Capps goes to quarters at Mopar Mile-High Nationals

DON SCHUMACHER RACING
2005 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
Round 13 of 23
MOPAR MILE-HIGH NHRA NATIONALS
Bandimere Speedway
Morrison, Colo.
Race Dates: July 15-17, 2005

MORRISON, Colo. (July 17, 2005) - Ron Capps is by no means disappointed with
his quarterfinal-round finish today at the Mopar Mile-High Nationals. He is
still very much in the battle for the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny
Car championship, as the chase has tightened up even more with Force's
first-round exit today and Robert Hight's win.

Capps is still in fourth in the rankings, and is just 81 points out of the
lead (Hight), 45 out of third (Gary Scelzi) and 59 out of second (Force).

Driving the Brut Dodge Stratus Funny Car for Don Schumacher Racing, Capps
easily dispatched Gary Densham in the first round of eliminations with a
5.204/273.50 to Densham's losing 6.652/138.70. The second round turned out
to be more challenging, as both Capps and Phil Burkart Jr. smoked the tires.
Capps lost traction first, however, and was unable to recover, as Burkart
crossed the finish line in the lead with a 5.397/281.71 to Capps' losing
5.747/254.04.

"This is a tough race," Capps said, who had qualified third. "Every year you
leave Denver and, I hate to say it, but you're glad to get it under your
belt and get out of here, as far as the race track and the heat and the
altitude are concerned. The NHRA should probably put this as the last race
before our summer break or at the end of the Western Swing because this is a
race that is a battle of attrition.

"We qualified great, again (he was No. 2 in St. Louis, where he won), and we
feel great. We ran a good first round, so we felt good about getting around
Burkart. We didn't have lane choice, but we still thought we could run 5
flat. It pulled the tires loose. We got back and Ace (crew chief Ed
McCulloch) right away looked at the computer and knew why it did it.

"You almost have to delete all the runs from here and just go on. We're
going to Seattle now, which is at sea level. We're excited about it. I won a
couple of times in Seattle and once in Sonoma.

"The points are so tight right now. Each round win is so important, because
at this point of the year we're still bunched up. And John Force is there if
you want to take advantage of him. And now Robert Hight too. We need to take
advantage whenever we can. We're happy where we're at, and I feel good about
going to Seattle and Sonoma being where we are in the points."

Next up is the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals on July 22-24, 2005.

FUNNY CAR POINT STANDINGS:
1. Robert Hight, 893 (winner today)
2. John Force, 871
3. Gary Scelzi, 857
4. Ron Capps, 812
5. Tommy Johnson Jr., 731
6. Cruz Pedregon, 695
7. Whit Bazemore, 689
8. Eric Medlen, 656
9. Del Worsham, 633
10. Tony Pedregon, 596