Back-to-back races work for Funny Car points leader Capps

DON SCHUMACHER RACING
2006 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES
Round 9 of 23
O'REILLY NHRA SUMMER NATIONALS
Heartland Park Topeka (Kan.)
Race Date: May 26-28, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501; cell 203-243-2438;
jstropus@earthlink.net

BACK-TO-BACK RACES WORK FOR FUNNY CAR POINTS LEADER CAPPS

TOPEKA, Kan. (May 23, 2006) - NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car
points leader Ron Capps is a racing junkie. He'd be happy racing every
weekend if he could. So, he's not complaining about having to race the
Brut/Torco Dodge Charger R/T this weekend in the O'Reilly NHRA Summer
Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka immediately after having raced in
Columbus, Ohio, on Sunday.

"Having a back-to-back week in Columbus and Topeka is nice," says Capps, who
leads John Force in the rankings by 91 points after eight events. "It's
exhilarating to go right back to racing. It's what I love to do.

"It's a lot of fun right now, because it's so competitive," adds Capps,
who's had two first-round losses in the last two events. "You get those
juices flowing and you're in the heat of the battle and everyone is running
so well. 

"This class is so tough right now. Just when you get depressed because
something happens like it did in Columbus when I lost on a holeshot, (John)
Force, the No. 2 guy (in points), goes out the same session. It gives you a
little bit of glimmer."

Capps and crew chief Ed "Ace" McCulloch still anticipate hotter conditions
to appear, which haven't. "It's Memorial Day and Topeka is a great track,"
says Capps. "We keep saying that we're going to see these warm and humid
conditions, which we thought would show up in Atlanta, which they didn't.
Then we thought they'd show up in Columbus, which they didn't. So, the
weather is playing tricks on us.

"I'm not having a hard time sleeping on Saturday night, but I don't envy the
crew chiefs because they're the ones making the calls. They're looking at
the weather report during the week and then, lo and behold, they get to the
track and it's completely the opposite of what it should be."

Is there concern in the Brut/Torco Dodge team about the first-round losses?
"Those losses were within a couple of thousandths (of a second)," Capps
explains. "Both were close races, so we didn't beat ourselves. And that's
what's gotten us to where we are now.

"If we can hang on to the points like this and just keep doing our deal,
we'll be fine."

Capps' Topeka record includes a win in 1998 and a runner-up finish in 2000.
He's way ahead of his 2005 record at this stage of the season. After losing
in the semifinals to John Force in 2005, he left Topeka sixth in the point
standings. No matter what happens this weekend, he will leave no worse than
second.

RON CAPPS QUICK FACTS:
* Leading 2006 Funny Car point standings after eight events, by 91 over John
Force
* Has three wins, two runner-up finishes, one semifinal finish in 2006 so
far
* Qualified No. 11 at 2005 O'Reilly Summer Nationals, lost in semis to John
Force
* Is the 1998 Topeka winner and 2000 runner-u
* Had 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
* 2005 Funny Car championship runner-up, eight points short of title
* Qualified No. 1 once in 2005, in Dallas; first time since Brainerd 2000
* 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 20 event wins in 42 final rounds to his credit (19 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 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 in mainstream magazines, such as People, Sports
Illustrated, etc.
* New to Don Schumacher Racing in 2005 after eight years with Don Prudhomme.
* Has tested for IROC Series and competed in Skip Barber Formula Ford, Dirt
Late Models and Go-Karts

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