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COMMERCE, Ga. (April 28, 2007) - NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car points leader Ron Capps qualified the Brut Revolution Dodge Charger R/T in No. 6 for Sunday's Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals. A stout top-half-of-the-field effort, but his worst of the 2007 season so far. In the first five events, Capps has qualified third three times and fourth twice.
Capps recorded his best lap of 4.754 seconds at 322.19 mph in the cooler and therefore quicker and faster Friday evening session. His others included a4.929/312.50, a 5.683/170.75 and a 4.816/318.47.
"As we're going to see at a lot of the races coming up, especially in the next few months, it's a Friday-night deal," he said. "The session on Saturday afternoon got a little bit cooler, but unless NHRA goes to a different format, where Friday night's run locks in the top four or five, it's going to be a one-shot deal for the teams to set their quickest and best times and get into the field. If you don't do well in that one shot,you're out of luck.
"We were a perfect example. We weren't in the back of the pack Friday night, but we were middle of the pack and we weren't in by the time we ran.
"So, if you don't get down the track Friday night, you'd better hope for cooler weather on Saturday, and more than likely that's not going to happen, especially in the next few races, in spring and summer weather.
"It's a borderline 'need to get down the track, go for quicker E.T.' Ace (crew chief Ed McCulloch) made a great call. We stayed top half, but like Ace just said, that's the worst we qualified. If that's the worst we qualified, then we're already doing exactly what we wanted to do in the off season, and hats off to Ace and the guys.
"This track is a difficult track," Capps continued. "There are some things you really have to keep your eye on as a driver. There's bumps - more in one lane, less in the other; more on the outside of one lane that moves you to the outside. It's a slalom course, it really is. They need to tear this place up and redo it. If the conditions aren't very cool and very good, it's treacherous. We saw a lot of really good drivers in front of us all over the place. And it's not the drivers. When this place finally gets repaved, it's going to be a great track.
"Long story short, there's a lot of stuff to negotiate and when it comes tomorrow, it's going to be in the 80s and it's going to be warm and these clouds will be out of here. I tell you what, the drivers in the Funny Car class are going to have their hands full. On the other hand, it's like that for everybody, so it's going to be a lot of fun."
Capps faces Jim Head in first round of eliminations on Sunday
POINTS LEADER CAPPS GRABS NO. 6 IN ATLANTA QUALIFYING
COMMERCE, Ga. (April 28, 2007) - NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car points leader Ron Capps qualified the Brut Revolution Dodge Charger R/T in No. 6 for Sunday's Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals. A stout top-half-of-the-field effort, but his worst of the 2007 season so far. In the first five events, Capps has qualified third three times and fourth twice.
Capps recorded his best lap of 4.754 seconds at 322.19 mph in the cooler and therefore quicker and faster Friday evening session. His others included a4.929/312.50, a 5.683/170.75 and a 4.816/318.47.
"As we're going to see at a lot of the races coming up, especially in the next few months, it's a Friday-night deal," he said. "The session on Saturday afternoon got a little bit cooler, but unless NHRA goes to a different format, where Friday night's run locks in the top four or five, it's going to be a one-shot deal for the teams to set their quickest and best times and get into the field. If you don't do well in that one shot,you're out of luck.
"We were a perfect example. We weren't in the back of the pack Friday night, but we were middle of the pack and we weren't in by the time we ran.
"So, if you don't get down the track Friday night, you'd better hope for cooler weather on Saturday, and more than likely that's not going to happen, especially in the next few races, in spring and summer weather.
"It's a borderline 'need to get down the track, go for quicker E.T.' Ace (crew chief Ed McCulloch) made a great call. We stayed top half, but like Ace just said, that's the worst we qualified. If that's the worst we qualified, then we're already doing exactly what we wanted to do in the off season, and hats off to Ace and the guys.
"This track is a difficult track," Capps continued. "There are some things you really have to keep your eye on as a driver. There's bumps - more in one lane, less in the other; more on the outside of one lane that moves you to the outside. It's a slalom course, it really is. They need to tear this place up and redo it. If the conditions aren't very cool and very good, it's treacherous. We saw a lot of really good drivers in front of us all over the place. And it's not the drivers. When this place finally gets repaved, it's going to be a great track.
"Long story short, there's a lot of stuff to negotiate and when it comes tomorrow, it's going to be in the 80s and it's going to be warm and these clouds will be out of here. I tell you what, the drivers in the Funny Car class are going to have their hands full. On the other hand, it's like that for everybody, so it's going to be a lot of fun."
Capps faces Jim Head in first round of eliminations on Sunday
