Things just keep getting better for nitro Funny Car standout Ron Capps during the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.

Capps, in his first year as the owner of Ron Capps Motorsports, arrived at the SpringNationals at Houston Raceway Park this weekend third in the points standings with one win and two No. 1 qualifier positions.

Capps took a step toward getting his third No. 1 qualifying spot of the season with his 3.864-second lap at 326.16 mph Friday night.

“That run, it’s what you want to do, and what you hope you can do,” said Capps, who received three bonus points for his effort. “I hit the parachutes and I was shaking my head because I kind of glanced up at 1,000 foot and you look up and you probably shouldn’t be doing this at 330 mph, but if you look up you can just catch the scoreboard sometimes. I could have sworn, I saw 3.86 and I was shaking my head, like ‘Wow!’”

Capps was quick to credit his crew chiefs – Dean ‘Guido’ Antonelli and John Medlen.

“My team makes me look way better than I am, and I have said that before,” Capps said. “My NAPA car, it’s a good hot rod to drive right now, and you’ve got to enjoy when it is like this because there are times when you show up first round, and you hope you get on the board like that with your first run of the weekend, even if you’re not No. 1, you just want to make sure you have a good solid run so you’re not behind the eight-ball going into Saturday. There are a lot of conditions changing these next two days so it’s imperative you put down a run like that. I’m blessed.”

Capps won the most recent event on the circuit – the Four Wide Nationals at Las Vegas Motor Speedway April 3.

If his No. 1 qualifier position holds it would be the 33rd of Capps’ storied career which is highlighted by world championships in 2016 and 2021.

Capps, however, isn’t taking anything for granted.

“There are too may good cars,” he said. “Honestly, I was getting strapped in and every car that came up (Tim) Wilkerson, Blake Alexander, J.R. Todd, just every team could go to the top. I didn’t think the 86 would stand with Dickie Venables (crew chief for Matt Hagan) and Jimmy Prock (crew chief for Robert Hight) behind us. I knew our car put a cylinder out near the finish line, so it had more in it. Sure enough, it held on to take the No. 1 spot.

“The 2016 championship was probably one of the toughest because that coming out the angle-back header and a lot was going on that made Funny Car tough. Last year’s championship was probably the toughest because it was so compacted talent-wise from No. 1 to No. 13. Any car could win a race at any given time. We had not seen that in the history of Funny Car with that many cars being competitive. So, it was cool to win the championship knowing how competitive it was.”

Capps has been on a heater for the four races this season, but he knows it is nothing to pump out your chest about.

“You go on these dominant streaks, and you can’t get arrogant about it,” Capps said. “There are a lot of drivers that you have seen in the past they let that get to their head. I’ve been lucky people around me that don’t let me get that (way). I’m not like that anyhow, but they wouldn’t let me regardless. You start getting arrogant in this sport and you’re either going to get chopped down by karma or somebody else. You just take it as it comes and be glad you have a good hot rod because you can’t go on forever. But if our worst days are still running top five runs then that’s OK.

“The favorite thing Snake (Don Prudhomme) ever said was don’t drink your own bath water.”

Capps acknowledged as good as things have gone for him this season, he cherishes every national event win.

“I was kissing the Wally (in Las Vegas) because you just don’t know if you’re ever going to see one like that again. As good of sponsors and good of a car and as good of people we have here, a fan would say you should win, well so should a lot of other cars. You just don’t know if it is ever coming again because that’s just how competitive it is. You relish it. These are important only if you put them in your back pocket. You don’t brag about it. You put them in your back pocket, and you go to the next day. Come Sunday, you make a run and put in your back pocket as a round win and go pack your chutes and get ready for the next one. You just have to stay humble.”

During his visit with the media Friday night, Capps also addressed his favorite moment at Houston Raceway Park, which is set to close at the end of the 2022 season.

“If we happen to win here, it is going to be great because it is the last race here,” Capps said. “When Eric Medlen died, (March 23, 2007) the sport was on pause. Nobody knew what to do next. Nobody knew what was going to happen. The next race we came to was this track and this race. John Force and Robert Hight sat out because they went right to work getting better and safer roll cages built to not let what happened to Eric happen again.

“I have worked with John Medlen, Eric’s dad, the last two years, as he has been my crew chief with Guido. I have become very close to him. We came to that race, and we won it. That was probably the most emotional win for me even going back to winning my first race with my wife and kids there when I drove for Snake. Winning that race (in 2007 in Houston), everybody wanted to come here. You knew John Force and Robert Hight weren’t going to be there, but you wanted to win that trophy because it is something that would forever be in Eric’s memory. That’s stands out every time when I walk in the gate (at Houston).”