Ron Capps overcame a dramatic engine explosion earlier in eliminations to win Funny Car on Sunday at Firebird Motorsports Park, defeating Spencer Hyde in the final round of the 41st annual NHRA Arizona Nationals. Shawn Langdon (Top Fuel) and Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) also secured victories as the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series completed its second race of the 2026 season.
Capps clocked a 4.124-second pass at 303.24 mph in the final to earn his 78th career victory and fourth in Phoenix. The win capped a day defined by mechanical adversity and strategic driving.
The veteran’s defining moment came in the second round when his Funny Car erupted in a massive explosion at the finish line during a win against Daniel Wilkerson. Despite the setback, Capps rebounded with a semifinal victory over defending event winner Paul Lee before delivering a decisive run against Hyde.
He left first on Hyde and steadily extended his advantage to secure one of the most resilient victories of his career. The triumph also provided closure after a similar explosion and crash at the same facility one year ago.
“We knew this was going to be a battle of attrition and dropped cylinders today,” Capps said. “A couple of those runs, there was no way I would imagine that would have got us lane choice, but it did. It was like a bracket car. This win reminded me a lot of my first win in St. Louis [1997] because it was hot and we had 150-degree track temps there and we dropped cylinders all day but still won the race.
“We burned a lot of stuff up. At that time it happened, we weren’t sure the win light was going to be worth it, but it wouldn’t have been worth it had it been a runner up. I have to thank Paul Lee and his team for waiting for us. We went to warm it up [in the pits], and it wouldn’t even fire, so we literally went up there not knowing it was going to start. To get that win in the semis, and have it blast down the road when it did was pretty cool.”
Hyde reached his third career final round after wins over Blake Alexander, J.R. Todd, and Matt Hagan. Gainesville winner Chad Green left Phoenix as the Funny Car points leader.
Langdon extended his dominance in Top Fuel at Firebird Motorsports Park, winning the event for the third consecutive year by defeating Leah Pruett with a 3.877-second run at 325.45 mph. The victory marked his 23rd career triumph.
He qualified No. 1 and delivered three runs in the 3.80-second range on race day, defeating Tony Schumacher and rookie Maddi Gordon before facing Pruett in the final. The performance underscored the team’s focus on consistency in extreme heat conditions.
“At the beginning of the year, we made some really good runs in testing under some really good conditions. One of the prime focuses for this year is on making good runs when it gets hot out, and being able to have a car that you can gain the small bonus points,” Langdon said. “So that’s been a big focus for the team and Brian [crew chief Husen], and being able to come out here on some of the hottest conditions that we’ve really ever seen. For him to make the adjustments and the team to make the adjustments, that feels really good.”
“That’s the cool thing about being a part of this team: Even though you win a race, they’re still looking at the finer details. Brian leads the way and he demands perfection, and the car’s not perfect. We’re going to make it perfect.”
Pruett advanced to her 26th final round with victories against Cameron Ferre, Josh Hart and reigning champion Doug Kalitta. Kalitta left the event holding the Top Fuel points lead.
In Pro Stock, Dallas Glenn completed a weekend sweep by defeating Cody Coughlin with a 6.627-second run at 206.39 mph. The reigning NHRA champion secured his first victory of the season and first at Firebird Motorsports Park after finishing runner-up at the event one year earlier.
Glenn qualified third and defeated Stephen Bell, Matt Latino, and Greg Stanfield before facing Coughlin. His .027-second reaction time in the final ensured a wire-to-wire victory and his 22nd career win.
“It feels really good. Last year’s final was very ugly, and it was all caused by a mistake on my part and then a malfunction on Greg’s part. So to come here and do a much better job for the fans feels really great,” Glenn said.
“When we were driving here, I know I definitely screwed up last year and I really want to win Phoenix. I’ve never won here before, and I really want to get one of those cool 75th anniversary trophies, so this takes the pressure off for the rest of the season. I definitely feel like I have a lot less pressure on me this year. I feel more relaxed on race day. I’m kind of just going with the flow and definitely not putting as much pressure on myself. I know what I can do, and I was just trying to go out there and have fun and click some rounds off.”
Coughlin reached his second career final round after defeating Eric Latino, Chris McGaha, and Jeg Coughlin Jr. Glenn left Phoenix with the Pro Stock points lead following his dominant weekend performance.
The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series resumes April 9-12 at the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Calif.
