Capps exits early in Concord

DON SCHUMACHER RACING
2010 NHRA FULL THROTTLE DRAG RACING SERIES
Round 19 of 23
Round 2 of six in Countdown to the Championship
Third annual NHRA Carolinas Nationals
zMAX Dragway
Concord, N.C.
Sept. 17-19, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

CAPPS EXITS EARLY IN CONCORD

CONCORD, N.C. (Sept. 19, 2010) - No. 10 qualifier Ron Capps, piloting the
NAPA Brakes Dodge Charger Funny Car at the third annual NHRA Carolinas
Nationals, exited in the opening round today, following a rare red-light in
his match-up against his Don Schumacher Racing teammate Jack Beckman.

It marked only the second red light of his 13-year Funny Car racing career;
the first coming at the 2007 Phoenix event. Beckman claimed the win with a
4.232-second elapsed time at 302.01 mph, while Capps, not realizing he had
fouled out, continued, then struck the tires and slowed to a 4.924/198.15.

"Obviously, it was frustrating to have to race our teammate first round,"
said Capps, who is now seventh in the point standings, with four races
remaining in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs. "It's inevitable,
but it's not something you like doing.

"The run was very strange. The NAPA Brakes Dodge left, it went out and it
rattled the tires loose early and I saw Jack going down the track. I coasted
down and took the turnoff and came around the corner and I'm sure I was
visibly upset that we lost. I felt that with (points leader) John Force and
Robert Hight (in sixth) going out first round, we really could have made up
some ground and got ourselves back in the hunt.

"Gary Gerould of ESPN came over to interview me and asked how I felt about
the red light. I said, What red light? I didn't red light. I left on amber
and I didn't red light and apparently the red light was on.

"After coming back and talking with the ESPN guys and they looked at the
slo-mo footage and we looked at our camera and Beckman's guys looked at
their camera, it appeared to affirm what I already knew. I left on amber, I
didn't leave early, and the car didn't move.

"There were some things that happened in the left lane not just in Funny Car
but in other classes where there were some really phantom 60-foot and
reaction times. So, there was something going on in there.

"We would have lost the round anyway, but it's a little frustrating. I've
been driving Funny Cars for 13 years. I've only red-lit once. If I make a
mistake I'm the first one to come back and tell everybody that I made a
mistake driving. I told (crew chief) John (Medlen), Ace (Ed McCulloch) and
Don (Schumacher) I was 100 percent sure I left on amber and I didn't red
light.

"As I said, It wouldn't have made a difference."

Next up is the 25th annual NHRA Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex in Ennis,
Texas, Sept. 24-26.

UNOFFICIAL FUNNY CAR POINT STANDINGS, after two of six Countdown to the
Championship events:
1. John Force, 2245
2. Jack Beckman, 2241 (runner-up today)  - Cruz Pedregon was the winner
3. Matt Hagan, 2203
4. Ashley Force Hood, 2192
5. Bob Tasca III, 2160
6. Robert Hight, 2157
7. Ron Capps, 2123
8. Tony Pedregon, 2085
9. Tim Wilkerson, 2182
10. Del Worsham, 2077

***