Ron Capps won’t be collecting a fourth NHRA Funny Car championship this weekend, but there’s still plenty worth fighting for at Pomona. The three-time champion put himself in position for another No. 1 qualifying award Friday, and a strong finish could move him several spots up the final standings.
Capps drove his NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra to a 3.894-second pass at 331.53 mph, the only Funny Car driver to break into the 3.80s during Friday’s lone completed qualifying session at the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals. The run put him in position for his fifth No. 1 qualifying award of the season, although he expects Saturday’s conditions to produce quicker times.
“You see a lot of teams every year that have been so-so or having issues come alive at this race because you could pretty much throw everything at this track when the conditions are right there,” Capps said. “However, they were almost too good.”
Pomona gave the Funny Car crew chiefs plenty of rope Friday, and a few used enough to hang themselves. Antonelli wasn’t interested in finding out how much the track would take before it bit back.
Capps credited crew chief Dean “Guido” Antonelli with recognizing the potential trouble before it became their problem. The team backed down the tune-up early in the run before turning the 12,000-horsepower Funny Car loose.
“We did a good job of pulling it back just a little bit, about 300 feet, and then letting it go for funny cars, and we saw a few of those really fast funny cars get sideways and lose traction out there,” Capps said. “So it was a tricky Pomona, but still fast.”
J.R. Todd followed with a 3.911 at 327.90 mph, while Cruz Pedregon was third at 3.931 and 318.02. Championship points leader Matt Hagan stood 11th, and Jordan Vandergriff was outside the provisional 16-car field in 21st.
Weather interrupted Friday’s qualifying schedule, leaving competitors with fewer opportunities to establish a competitive starting position. Capps suspects his 3.894 might not even be good enough to remain in the top half of the field.
“Tomorrow, I hear it’s going to be clearer, a little warmer, which will be faster, believe it or not here,” Capps said. “It’s going to put some heat in the track.”
Capps expects the atmospheric conditions to remain favorable enough for considerably quicker performances. The combination could make Saturday particularly uncomfortable for drivers sitting near the bottom of the qualifying order.
“So that 89 will probably end up being bottom half of the field, honestly, by the time qualifying gets over,” Capps said. “I’m just glad with us doing the Snake and Mongoose cars that we’re in solid.”
Saturday’s qualifying also will provide Capps with an opportunity to participate in a tribute that almost didn’t happen. He and Paul Lee are scheduled to recreate the famous Snake and Mongoose rivalry using Funny Car bodies honoring Don Prudhomme and Tom McEwen.
The opportunity developed after Capps lost a Funny Car body in a Dallas accident, forcing his team to retrieve a backup before continuing west to Las Vegas. The replacement happened to be the Army-themed body previously used to honor Prudhomme at Indianapolis.
Lee had the McEwen tribute body with him in Las Vegas, and Capps had the Prudhomme car in his trailer. They initially talked about lining them up for a photograph during Monday’s test, but the idea didn’t end there.
“But Paul Lee, we had a pro meeting this morning,” Capps said. “We were talking and he showed me the picture that he took as a 16-year-old at the summer nationals of that car he’s driving and that paint scheme next to the car that we ran at Indy.”
Capps contacted NAPA for permission to run the tribute body, while Lee worked with NHRA officials to arrange the qualifying pairing. The two cars are scheduled to run together 50 years after their original counterparts helped make Prudhomme and McEwen household names among drag racing fans.
Capps called Prudhomme to tell him about Saturday’s plans and asked if he’d come to the starting line. The Snake didn’t need much convincing, telling Capps he’d be standing right behind his car.
“I just got off the phone with Snake,” Capps said. “He’ll be here in the morning.”
With his qualifying position already secure, Capps can participate in the tribute without worrying about whether he’ll make Sunday’s eliminations. That’s one less problem for a team that has dealt with more than its share this season.
Capps believes a strong Sunday could move him as many as four positions in the final Funny Car standings. His rookie Top Fuel driver, Maddi Gordon, also has an opportunity to climb in the points and finish her first season with another strong showing.
“We can move four spots pretty easily,” Capps said. “I mean, it’s not that hard if we run good and have a good day.”
Gordon’s rookie campaign has provided one of the brighter developments for the organization, and Capps credited crew chief Rob Flynn and the cooperation between the Top Fuel and Funny Car programs for their progress. But the success hasn’t come without considerable sacrifices behind the scenes.
Running two professional teams has stretched Capps financially, and he admitted the second half of the season has been among the toughest periods of his life. He had to purchase equipment, trucks and trailers while relying on suppliers and fellow racers willing to help him get through the year.
“For us, it’s been a very trying year,” Capps said. “I’ve had a lot of vendors, parts people, partners that aren’t necessarily the big ones you see on the car that have worked with me this year because I basically had to start up from scratch and buy everything.”
Capps specifically mentioned Joe Maynard’s assistance with trucks and trailers, along with Richard Shute and other supporters who helped him navigate the financial demands. Some of those offering assistance are people his teams compete against every weekend.
Capps said some of the people who stepped up to help were the same teams that he races against every weekend. Others were longtime suppliers who worked with him when the bills started piling up, giving him some breathing room when he needed it.
Meanwhile, Capps has kept his Funny Car in the championship mix, and rookie Maddi Gordon has given him plenty to smile about with the Top Fuel operation. He’s already planning for 2027, although he wouldn’t mind leaving Pomona with another trophy before turning the page.
“So it’s been a fun year no matter what,” Capps said. “I’m excited about Tuesday morning when it’s all over, you don’t care who won and you just focus on next year because unless you’re the guy that won or the girl that won and you’re hungover for a week, other than that, you’re like, ‘Thank God. The banquet’s over and now let’s think about 2027.’”
