Capps excited but wary of running four-wide in Concord

DON SCHUMACHER RACING
2010 NHRA FULL THROTTLE DRAG RACING SERIES
Round 4 of 23
Inaugural NHRA Four-Wide Nationals
ZMax Dragway
Concord, N.C.
March 26-28, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

CAPPS EXCITED BUT WARY OF RUNNING FOUR-WIDE IN CONCORD

CARLSBAD, Calif. (March 23, 2010) - Ron Capps, second in the Funny Car point
standings of the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series after three
national events, is both excited about and wary of competing in this
weekend's inaugural NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Concord, N.C.

"I know all of the drivers are very, very excited about lining up that first
time for four-wide racing," said Capps, who drives the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge
Charger for Don Schumacher Racing. "It's already exciting to race these cars
and to get into them every Friday after you¹ve been out of the car for a
week or so. It just reminds you how lucky we are to do what we do.

"But, about an hour before that first time we line up for qualifying on
Friday, we're going to see a lot of drivers pacing around in circles being a
little apprehensive about what it's going to be like.

"I'm looking forward to getting the first run over with, because it's going
to be a little overwhelming worrying more than just about your opponent in
the lane next to you.

"Talking to Ace (crew chief Ed McCulloch), he tells me the long-term weather
forecast is for cooler conditions, which is great for the fans without the
sun beating down on them. It's even better for the race cars. They can make
more power and we already know how good the track is in Concord.

"The way it's looking right now, with the weather that is expected, there's
a very good chance we're going to see some conditions that could allow for
national-record runs. There's an extra 20 points for the national
elapsed-time record, which the NAPA team holds right now at 4.023 seconds.²
Capps trails John Force in the standings by 54 markers.

"We haven't seen a Funny Car dip into the sub-four-second range yet, but
with the right conditions and the excellent track in Concord, it could very
well happen. And, if it's like that all weekend, we're going to see some of
the quickest times not only racing side-by-side, but four-wide. We're all
very excited about competing at this historic event."

At last year's Concord event, Capps qualified No. 6 and lost first round to
Bob Tasca III. So far this season, he's been to one final, one semifinal and
one quarterfinal.

RON CAPPS QUICK FACTS:
* No. 2 in 2010 Funny Car points, after three events (one runner-up, one
quarterfinal, one semifinal)
* Has no wins at Zmax Dragway
* Qualified No. 6 at Zmax in 2009; lost first round to Bob Tasca
* Ended 2009 season No. 3 in the point standings
* Won class-best five events in 2009 - Pomona 1, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Topeka,
Denver - in seven final rounds
* Entered 2009 Countdown to 1 No. 2 in 2009 Funny Car "regular season" after
leading standings in 12 of the first 14 events
* Currently holds the national record racing to 1000 feet of 4.023 seconds
(Phoenix 2009)
* Qualified No. 1 three times in 2009 (Phoenix, St. Louis, Denver); none in
2010 so far
* Has nine career No. 1 qualifiers
* No. 8 in 2008 Funny Car points; two runner-up, five semifinal, four
quarterfinal finishes, 13 first-rounds
* Is tied with Tony Pedregon with longest qualifying streak among active
Funny Car drivers: 66
* 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
* NAPA AUTO PARTS is primary sponsor for third straight season
* Joined Don Schumacher Racing in 2005
* Has three U.S. Smokeless 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
* 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 30 event wins in 62 final rounds to his credit (29 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 (racing to 1320 feet)
* His career-best speed is 331.61 mph (Pomona 1, '07) - racing to 1320 feet
* Capps' career round win-loss record is 378-277
* Capps' career-best speed racing to 1000 feet is 312.35 mph (Gainesville
2010)
* Capps' career record against 14-time champion John Force is 22-42 in round
wins. He's won 14 of the last 20 meetings against Force, and has won five of
the last seven first-round match-ups over Force. His final-round record
against Force is 3-1
* Age 44 (June 20, 1965); born and raised in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
* Lives in Carlsbad, Calif., with wife Shelley and daughter Taylor (7/25/96)
and son Caden (7/1/01)
* Has tested for IROC Series and competed in Skip Barber Formula Ford, Dirt
Late Models, Mini-Sprints and Go-Karts

WEEKEND SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY, March 26 - FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at 1:15 p.m. and 3:45
p.m.
SATURDAY, March 27 - FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at 11:45 a.m. and 2:15
p.m.
SUNDAY, March 28 - Pre-race ceremonies, 11 a.m. FULL THROTTLE SERIES
eliminations begin at noon.
 
TELEVISION:  
Saturday, March 27, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two hours of qualifying
highlights at 7 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, March 28, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise NHRA Race Day, a 30-minute
news magazine show, at 10 a.m. (ET)
Sunday, March 28, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two and a half hours of
coverage starting at 5 p.m. (ET).
                   
SATELLITE:    
Friday, March 26, 6 - 6:30 p.m. (ET), AMC 6 / Transponder 21K (12120 MHz,
vertical) (Analog feed)
Saturday, March 27, 6:30 - 7 p.m. (ET), AMC 6 / Transponder 21K (12120 MHz,
vertical)
Sunday, March 28, 6 - 6:30 p.m. (ET), AMC 6 / Transponder 21K (12120 MHz,
vertical)
Video news release contains race action highlights each day and winners¹
interviews on Sunday.

***