Reigning world champ Capps, NAPA Dodge ranked 2nd heading to Gators
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Tobler uses first days to prepare world champ NAPA Dodge
for Sundays, results pay dividends for No. 2 ranked Capps
BROWNSBURG, Ind. (March 14, 2017) - Ron Capps and the NAPA AUTO PARTS team led by
crew chief Rahn Tobler are ranked second in championship points lead after two races
and only 62 points out of the Funny Car points heading to the 48th annual NHRA Gatornationals
this weekend at Gainesville, Fla.
That's impressive for the reigning NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Funny Car
world champion but even more astounding that Tobler and assistant Eric Lane with
the NAPA AutoCare Centers crew have devoted Friday qualifying sessions to improving
their Dodge Charger R/T powered by Pennzoil.
It can be risky to use any qualifying session for anything other than going as quickly
as possible but the only risks Tobler takes are calculated ... very calculated.
First, it paid off at the opener at Pomona, Calif., when Capps shot up from No.9
to No. 4 qualifying spot on Saturday and advanced to the semifinals where he lost
to eventual event winner and Don Schumacher Racing teammate Matt Hagan.
Two weeks later at the next event near Phoenix, Capps made another huge leap on
the last qualifying day when he shot up to No. 3 from No. 13 with a time of 3.839
seconds at 333.58, both of which are his career bests. On race day, the NAPA Dodge
advanced to the final round where, again, he was sidelined by Hagan.
When a driver has a start like Hagan, it would be expected that his points lead
heading to the next race would be considerably more than 62 points, which is equivalent
to a little more than three Sunday round wins.
"Whenever you get to the final round you don't want to let that trophy get away
from you," said Capps, who owns 50 of those NHRA Wallys. "But it was a great race
for the fans, and a great run for our NAPA team.
In that final, Hagan's 3.878 just edged Capps' 3.883 and both were clocked at 330.88
mph.
"Hagan's team couldn't be having a better start to the season, and that's why I'm
so impressed with Tobler and our NAPA AutoCare crew for keeping us so close to him
in points.
"I learned a long time ago not to question what Tobler does. He's proving it again
so far this season. That's why I tell everybody he's the best in the business."
This weekend at Gainesville, Capps could be in position to win his first pole at
the track. He certainly knows directions to the winner's circle; he has won the
Gatornationals three times in five final rounds and was runner-up a year ago after
winning in 2015.
RON CAPPS: NAPA AUTO PARTS 2017 Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car - reigning world champion
Pts Events Wins Rup Semi Qtr 1st rd Poles DNQ
W/L
2017 2nd 2 0 1 1 0 0 0
0 5-2
2016 1st 24 5 (10 finals) 5 7 5 1
4 1 54-18
CAREER 485 50 (49 FC/1 TF) 51 90 98 178 21
19 671-416
Best Time, Speed: 3.839 sec., (Phoenix, 2017); 333.58 mph, (Phoenix 2017)
Last event (Feb. 24-26 at Phoenix): Qualified No. 3, lost in championship round
to DSR's Matt Hagan
2016 at Gainesville: Qualified No. 5, lost in final round to Robert Hight
Career at Gainesville: Wins 3 (2015, 2006-2007); Runner-ups 2 (2000, 2016); Poles
0
2017 NHRA MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING SERIES STANDINGS
(Official after Phoenix; 2 of 24 events; wins in parenthesis; DSR drivers in CAPS)
FUNNY CAR
1. MATT HAGAN (2) 240 -----
2. RON CAPPS 178 -62
3. Courtney Force 140 -100
4. TOMMY JOHNSON JR. 134 -106
5. John Force 112 -128
6. J.R. Todd 105 -135
7. Jim Campbell 102 -138
8. JACK BECKMAN 90 -150
8. Tim Wilkerson 90 -150
10. Robert Hight 88 -152
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About NAPA AUTO PARTS
NAPA (www.NAPAonline.com) was founded in 1925 to meet America's growing need for
an auto parts distribution system. Today NAPA has grown to more than 6,000 NAPA
AUTO PARTS stores, 58 distribution centers with more than 500,000 part numbers
in inventory and more than 15,000 NAPA AutoCare and AutoCare Collision Centers nationwide.
About Don Schumacher Racing
Don Schumacher Racing, headquartered in Brownsburg, Ind., fields eight professional
NHRA teams. In Top Fuel, the U.S. Army dragster driven by eight-time world champion
Tony Schumacher, the Matco Tools dragster driven by three-time world champion Antron
Brown, the Papa John's Top Fuel dragster driven by Leah Pritchett and 2013 Top Fuel
world champion Shawn Langdon; and in Funny Car, 2011 and 2014 world champion Matt
Hagan in the Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T, 2012 NHRA world champion Jack
Beckman in the Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge, the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge driven
by 2016 Funny Car world champion Ron Capps and the Make-A-Wish Dodge driven by
Tommy Johnson Jr.
DSR has won 297 NHRA national event titles and 16 world championships.
Follow Don Schumacher Racing at ShoeRacing.com, on Twitter at @shoeracing and Facebook.com/shoeracing
- NAPA KNOW HOW -
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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Jeff Wolf (wolfj@shoeracing.com), 702.524.1368
Leah Vaughn (vaughnl@shoeracing.com), 618.516.1988
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