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CARLSBAD, Calif. (May 13, 2008) - Ron Capps, tuner Ed "Ace" McCulloch and the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car team recently tested a new Murf McKinney chassis following the previous race in St. Louis and will debut it at this weekend's NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.
Capps is tied only with John Force with the most Funny Car wins at Bristol, two, and feels he and the NAPA team are ready to roll with the new chassis at the picturesque Tennessee facility.
Qualifying for each of these 21-plus tough fields so far this season remains the key priority. "If you can take one thing out of this year so far when it comes to qualifying is that a lot of really big teams haven't qualified at certain races," said Capps, who has qualified for each of the seven 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car events so far, "and a lot of it's been due to weather with the number of qualifying sessions being shortened. If we get good weather and we get four runs, it's going to be better for all the teams.
"It will be much better for our NAPA team because we stayed and tested with the brand new Murf McKinney updated car on Monday after St. Louis and Ace has decided that we are going to go ahead and run that car starting with Bristol.
"We only got one run on that car basically in St. Louis, but, the car felt great on that run. The conditions were tricky during that test, which I think well help us because those are the conditions we will be looking for in the next three races.
"On top of the pressure of trying to qualify at each event in this tough field of Funny Cars, we're bringing a new car to Bristol. So, there's a little bit of apprehension, But, you know, the guys on the NAPA team do such a great job. There's been many times in the past where we've brought a new car out and while a lot of teams would have to make a check-out run we ran it right it down to the finish line and qualified well in a brand-new car. That’s just the trust you have with your team and your crew chief.
"Then there's even more added pressure," continued Capps, winner at Bristol in 2001 and 2006 and currently ninth in the rankings. "We're trying to break deeper into the top 10 and, while there's a lot of races left, Bristol is always a track that lends itself to great side-by-side racing, so we've kind of approached every race with three goals, and that first goal is to qualify, the second goal is to qualify in the top eight, and then the final goal of course is to win the race.
"So far, we've done well in the first two goals, we just need to work on trying to win it."
RON CAPPS QUICK FACTS:
* No. 9 in Funny Car points after seven 2008 events; two semifinal, five first-round losses
* Has two wins at Bristol Dragway, tied with John Force (2001, 2006)
* Qualified No. 6 at 2007 Thunder Valley Nationals, lost semifinal to Cruz Pedregon
* 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 Skoal 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 52 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 317-236
* Capps' career record against 14-time champion Force is 17-39 in round wins. He's won nine of the last 12 meetings against Force, and has won the last four of five first-round match-ups over Force
* Age 42 (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 (6)
* Has tested for IROC Series and competed in Skip Barber Formula Ford, Dirt Late Models, Mini-Sprints and Go-Karts
RACING NEW CAR, CAPPS SET FOR ‘BRISTOL STOMP’
CARLSBAD, Calif. (May 13, 2008) - Ron Capps, tuner Ed "Ace" McCulloch and the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car team recently tested a new Murf McKinney chassis following the previous race in St. Louis and will debut it at this weekend's NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.
Capps is tied only with John Force with the most Funny Car wins at Bristol, two, and feels he and the NAPA team are ready to roll with the new chassis at the picturesque Tennessee facility.
Qualifying for each of these 21-plus tough fields so far this season remains the key priority. "If you can take one thing out of this year so far when it comes to qualifying is that a lot of really big teams haven't qualified at certain races," said Capps, who has qualified for each of the seven 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car events so far, "and a lot of it's been due to weather with the number of qualifying sessions being shortened. If we get good weather and we get four runs, it's going to be better for all the teams.
"It will be much better for our NAPA team because we stayed and tested with the brand new Murf McKinney updated car on Monday after St. Louis and Ace has decided that we are going to go ahead and run that car starting with Bristol.
"We only got one run on that car basically in St. Louis, but, the car felt great on that run. The conditions were tricky during that test, which I think well help us because those are the conditions we will be looking for in the next three races.
"On top of the pressure of trying to qualify at each event in this tough field of Funny Cars, we're bringing a new car to Bristol. So, there's a little bit of apprehension, But, you know, the guys on the NAPA team do such a great job. There's been many times in the past where we've brought a new car out and while a lot of teams would have to make a check-out run we ran it right it down to the finish line and qualified well in a brand-new car. That’s just the trust you have with your team and your crew chief.
"Then there's even more added pressure," continued Capps, winner at Bristol in 2001 and 2006 and currently ninth in the rankings. "We're trying to break deeper into the top 10 and, while there's a lot of races left, Bristol is always a track that lends itself to great side-by-side racing, so we've kind of approached every race with three goals, and that first goal is to qualify, the second goal is to qualify in the top eight, and then the final goal of course is to win the race.
"So far, we've done well in the first two goals, we just need to work on trying to win it."
RON CAPPS QUICK FACTS:
* No. 9 in Funny Car points after seven 2008 events; two semifinal, five first-round losses
* Has two wins at Bristol Dragway, tied with John Force (2001, 2006)
* Qualified No. 6 at 2007 Thunder Valley Nationals, lost semifinal to Cruz Pedregon
* 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 Skoal 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 52 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 317-236
* Capps' career record against 14-time champion Force is 17-39 in round wins. He's won nine of the last 12 meetings against Force, and has won the last four of five first-round match-ups over Force
* Age 42 (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 (6)
* Has tested for IROC Series and competed in Skip Barber Formula Ford, Dirt Late Models, Mini-Sprints and Go-Karts
