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Las Vegas 2 Pre-Race Report
NHRA Nevada Nationals
Event 21 of 22
Countdown Event 5 of 6
The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas
Oct. 28-30, 2022
RON CAPPS: Driver of the NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota GR Supra Funny Car
Countdown to the Championship Ranking: 2nd
Las Vegas 2 Event Highlights:
Four-time event champion (2001, 2005, 2011-2012)
Two-time runner-up (2020, 2021)
Two-time No. 1 qualifier (2011, 2020)
2021 Las Vegas 2 Recap:
Qualified eighth; Event runner-up (defeated Tim Wilkerson in E1, Alexis DeJoria in E2, Robert Hight in E3; defeated by Cruz Pedregon in E4)
Last Event (Dallas):
Qualified third; Event champion (defeated Jeff Diehl in E1, John Force in E2, Robert Hight in E3, Matt Hagan in E4)
Career Statistics:
606 races; 73 wins; 34 No. 1 qualifiers
2022 Statistics:
20 races; five wins; three runner-up finishes; five No. 1 qualifiers
Countdown to the Championship Ranking: 2nd
Las Vegas 2 Event Highlights:
Four-time event champion (2001, 2005, 2011-2012)
Two-time runner-up (2020, 2021)
Two-time No. 1 qualifier (2011, 2020)
2021 Las Vegas 2 Recap:
Qualified eighth; Event runner-up (defeated Tim Wilkerson in E1, Alexis DeJoria in E2, Robert Hight in E3; defeated by Cruz Pedregon in E4)
Last Event (Dallas):
Qualified third; Event champion (defeated Jeff Diehl in E1, John Force in E2, Robert Hight in E3, Matt Hagan in E4)
Career Statistics:
606 races; 73 wins; 34 No. 1 qualifiers
2022 Statistics:
20 races; five wins; three runner-up finishes; five No. 1 qualifiers
Noteworthy:
Two-time and defending NHRA Funny Car world champion Ron Capps enters the weekend ranked second in the standings and with only 10 points (less than one round win) separating him from No. 1 ranked Robert Hight
The NAPA AUTO PARTS team has visited the winner’s circle at three of the last five events – Indianapolis, Charlotte, and the most recent race contested near Dallas
Capps has successfully advanced to the final round at three of the first four playoff events. In addition to his Charlotte and Dallas triumphs, Capps also raced to a runner-up finish versus Hight in St. Louis. The Carlsbad, Calif. resident will be looking to advance to his fourth consecutive final round this weekend in Vegas as he and Hight continue to slug it out for the points lead
Additionally, Capps and the NAPA team have raced to a runner-up finish at the last two Fall Las Vegas events – 2020, 2021
Fan Events:
Capps will join several of his fellow NHRA Camping World Series stars at the NHRA Nevada Nationals Fanfest on Fremont St. from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. on Thursday
On Saturday, Capps will join his Toyota Gazoo Racing teammates for an autograph session at the Toyota Midway display from 10:30 – 11:00 a.m.
Quotable:
“Two races left and we’re headed to the Nevada Nationals. Everyone starts off the season with the goal of still being in the championship hunt by the time we get to the Fall Las Vegas race. I can’t say enough about our NAPA team. Yes, there’s a lot of momentum coming off of our win in Dallas, but we’ve got to stay humble. We’ve got our small goals that we try and achieve every weekend, and this weekend is like no other. We’re going to show up and try to qualify, the second goal is you try and qualify with lane choice, and gather up every single bonus point you can, and then of course the Sunday goal is round wins. We need to make sure we position ourselves to still be in contention to win another world championship by the time we get to Pomona.
"There’s a lot going on with this race. The SEMA show is right after so we have a lot of our sponsors coming out, which is great. A lot of our NAPA headquarters folks are coming in on Sunday, and we’re celebrating our association with GearWrench by putting their logo on the side of our car this weekend. You put all of that together, and the fact that Vegas has sort of become a home race for me, and you definitely want to have a great weekend for a lot of different reasons, and I feel like we’re on a good roll.”
About Ron Capps Motorsports
Established in 2021, Ron Capps Motorsports is a single-car NHRA Funny Car team owned and operated by reigning and two-time world champion Ron Capps. Headquartered in Brownsburg, Ind., the team made its on-track debut in 2022, and competes on the 22-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, and 73 overall (1 Top Fuel). The 2022 NHRA season marks Capps’ 28th year competing in the sport’s professional ranks.
