Capps eyes his first Funny Car crown, as season ends this weekend
DON SCHUMACHER RACING 2005 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES Round 23 of 23 AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA NHRA FINALS Pomona (Calif.) Raceway Nov. 3-6, 2005 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501; cell 203-243-2438; jstropus@earthlink.net CAPPS EYES HIS FIRST FUNNY CAR CROWN, AS SEASON ENDS THIS WEEKEND POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 1, 2005) - No one can deny that this season's NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car championship chase has been a doozy. It's the title no one's wanted to win, it seemed. One person who did want to win it, but kept quietly in the background until he came on like gangbusters in the last half of the season, is Ron Capps, driving the Brut Dodge Stratus R/T in his first season with Don Schumacher Racing. The California native, whose team is led by legendary Ed "Ace" McCulloch, was in seventh place in the rankings just before mid-season, yet to win an event. Then the gates burst open as he reached the final round in six of the next 12 races, winning three of them and qualifying No. 1 once. He also bettered his teammate Gary Scelzi, famous for his string of elapsed-time track records, by establishing a career-best ET of 4.694 seconds (in Dallas) to Scelzi's 4.697, and has earned more second-half points than either Scelzi or John Force. Looking for his first Funny Car crown, Capps now finds himself in second place behind Scelzi, just two points down, 26 points ahead of third-place Force and in the middle of a worthy media frenzy, as the title chase comes down to this one last race, at this weekend's Automobile Club of America of Southern California NHRA Finals at Pomona Raceway. "I'm hoping this weekend that I can show up and can do the same job I've been doing all year long, because I know that Ace and the Brut Dodge guys have got their game faces on and they're going to give me the same hot rod that's earned the most points the second half of the season," said Capps. "We've been just unbelievable and Ace is really hitting his stride as of late, performance-wise." With the team's steady improvement this season, Capps believes earning an extra 20 points for a national elapsed-time record is not out of the question. "Rolling into to Pomona, it's going to be whether the weather conditions could handle it or not, but if we keep it at this pace, there's a chance that we can run near the national record for that extra 20 points," he said. "And I know Force has been very vocal about trying to gain those extra 20 points, because he is more than a round behind Gary and me. So they are very, very upfront about shooting for the record. And we're not. "We're going to try to keep doing what we're doing. But, if we keep running like we have been, I think the Brut Dodge has a shot at the record itself. If our afternoon sessions on Thursday and Friday get pushed back a little bit, then you could very well see a national record. "It's Pomona, it's a home track for me. I'm going to have a thousand friends and family here. It's everything you always wanted, and it's a lot of stress, and at times you think, Man, I don't know if I really want this much stress in my life. But it's what I've always dreamt about." Capps has one win here in Pomona, in 1998, and one No. 1 qualifier, in 1999. In this year's first race here, he lost in the first round to his teammate Whit Bazemore, after qualifying No. 9. SCHEDULE: On Thursday, Nov. 3, one pro qualifying session is scheduled for 2 p.m. On Friday, Nov. 4, the second pro qualifying session is set for 2 p.m. On Saturday, Nov. 5, the last two pro qualifying sessions are at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. On Sunday, Nov. 6, Pre-race ceremonies begin at 10 a.m. Final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. TELEVISION: On Saturday, Nov. 5, ESPN2 will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 10 p.m. (ET). On Sunday, Nov. 6, ESPN2 will televise three hours of eliminations at 7 p.m. (ET). Also on Sunday, Nov. 6, ESPN2 will broadcast NHRA 2Day, a 30-minute news magazine show, at 11:30 a.m. (ET). RON CAPPS QUICK FACTS: * Second in 2005 Funny Car point standings, after 22 of 23 events, two points out of the lead, 26 ahead of John Force * Has three wins, four runner-up finishes in 2005 (St. Louis was his first win for DSR in '05), won at Chicago 2 at Route 66 Raceway and Las Vegas 2 * Qualified No. 1 once in 2005, in Dallas; first time since Brainerd 2000 * Winner in Pomona 1 in 1998 * Qualified No. 12 at 2004 (2) Pomona event, lost first round to Tony Pedregon * Qualified No. 9 at first event of 2005 here, lost first round to Whit Bazemore * 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 and 2000 * He has 17 event wins in 37 final rounds to his credit * In 2003 he finished in the top 10 in the Funny Car class for the seventh consecutive season. * His career best elapsed time (established during an event) is 4.694 seconds, set in 2005 in Dallas * His career best speed is 329.02 mph (Chicago 2, '05) * Age 40 (June 20, 1965); born and raised in San Luis Obispo, Calif. * Lives in Carlsbad, Calif., with wife Shelley and daughter Taylor (9) and son Caden (3) * Is the subject, along with son Caden and the Brut racing crew, of a number of Brut ads appearing this year in mainstream magazines, such as People, Sports Illustrated, etc. * New to Don Schumacher Racing this year after eight years with Don Prudhomme. * Has tested for IROC Series and competed in Skip Barber Formula Ford, Dirt Late Models and Go-Karts ***