Ron Capps Races to Provisional No. 1 Qualifier at NHRA Norwalk Nationals
NORWALK, Ohio (June 23, 2023) – Ron Capps, driver of the NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra, continued his hot streak coming off his win in Bristol, Tenn. by powering to the provisional No. 1 qualifying position in a strong Funny Car field Friday night at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park.
Capps was the last pair of Funny Cars to take to the track in the only qualifying session of the day due to lingering storms in the area and raced to a 3.898-second pass at 331.28 MPH to lead qualifying. The three-time and defending World champion is no stranger to success at the venue with one win in addition to his three consecutive No. 1 qualifying positions from the three most recent NHRA Norwalk outings.
“I was watching the scoreboards light up and the times got better and better,” said Capps following the run. “I saw Guido (crew chief Dean Antonelli) come back in the timing box a couple of times and I know what he is thinking and what he is doing. It started getting dark near the finish line and I saw the wall, but it was running too good to let up. It is cool to see all the fans who stuck it out and part of me wasn’t going to lift. I wanted to go low E.T. for Guido, the guys, and the fans.”
Qualifying continues Saturday with two sessions at 2:30 and 5:30 p.m. ET. Capps will be looking to stave off the Funny Car field to earn his 38th pole overall and second of the season.
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 73 wins in the category. His 74 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.
