested for IROC Series and competed in Skip Barber Formula Ford, Dirt Late Models, Mini-Sprints and Go-Karts
* Is the subject, along with teammate Tony Schumacher, in the behind-the-scenes TV series, American Dragster, airing on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD
WEEKEND SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY, June 22 - PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 3:30 and 6:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, June 23 — Qualifying and sportsman time trials, 10:15 a.m. to 9 p.m.
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at noon and 2:30 p.m.
SUNDAY, June 24 — Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m. FINAL ELIMINATIONS begin at 11 a.m.
FUNNY CAR POINTS LEADER CAPPS SET TO DEFEND IN E-TOWN AS TOUGH SIX-RACE SWING BEGINS
CARLSBAD, Calif. (June 19, 2007) - Fresh from a second-place finish in a Mini-Sprint at his Don Schumacher Racing teammate's Gary Scelzi & Friends All-Star Challenge charity event in Visalia, Calif., last Saturday, Funny Car points leader Ron Capps is focused on defending his 2006 Funny Car victory at this weekend's ProCare Rx NHRA SuperNationals in Englishtown, N.J.
With the new Countdown to the Championship in place this season, in which only the top eight in points will run for titles in their respective pro classes after 17 of 23 national events, Capps, driver of the Brut "Test Drive" Dodge Charger R/T, leads the Funny Car class by 140 points, despite one DNQ in nine events so far.
"It's been a strange year with all the big names not qualifying for different races," he said of DNQs by second-in-points Robert Hight, 14-time NHRA champ John Force and speed demon Mike Ashley, among others. "But it's kind of OK because of how the new Countdown works. Of course, we all want to win every event for our sponsors, but, in order to win the championship, our main concern will be to make sure we're in the top eight after 17 races.
"We've had one DNQ and we're still leading by 140 points at this time going into Englishtown. John Force is 17th in points and I bet he's not worried about the championship right now. What he's looking at is No. 8 and, with 20 points earned for each round win, how many rounds out he is. And he's really not that far out of being in the No. 8 spot.
"Everybody has their own goals at this point and, starting with Englishtown, it's going to be six races in a row for us, and the last three are part of the grueling Western Swing.
"So, a lot of things are going to happen. And, they are not going to pan out until we're done with this six-race swing. After that, there's only two races left before Indy, and they are Brainerd, Minn., and Reading, Pa."
There are benefits to holding such a strong lead at this stage, despite the points reverting to 10-point increments after 17 events. "It gives us an opportunity to try some things under race conditions," said Capps. "Granted, in the last two races the track conditions during the race have changed as far as the track preparation goes. The NHRA is trying some new things, and it has kind of thrown the crew chiefs a big curve ball, because it's been inconsistent. It's become more difficult to test during the race.
"You'd better run well on Friday night or you'll have a chance of not qualifying, because that run has become THE run to make the show, especially through the summer months. We know the conditions are going to be warm in Englishtown, so it's imperative that we get down on Friday night.
"I was lucky enough last year to win in E-Town. It was Father's Day. In your career when you start out you obviously want to win the U.S. Nationals in Indy before you retire, but the other races that you always look at wanting to win are those with the prestige and the heritage of Englishtown. Gainesville (Fla.) is one of them, and I've gotten to win that twice.
"Englishtown is the Pomona of the East Coast. Our sponsor Brut is headquartered nearby in Danbury, Conn., and you always want to do well at a race that's close to the headquarters of your sponsor."
Besides his 2006 win in Englishtown, Capps was Funny Car runner-up in 2003 and 2005.
RON CAPPS QUICK FACTS:
* Leading 2007 Funny Car point standings after back-to-back wins in Gainesville and Houston, another win in St. Louis, two runner-up, two semifinal, one quarterfinal finishes and a DNQ in first nine races
* Leads Robert Hight in rankings by 140 points
* Qualified 14th last year in Englishtown, won event over teammate Gary Scelzi
* Has one career win and two runner-up finishes in E-Town
* Third in 2006 final point standings
* Had class-best five wins in 2006: Gainesville, Fla., Bristol, Tenn., Topeka, Kan., Houston and Englishtown, N.J.
* Had three wins, four runner-up finishes in 2005 (St. Louis was his first
win for DSR in '05), won at Chicago 2 at Route 66 Raceway and Las Vegas 2
* 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 or 2007 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 50 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 record against 14-time champion Force is 17-38 in round wins. He's won nine of the last 11 meetings against Force, and has won the last four first-round match-ups over Force
* Age 41 (June 20, 1965); born and raised in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
* Lives in Carlsbad, Calif., with wife Shelley and daughter Taylor (10) and son Caden (5)
* Is featured, along with son Caden and the Brut Revolution racing crew, in a number of Brut ads appearing in mainstream magazines, such as People, Sports Illustrated, etc.
* New to Don Schumacher Racing in 2005 after eight years with Don Prudhomme.
* Has tested for IROC Series and competed in Skip Barber Formula Ford, Dirt Late Models, Mini-Sprints and Go-Karts
* Is the subject, along with teammate Tony Schumacher, in the behind-the-scenes TV series, American Dragster, airing on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD
WEEKEND SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY, June 22 - PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 3:30 and 6:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, June 23 — Qualifying and sportsman time trials, 10:15 a.m. to 9 p.m.
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at noon and 2:30 p.m.
SUNDAY, June 24 — Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m. FINAL ELIMINATIONS begin at 11 a.m.
