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JOLIET, Ill. (June 3, 2008) - Ron Capps, the Funny Car runner-up to his Don Schumacher Racing teammate Gary Scelzi in last year's Route 66 NHRA Nationals and the winner of the 2005 fall event here, is ready for a second victory this weekend at the driver-friendly Route 66 Raceway.
Driving the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car, Capps has jumped up in the last few races from outside of the top 10 into sixth place in the 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car rankings. He's focused on staying high in the standings when the Countdown to the Championship kicks in for the top 10 following the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis on Labor Day weekend.
"Like I talked about last week in my blog on NAPA Online ," said Capps, who also was runner-up here in the 2002 fall event, "we are getting into the part of the schedule where adversity is going to be thrown at all of the teams, with the triple-digit track temperatures we expect at all these tracks coming up. You look at Englishtown, N.J., and Norwalk, Ohio, after Chicago, and they're all places we expect to have to run in the heat.
"But Route 66 is a place where the track surface is one of the best we have on the circuit," added Capps, who holds the longest qualifying streak among active Funny Car drivers of 24 (tied with Tony Pedregon). "It will withstand the heat thrown at it and still stay pretty good, much like last weekend in Topeka (where track temperatures reached a sizzling 130 degrees).
"I feel so good about the performance of the NAPA Dodge in the heat. You look back at the championships (14-time champion and Topeka winner) John Force has won in the years past and he has always won them in those summer months at those race tracks that had tough conditions.
"I feel great about the NAPA team right now," said Capps, who'll be competing in the Prelude to the Dream at Eldora Speedway Wednesday night which airs on HBO's Pay-Per-View. "Our confidence level is up and I'm most happy for Don Schumacher and for NAPA AUTO PARTS. Obviously, we're trying to give NAPA a winner's circle. They have a lot of plans on hold right now for a celebration for our first win and we're very eager to get it for them."
RON CAPPS QUICK FACTS:
* No. 6 in Funny Car points (tied with Tony Pedregon) after nine 2008 events; three semifinal, one quarterfinal finishes, five first-round losses
* Has one win at Route 66 Raceway (2005-2), runner-up in 2007 and 2002-2
* Qualified No. 2 at Route 66 in 2007, was runner-up to teammate Gary Scelzi
* 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 320-240
* Capps' career record against 14-time champion Force is 17-40 in round wins. He's won nine of the last 13 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
RUNNER-UP IN 2007, CAPPS AIMS TO STEP UP AT ROUTE 66 THIS WEEKEND
JOLIET, Ill. (June 3, 2008) - Ron Capps, the Funny Car runner-up to his Don Schumacher Racing teammate Gary Scelzi in last year's Route 66 NHRA Nationals and the winner of the 2005 fall event here, is ready for a second victory this weekend at the driver-friendly Route 66 Raceway.
Driving the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car, Capps has jumped up in the last few races from outside of the top 10 into sixth place in the 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car rankings. He's focused on staying high in the standings when the Countdown to the Championship kicks in for the top 10 following the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis on Labor Day weekend.
"Like I talked about last week in my blog on NAPA Online ," said Capps, who also was runner-up here in the 2002 fall event, "we are getting into the part of the schedule where adversity is going to be thrown at all of the teams, with the triple-digit track temperatures we expect at all these tracks coming up. You look at Englishtown, N.J., and Norwalk, Ohio, after Chicago, and they're all places we expect to have to run in the heat.
"But Route 66 is a place where the track surface is one of the best we have on the circuit," added Capps, who holds the longest qualifying streak among active Funny Car drivers of 24 (tied with Tony Pedregon). "It will withstand the heat thrown at it and still stay pretty good, much like last weekend in Topeka (where track temperatures reached a sizzling 130 degrees).
"I feel so good about the performance of the NAPA Dodge in the heat. You look back at the championships (14-time champion and Topeka winner) John Force has won in the years past and he has always won them in those summer months at those race tracks that had tough conditions.
"I feel great about the NAPA team right now," said Capps, who'll be competing in the Prelude to the Dream at Eldora Speedway Wednesday night which airs on HBO's Pay-Per-View. "Our confidence level is up and I'm most happy for Don Schumacher and for NAPA AUTO PARTS. Obviously, we're trying to give NAPA a winner's circle. They have a lot of plans on hold right now for a celebration for our first win and we're very eager to get it for them."
RON CAPPS QUICK FACTS:
* No. 6 in Funny Car points (tied with Tony Pedregon) after nine 2008 events; three semifinal, one quarterfinal finishes, five first-round losses
* Has one win at Route 66 Raceway (2005-2), runner-up in 2007 and 2002-2
* Qualified No. 2 at Route 66 in 2007, was runner-up to teammate Gary Scelzi
* 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 320-240
* Capps' career record against 14-time champion Force is 17-40 in round wins. He's won nine of the last 13 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
