Of all of the wins in Ron Capps’ historic career, his victory Sunday afternoon at Royal Purple Raceway in Houston will probably always stand out as his most memorable.

Matched up with Robert Hight in the finals of the 30th annual NHRA SpringNationals, the two longtime racers put on a show as Hight crossed the centerline and took out both finish line timing blocks while simultaneously in the other lane Capps’ NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car detonated in a huge fireball.

Temporarily unable to see the scoreboards, Capps emerged from his damaged car looking for any sign of whether he had just won or lost, eventually receiving confirmation from, of all people, a passing sportsman racer, confirming Capps’ 51st career NHRA Funny Car victory and his first of the 2017 season.

“We knew we were up against a tough car. We were a little off going into that round, I knew (Rahn) Tobler tuned it up a little bit. It got out there and started spinning the tires and you’ve got to make a decision,” Capps said. “You don’t have time to put your hand on your chin and ask ‘should I, or shouldn’t I.’ So I stayed in the throttle. I knew Robert was going to be next to us and it exploded. It exploded big and I couldn’t see the win light because of the fire so I wasn’t sure who won.

“The safety safari was right on me, but nobody knew who won. It was a sportsman guy loading his car up off the track that finally gave me the thumbs up. Once he gave me that thumbs up, it was celebration time.”

Capps crossed the finish line with a 4.004-second elapsed time at 284.33 mph as the car began to lose power following the explosion. Hight did not record a time.

While the win was certainly memorable, it was what came afterward that will truly make the moment one to last a lifetime. Following news of the win, Capps recreated a moment reminiscent of a 1980s Gaternationals accident by Raymond Beadle that saw Beadle’s car take a tumble, followed by a joyous celebration after the legendary driver emerged from the wreckage.

“He was one of my heroes. He was the epitome of the Funny Car class,” Capps said. “That was one of my favorite Funny Car moments. He flipped it over and got up there and got a standing ovation and I remember watching that as a kid.

“I did not do that to be him. I was just so excited when I found out I won. These things have become so hard to win nowadays and you take things for granted. I felt like we should have won three of those first races of the season. The NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car division has got to be one of the most competitive in the world right now as far as motorsports. It is cutthroat and that is why it is so big to get a win.”

But was it his wildest win?

“I think it is. But the win light came on, and that is all that matters,” Capps said.

Capps added wins over Todd Simpson, Jonnie Lindberg and Jack Beckman to reach his 102nd career final, with all three of his opponents running into trouble during their runs. Meanwhile, Capps produced passes of 3.897, 3.951 and 3.926 as he finished the weekend with eight runs under power in the Texas heat.

“I still think that (final round) went down under power. I think we were the only car that went down all eight runs this weekend under power which is a huge complement to Rahn Tobler,” Capps said.

With the win, Capps jumps from fourth to second in the championship battle, just two points behind leader Matt Hagan. But more importantly, this was Capps’ first win since earning his first career championship at the conclusion of last season, as he continues to celebrate that achievement with his legion of fans.

“That championship is great, and my favorite part of winning that championship is the fact that we are going to these race tracks and these fans are so rabid and so elated we won that championship. Every race we go to is like winning the championship all over again,” Capps said. “Everywhere we go you get people grabbing your arm saying they have been pulling for us for 20 years to win a championship. That makes this all a little more special.”