RON CAPPS TO DRIVE NAPA NASCAR LATE MODEL IN CALIFORNIA OCT. 25

Ron Capps, whose regular mount is the 7000-horsepower NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, will drive a NAPA-sponsored NASCAR Late Model in a companion event to the NASCAR Camping World Series championship finale in Roseville, Calif., on Oct. 25.

Capps, who is seventh in the NHRA Countdown to 1 championship chase with two events remaining in the 2008 season, will also act as a Grand Marshal for the night's event at the paved one-third-mile oval at All American Speedway.

He will drive a car owned by NCWS team owner Bill McAnally in the NASCAR Whelen All American Series, in his first stab at competing in an official NASCAR event. Capps has driven Late Models, Sprint cars, Midgets, open-wheeled sports cars, and tested IROC cars in his career, while competing regularly as a professional Funny Car racer since 1997. Ron Capps, whose regular mount is the 7000-horsepower NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, will drive a NAPA-sponsored NASCAR Late Model in a companion event to the NASCAR Camping World Series championship finale in Roseville, Calif., on Oct. 25.

Capps, who is seventh in the NHRA Countdown to 1 championship chase with two events remaining in the 2008 season, will also act as a Grand Marshal for the night's event at the paved one-third-mile oval at All American Speedway.

He will drive a car owned by NCWS team owner Bill McAnally in the NASCAR Whelen All American Series, in his first stab at competing in an official NASCAR event. Capps has driven Late Models, Sprint cars, Midgets, open-wheeled sports cars, and tested IROC cars in his career, while competing regularly as a professional Funny Car racer since 1997.

"Getting a call from Bil McAnally, who is considered one of the top NASCAR team owners on the West Coast, was awesome," said Capps, a three-time runner-up in the NHRA Funny Car championship. "I've always read about his teams. He's had great drivers who have accomplished a lot. I've always watched the team from afar, but now being associated with NAPA this year I've gotten to know Bill a little more, and he knew my passion for racing, not just drag racing but racing other types of motorsports. He said he'd been following me. And the chance to go up there and drive is incredible.

"We're going to test this Thursday, Oct. 16, a week before the event, and being a Grand Marshal is awesome, so it's going to be exciting.

"There will be a lot of competition in this race. I won't have an excuse, let's put it that way. I'm going to have the best equipment, and it's going to be kind of cool driving a car that resembles a cross between our NAPA Funny Car and Michael Waltrip's Cup car.

"It's a dream to race in a NASCAR race, let alone to be asked by one of the top-tier teams. I'm not just looking to show up for this race. Hopefully I can do much like I go do with Tony Stewart's Prelude to the Dream or any time I go do other races. I just want to represent my sponsors well and not do anything stupid on the track, and obviously the fact that (NHRA team owner) Don Schumacher lets me go do these things is great. If I was to go out and not use my head it would not be a good thing.”

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