Jon Capps made good on a promise to himself at the track he calls home. Racing at Famoso Dragstrip in the city where he won his first-ever event in oval racing, Capps completed a season sweep by taking Funny Car honors at the California Hot Rod Reunion behind the wheel of the Matthews Motorsports Funny Car.
Joining Capps in the winner’s circle was Pete Kaiser (Top Fuel) and Greg Leahy (Fuel Altered).
Capps, who also captured the March Meet at the same track, ran a 5.543-second pass at 263.31 mph to defeat Nathan Sitko’s 5.696 at 252.45 in the final round. For Capps, the win capped a year defined by perseverance, new beginnings, and building chemistry with a team he met for the first time just months earlier.
“I’ve had a hard time keeping it together a little bit,” Capps said. “It’s an amazing weekend, amazing year with these guys. I walked into Bakersfield in March on Thursday night and met the crew for the first time. I left with a win then — and to finish here with another one is unreal.”
Capps’ march through eliminations included wins over Drew Austin in round one and Todd Miller in the semifinals, where he made Nostalgia Funny Car history with the first-ever 5.4-second run — a 5.488-second blast. He then recorded a 5.513 at 263.1 mph to take down Mike Peck before closing the day with the final-round victory over Sitko.
Sitko’s road to the championship round was equally tough, highlighted by victories over Bobby Cottrell, Cory Lee, and newly crowned Heritage Series Funny Car champion Shane Westerfield.
Capps said the level of competition in nostalgia Funny Car has reached an unprecedented peak. “The parity out here is like super comp — except with nitromethane and Funny Cars,” he said. “Our four-lap average was a 5.51. You don’t do that with nitro. It’s incredible. I’m honored to race with guys like the Austins, who pioneered running these cars the right way.”
He credited his team’s growth and balance of experience for their success. “We’ve got some great young talent and some wise, old talent,” Capps said. “Now it’s my job to find some money so we can go do this correctly — and maybe go hurt some feelings next year.”
Pete Kaiser shared that same sense of redemption, closing his 2025 campaign on a high note with a Top Fuel victory. Kaiser’s 5.720 at 259.44 mph held off Frank McBee Jr.’s 5.815 at 257.51 in the final round, a fitting end to a season that tested both his patience and persistence.
“It’s definitely a huge high note,” Kaiser said. “We had a bad summer fighting clutch disc and valve-train problems. We kind of know how to run this car, but it just wouldn’t react. This weekend, it started reacting again.”
Kaiser was dominant throughout eliminations, running 5.708 and 5.677 before turning back McBee in the final. McBee reached the title round after wins over Mike Hilton and newly crowned Top Fuel series champion Tyler Hilton, while Kaiser eliminated Bret Williamson and Brian Hall.
Looking ahead, Kaiser said his focus is on refining the car’s fuel system and trimming weight. “I’m going to drop 80 pounds off the car and run high gear only,” he said. “It’s an expensive class, but it’s very competitive. I just wish more cars would travel and make the fields bigger.”
In AA/Fuel Altered, Greg Leahy made a clean sweep of the event to cap off his season. He qualified No. 1 and then scored the win with a 6.064-second pass over No. 2 qualifier Vince Karstetter’s quicker 6.040, sealing the deal with a .043-second holeshot at the starting line.
“It’s the best way to finish the year,” Leahy said. “We had a rough summer fighting clutch and valve-train issues, but the car came around this weekend. It finally responded to what we were trying to do.”
Leahy reached the final by defeating Brandon Seraphine and former March Meet Funny Car winner James Day. Karstetter advanced by eliminating Chris Bates and Matthew Leonard, continuing a season-long rivalry that has defined the Fuel Altered class.
As Capps, Kaiser, and Leahy celebrated in the Famoso winner’s circle, their victories brought an exclamation point to another season of nostalgia drag racing. Each had endured mechanical frustrations and long travel miles, but all found redemption in Bakersfield — the spiritual home of vintage nitro racing.
Their comments reflected a shared respect for the sport’s roots and its modern evolution. The combination of tradition and innovation has kept nostalgia racing alive, providing fans a window into drag racing’s golden era while showcasing cutting-edge craftsmanship.
