Capps riding on road to recovery in Vegas
DON SCHUMACHER RACING 2008 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES Round 5 of 24 NHRA NATIONALS The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway April 10-13, 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501; cell 203-243-2438; jstropus@earthlink.net CAPPS RIDING ON ROAD TO RECOVERY IN VEGAS CARLSBAD, Calif. (April 8, 2008) - Ron Capps has two positive things going for him as he heads to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for this weekend's NHRA Nationals: the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car he drives for Don Schumacher Racing is showing promise after four straight first-round losses, and the quarter-mile at The Strip has arguably one of the best racing surfaces in the country. Capps credits crew chief Ed "Ace" McCulloch and the NAPA crew for the team's newfound confidence after experiencing a "technical" epiphany before eliminations at the last event in Houston. Despite losing the opening round to a strong opponent, Capps' run was solid and straight and boded well for the future. "We need to get back on track more than anything else," said Capps, a two-time Funny Car victor at The Strip. "We keep saying it's early in the season but, even though we lost in Houston, I felt good about what Ace has done with the NAPA Dodge. And there's no better time than right now to be going to Vegas. "The Strip at Las Vegas has always been good to us, and Ace always runs well there," added Capps, who is 15th in the point standings. "So it's just a good time for everybody involved - our sponsors, our team, (team owner) Don Schumacher - to get this car going and win some rounds. "Right now it would be nice to just go past first round. I thought I'd never say that again, but that's the kind of season it's been. It's been kind of a topsy-turvy, strange kind of year," said Capps of having to adapt to the extra 100 pounds added by NHRA to the Funny Cars this season. "Anything can happen at these races and we've seen that. So, what we need to do is just get better, and I think the whole team has got that same focus." Capps welcomes the opportunity to race on a predictable, smooth surface. "We've obviously had some issues at the last few tracks we've been to, especially the track in Houston," he said. "It's nice to go to The Strip where you don't have to worry about the conditions of the track surface. These crew chiefs have to worry about so many things that need to be right in order for the car to run good, that when you throw something into the mix like the track surface to worry about, it puts undue pressure on everybody on the team. "This is 2008 and we should not be going to any track where we need to be worried about bumps and jumps. I'm glad Houston is over with and I know that they'll fix it for next year. But that's the good thing about going to a Bruton Smith track and that's why we have two races in Las Vegas. That's why we love Sonoma, we love Bristol, and we're looking forward to Charlotte (all Bruton Smith-owned facilities). "Any time we come to a track like The Strip in Vegas you can see a smile on the faces of the crew chiefs and the drivers, because we know that the track will be good. And that kind of puts everything else in the drivers' hands and the crew chiefs' hands." Capps is tied with Tony Pedregon with the most Funny Car wins at The Strip at Las Vegas (Capps won both fall events in 2001 and 2005). He was runner-up to Robert Hight at the 2007 spring event. RON CAPPS QUICK FACTS: * No. 15 in Funny Car points after four 2008 events * Has won Funny Car class twice in Las Vegas, in 2001 and 2005, both at the spring events; runner-up in 2006 (Cruz Pedregon) and 2007 (Robert Hight) spring events * Qualified No. 4 at The Strip in April 2007, runner-up to Robert Hight * No. 4 in 2007 Funny Car point standings * Led 2007 Funny Car point standings by as much as 154 points through 14 of the first 17 races of the season * Had three wins in seven final rounds in 2007; two semifinal finishes, four quarterfinals, nine first rounds, and one DNQ * Round win-loss record in 2007 was 32-19 * NAPA AUTO PARTS is new primary sponsor for 2008 * Joined Don Schumacher Racing in 2005 * Has three Skoal Showdown titles: 1998, 1999 and 2002 * Third in 2006 final point standings * Had class-best five wins in 2006 * Had three wins, four runner-up finishes in 2005 (St. Louis was his first win for DSR in '05) * 2005 Funny Car championship runner-up, eight points short of title * Qualified No. 1 once in 2005, in Dallas; first time since Brainerd 2000 * Has seven career No. 1 qualifiers, none in 2006, '07, or '08 so far * 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 25 event wins in 52 final rounds to his credit (24 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 331.61 mph (Pomona 1, '07) * Capps' career round win-loss record is 313-235 * Capps' career record against 14-time champion Force is 17-38 in round wins. He's won nine of the last 11 meetings against Force, and has won the last four first-round match-ups over Force * Age 42 (June 20, 1965); born and raised in San Luis Obispo, Calif. * Lives in Carlsbad, Calif., with wife Shelley and daughter Taylor (11) and son Caden (6) * Has tested for IROC Series and competed in Skip Barber Formula Ford, Dirt Late Models, Mini-Sprints and Go-Karts WEEKEND SCHEDULE: Pro qualifying sessions are scheduled for 1 and 4 p.m. on Friday, April 11. Qualifying continues at noon and 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 12 and final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, April 13. TICKETS: Tickets are available for the Las Vegas NHRA Nationals. Call Las Vegas Motor Speedway at (800) 644-4444 or check online at LVMS.com, Ticketmaster or NHRA.com. ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise qualifying highlights at 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 12. ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise NHRA Race Day, a 30-minute pre-race show, at 11 a.m. (ET) on Sunday, April 13. ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise the race beginning at 8 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, April 13. TV SATELLITE INFO: Friday, April 11, 10-10:30 p.m. (ET) Horizons 2 / Transponder 12K Saturday, April 12, 11-11:30 p.m. (ET) Horizons 2 / Transponder 12K Sunday, April 13, 11:30 p.m.-Midnight (ET) Horizons 2 / Transponder 12K Downlink Frequency: Horizons 2/Transponder 12K: 12160, MHz, Horizontal (analog feed) ***