Buoyed by strong test numbers, Capps goes for No. 1 in Pomona
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
2007 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES
Round 1 of 23
CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals
Auto Club Raceway at Pomona (Calif.)
Race Date: Feb. 8-11, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501; cell 203-243-2438;
jstropus@earthlink.net
BUOYED BY STRONG NUMBERS IN TESTING, CAPPS GOES FOR NO. 1 AT SEASON OPENER
POMONA, Calif. (Feb. 5, 2007) - Ron Capps, driving a new Brut Revolution
Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car, topped the charts during preseason testing at
the National Time Trials at Firebird Raceway in Chandler, Ariz., Jan. 26-28,
posting an elapsed time quicker than his “official” career-best of 4.694
seconds. While scorching the quarter-mile with an event-quick 4.678-second
ET, Capps was impressed with how his team, led by crew chief Ed “Ace”
McCulloch, has stepped up to include speed and quickness to its already
consistent race-proven package.
A three-time runner-up in the Funny Car championship chase, and a warrior in
excruciatingly close battles for the title the last two seasons, Capps is
ready to mix it up even more in the 2007 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series,
as the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals opens a new season this
weekend at the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.
“We’re just trying to add to what we already had,” said Capps, of Carlsbad,
Calif., five-time winner in 2006, the most wins of any driver in the Funny
Car class. “And what we had last year was arguably one of the most
consistent cars when you look at the whole year. We’ve never really been a
car that tried to run for the pole in cooler conditions, usually during
Friday-night qualifying. Ace has always been the guy who just wanted to make
sure we got down the track and didn’t beat ourselves. The one thing he hates
is hurting parts or beating ourselves, whether it’s smoking the tires or
whatever. And we’ve talked in the off season as a team, that when you look
back, it’s a pretty good season when you only find a couple of things that
we did wrong that we could work on. We just need to run better and improve
our qualifying positions.
“And, that’s what we concentrated on in testing. We still have our tune-up
for the warm weather, but that’s all we worked on in Phoenix. And, sure
enough, our first check-out run was probably the quickest run of the
weekend, but it was a brand-new car so I had to shut it off. We came back
and ran a .67 where I shut off at a little over 1200 feet (quarter-mile is
1320 ft.). And we ran a .71 on Monday shutting it off at 1220 feet. So,
we’re very, very happy with the results.
“I have talked pretty adamantly about how I feel on Sunday mornings racing
with Ed McCulloch. He’s a true professional racer. There’s nobody I’d rather
go to the starting line with on a Sunday morning. But, that being said, now
I’m excited about running in the cool conditions, especially Friday night,
because now I feel like we have a car that will go for the pole every time.
And those extra points could become critical this year with the new
Countdown to the Championship.
“I like starting (the season) in Pomona, because I live close to here. It’s
the heart of drag racing, which began out here in Southern California. I
believe that Pomona definitely deserves to have the first and last race of
the year.”
RON CAPPS QUICK FACTS:
* Third in 2007 Funny Car point standings, with class-best five wins in
eight final rounds, two semifinal finishes
* His five ‘07 wins were in Gainesville, Fla., Bristol, Tenn., Topeka, Kan.,
Houston and Englishtown, N.J.
* Was Funny Car runner-up in Pomona first event of 2006, winner in 1998
Pomona 1
* No. 1 qualifier at 1999 Pomona 1
* Had three wins, four runner-up finishes in 2005 (St. Louis was his first
win for DSR in ‘05), won at Chicago 2 at Route 66 Raceway and Las Vegas 2
* 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 2007
* 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 22 event wins in 45 final rounds to his credit (21 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 329.02 mph (Chicago 2, ‘05)
* Age 41 (June 20, 1965); born and raised in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
* Lives in Carlsbad, Calif., with wife Shelley and daughter Taylor (10) and
son Caden (5)
* Is featured, along with son Caden and the Brut racing crew, in a number
of Brut ads appearing in mainstream magazines, such as People, Sports
Illustrated, etc.
* New to Don Schumacher Racing in 2005 after eight years with Don Prudhomme.
* Has tested for IROC Series and competed in Skip Barber Formula Ford, Dirt
Late Models and Go-Karts
* Is the subject, along with teammate Tony Schumacher, in the
behind-the-scenes TV series, American Dragster, airing on ESPN2 and
ESPN2HD
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