Capps gains ground on Force with quarterfinal finish in Texas

DON SCHUMACHER RACING
2006 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES
Round 19 of 23
O'Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals
Texas Motorplex
Ennis, Texas
Race Date: Sept. 22-24, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

CAPPS GAINS GROUND ON FORCE WITH QUARTERFINAL FINISH IN TEXAS

ENNIS, Texas (Sept. 24, 2006) - Points leader Ron Capps gained ground on
John Force in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car championship
chase today by defeating the 13-time champion (and second in points) in the
opening round of the O'Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex.

Their first-round contest was billed as the "monster match-up" of the
weekend, and it didn't disappoint the legion of Capps and Brut fans, as
Capps drove the Brut Revolution Dodge Charger R/T straight down the
quarter-mile to dismiss a tire-smoking Force with a 4.874-second elapsed
time at 309.06 mph to Force's 9.026/77.44. Reaction times were nearly
identical: .085 for Force, .087 for Capps.

Capps, who receives additional support from Knoll Gas-Torco Race Fuels,
failed to capitalize on that victory any further, as he lost the second
round to his Don Schumacher Racing teammate Mike Ashley (4.821/313.95 to
4.890/316.97). 

With that, Capps now leads Force by 37 points, with four events remaining in
the season. Robert Hight, third in the standings, won today's event, moving
him within 93 points of Capps.

"It could have been worse," said Capps, who is aiming for his first Funny
Car crown. "Obviously, we got by a huge round first round. It's kind of
what's been going on all year long. It's hard to capitalize. They've had a
hard time capitalizing on those moments they needed to and we obviously feel
like we didn't capitalize when we should have.

"I didn't sleep, I was nervous. It was just an epic round, like I said
yesterday. It was as big as I've ever been involved in in my career. It was
tough to think about it all night long, but we got past it. It's too bad we
didn't go further.

"I tell you, I cut a tire pretty good down there," he said of the second
round. "It's like the third time this weekend that we've run over something.
It's cut the front tire as well as the rear tire. There is obviously stuff
being left on the track. It's not the reason we lost, but it definitely made
it an issue. 

"The car did a big wiggle down there before the finish line and cut the
tires pretty bad, the front and the rear."

As for the agonizingly tight battle for the championship, "It's getting down
to the wire," he said, "and it's going to be another one of those fights to
the end and it's great for the fans, but nerve-wracking for John and me. We
all need to be careful, because we're going to have Hight sneaking up on as
as well. We need to stay focused."

Next up is the re-scheduled Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove
Raceway, outside of Reading, Pa., Sept. 29-Oct. 1.

FUNNY CAR POINT STANDINGS:
1. Ron Capps, 1352
2. John Force, 1315
3. Robert Hight, 1259
4. Tony Pedregon, 1187
5. Eric Medlen, 1103
6. Tommy Johnson Jr., 1085
7. Gary Scelzi, 1053
8. Whit Bazemore, 956
9. Cruz Pedregon, 792
10. Phil Burkart Jr., 787

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