Capps looking for second Sonoma win
DON SCHUMACHER RACING 2006 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES Round 15 of 23 Fram-Autolite NHRA Nationals Infineon Raceway Sonoma, Calif. Race Date: July 28-30, 2006 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501; cell 203-243-2438; jstropus@earthlink.net CAPPS LOOKING FOR SECOND SONOMA WIN SONOMA, Calif. (July 26, 2006) - Five-time season Funny Car winner and class points leader Ron Capps has won two more NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series national events than any other Funny Car driver so far (five), and he's hoping a return to his roots in Northern California will help him add to those results and parlay them into winning his first Funny Car championship. Following his runner-up finish in Seattle last Sunday, the driver of the Brut Dodge Charger R/T now enjoys an 88-point margin over 13-time champion John Force. Capps' only victory at Infineon Raceway, which hosts this weekend's Fram-Autolite NHRA Nationals, came in 1997, and he's been runner-up here twice, in 2002 and last year. A second victory this weekend could bolster his chances of accomplishing that feat. With Capps a part of the multi-team Don Schumacher Racing, he's had the help of his Funny Car teammates (Denver winner) Gary Scelzi and (Seattle winner) Whit Bazemore on his path toward his goal. Scelzi has already taken out Force two times in 2006, while Bazemore has done it once. "You've got to remember," he says, "that everybody is trying to win for themselves, but the fact that they've been lining up next to Force and the fact that Scelzi and the Mopar/Oakley team have taken out John for the last two races, has helped a ton. "Seattle was such a big weekend for the overall team, to have the Matco Tools guys win. We're a big team and there's been a lot that's gone on this year. There's nothing better than to see somebody finally get the payoff from the struggles that they had and for both of us to be in the final round. Everybody on our team hates to lose, but if we had to lose, it was OK losing to the Matco Tools guys, Baze and Todd (crew chief Okuhara). I was truly happy for those guys at the other end. "At the same time, we ran up some more points on Force. That was probably the least upset that I've ever been losing the finals. It was just a great weekend for everybody. "Sonoma has always kind of been a home track for me. I always look forward to coming here anyway, but, right now, having the points lead back up to where it is, surely helps," says Capps, who also receives support from Knoll Gas-Torco Race Fuels. His local friends and relatives will be on hand this weekend in the Brut pits at one of Capps' favorite facilities. "We get a lot of people when it's a home track - friends and family - and we do so much with this track, such as helping the Children's Charities by competing in the go-kart race earlier in the year, and with the dinner we're attending for the charity on Thursday night in San Francisco. "It's a very pleasant track to work with and that really shows when you see drivers go out of their way to do things for the track. They take care of us and in turn we do a lot of things for (p.r. manager) John Cardinale and the rest of the people at Infineon. "Besides that, it's just a great place to go to. Look at what we get to do for a living. We love it. When you have to dread going to work, it's time to do something else. If you can't enjoy yourself being a race-car driver or working on a race-car team, then you need to look somewhere else for a job. "Everybody at Don Schumacher Racing is enjoying themselves." RON CAPPS QUICK FACTS: * Leading 2006 Funny Car point standings after 14 events, by 88 over John Force * Has five wins, three runner-up finishes, one semifinal finish in 2006 so far * Qualified No. 10 at 2005 Fram-Autolite Nationals, was runner-up to teammate Gary Scelzi * Won Funny Car here in 1997, has two runners-up - 2002 and 2005 * 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 22 event wins in 45 final rounds to his credit (21 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 41 (June 20, 1965); born and raised in San Luis Obispo, Calif. * Lives in Carlsbad, Calif., with wife Shelley and daughter Taylor (10) and son Caden (4) * 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 WEEKEND SCHEDULE: FRIDAY, July 28 ‹ PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 3:15 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. SATURDAY, July 29 ‹ PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 10 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. SUNDAY, July 30 ‹ Pre-race ceremonies, 11 a.m. FINAL ELIMINATIONS begin at noon. TELEVISION: Saturday, July 29, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying coverage at 8 p.m. (ET). Sunday, July 30, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will telecast NHRA 2Day, a 30-minute news magazine show, at 11:30 a.m. (ET). Sunday, July 30, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise three hours of final round eliminations at 8 p.m. (ET). SATELLITE: Friday, July 28, 11:30 p.m.-midnight (ET) SBS 10 R, Transponder 23 K (12160 MHz, vertical) Saturday, July 29, 10:30-11 p.m. (ET) SBS 10 R, Transponder 23 K (12160 MHz, vertical) Sunday, July 30, 11:30 p.m.-midnight (ET) SBS 10 R, Transponder 23 K (12160 MHz, vertical) ***