Saturday it was Robert Hight. On Sunday, it was Ron Capps’ turn to take a wild ride at the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals.

During the first round of the Traxxas Nitro Shootout, Ron Capps’ parachute failed to deploy in a win over John Force, sending the NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger into the sand, into the catch nets and onto its roof.

With his hands hard on the brake, Capps’ parachutes did not deploy until about 150 feet shy of the sandtrap. Carrying quite a bit of speed, Capps positioned the car in the middle of the track, rolling into the trap and onto its roof as it bumped into the catch net at the top end of the track.

“After finishing the run, I didn’t feel the chutes hit. I hit the button several times and at that time I went into survival mode,” a clearly shaken Capps said. “You go through the checklist. Get on the brakes, make sure the fuel is shut off. I reached down and shut it off manually. Then I saw the Safety Safari guy scrambling on the top end not knowing which way I was going to go. I was on the brakes so hard it was probably bubbling the fluid. I centered the car as best as I could and thought, this is it, time to brace myself.

“I haven’t gone into the sand at that rate of speed and I didn’t want to flip it over. I put it in a slide and worked it right up until the end until it caught and flipped over. The worst part was lying there upside down with no way out. I started freaking out, I was running out of air and I was yelling at the safety team to get me out and they kept yelling back that they are trying.

“My daughter had texted me just before the run wishing me good luck and my wife is in the suite. It was a scary experience, but I am standing here right now thanks to those guys back at the shop.”

It was the second major incident in as many days as Robert Hight’s Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car exploded in spectacular fashion, sending the body high into the air Saturday night.