Ron Capps Motorsports Pre-Race Report: Epping (1 Viewer)

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NHRA New England Nationals Pre-Race Report
NHRA New England Nationals
Event 7 of 21
New England Dragway
Epping, N.H.
June 2 – 4, 2023​

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RON CAPPS: Driver of the NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra Funny Car

NHRA New England Nationals Event Highlights:
Two-time event champion (2014, 2016)
2016 No. 1 qualifier
2022 NHRA New England Nationals Recap:
Qualified seventh; Semifinal finish (defeated Jim Campbell in E1, John Force in E2; defeated by Robert Hight in E3)
Last Event (Chicago):
Qualified sixth; Event runner-up (defeated Terry Haddock in E1, Bob Tasca in E2, Chad Green in E3; defeated by Tim Wilkerson in E4)
2023 Statistics:
Six races, three runner-up finishes, one No. 1 qualifier
Career Statistics:
614 races, 73 wins, 37 No. 1 qualifiers
Noteworthy:
Three-time and defending Funny Car world champ returns to Epping, N.H. after powering to a runner-up finish at the NHRA’s most recent stop in Joliet, Ill.
For the second consecutive event, Capps will participate in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday afternoon; Capps earned his first Mission Foods specialty race win during the Joliet event
Through the first six races of 2023, Capps has already earned a No. 1 qualifier award and has advanced to the final round three times
Fan Events:
Saturday, 11:00 – 11:30 a.m., #2Fast2Tasty autograph session – Mission Foods midway​

Quotable:
“Momentum is everything right now and as we’ve seen over the last couple of years with winning back-to-back championships, we had to have a car that was consistent, and ‘Guido’ (Dean Antonelli) and our NAPA team have continued to do that. Here we are again, same spot, and I’m very lucky that I get to drive this NAPA Supra. Although we didn’t finish the weekend in the winner’s circle in Chicago, I believe we certainly had the car to win the race. Unfortunately, we had a small miscue in the final round with the left parachute coming out of the pack but our team has addressed the issue. Sometimes, you’ve got to stand back and look at the bright side, and luckily, it happened early in the season and not when we’re running for a championship later in the year. One of the great things about our team is that we always learn from things like that, and it makes us stronger.
“I always look forward to going back to the New England Nationals. It’s a huge event for us and we always have great support from our NAPA AutoCare Center and NAPA Auto Parts folks in that area. Tonight, we’re going to the Boston Red Sox game with NAPA, and tomorrow, heading up to Kennebunkport to a great place. Bentley Warren, a famous race car driver, owns a place called Bentley’s Saloon and it’s just such a fun time, and a great place to visit, especially if you’re a race fan. We’ll be doing our New England ‘Cue and A with Capps’ segment there on Thursday afternoon, and we’d love for the fans to come join us. We’ll be there starting at 4:00 p.m. Then, it’s down to Epping on Friday for qualifying at 6:00 p.m. with the sun going down, and we can’t wait to get back to a fantastic track with great fans. Looking forward to a great weekend and to continuing to work on getting ourselves out of second place in points and back up to the top.”

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About Ron Capps Motorsports​

Established in 2021, Ron Capps Motorsports is a single-car NHRA Funny Car team owned and operated by reigning and three-time world champion Ron Capps. Headquartered in Brownsburg, Ind., the team made its on-track debut in 2022 and competes on the 21-race NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series circuit thanks to the support of NAPA Auto Parts, Toyota, and GearWrench.
Capps, who serves as both the owner and driver of his namesake operation, is the second-winningest Funny Car pilot in NHRA history with 72 wins in the category. His 73 overall wins (1 Top Fuel) rank sixth amongst NHRA’s four premier classes. The 2023 NHRA season marks Capps’ 29th year competing in the sport’s professional ranks.

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