Owner-driver Ron Capps was planning to return for Saturday’s final qualifying session at the NHRA Texas FallNationals in his back-up car minutes after a massive – and costly – Funny Car explosion at 324.61 mph disintegrated his NAPA Hydraulic Fluid Toyota carbon-fiber body and lifted the rear of the car from the racetrack.
Capps was unhurt and soon afterward told FOX Sports’ Amanda Busick he and his crew were preparing to return for the final session. The team immediately pulled the back-up car from the hauler and began work as the damaged one sat nearby, its remains looking like some twisted modern sculpture.
The violent engine concussion came with Austin Prock in the opposite lane on the 1,000-foot course at Texas Motorplex. It disintegrated nearly all of the carbon-fiber body and lifted the entire rear of the NAPA Toyota into the air for about 500 feet. In-car camera footage showed Capps’s amazingly calm, steady hands steering the chassis straight and away from the wall.
He exited the car on his own and went straight to the wall to catch his breath.
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Soon afterward, Capps – who posted a 3.899-second elapsed time on that ill-fated pass – said as he watched a video replay of the incident, “I was trying to run an .80 [a 3.80-second elapsed time], and it started just going left a little bit down there. I wasn’t sure maybe it had a hole out, but it didn’t feel like it did. I hate watching replays like this. It seemed like it was running fine. I didn’t see Austin. …
“We’ve had issues with the body staying on and the bad accident in Phoenix, the way the front end came down. Yeah, that’s a little worse. But it was one of the biggest concussions I’ve had in a while, and I am shocked it didn’t do more damage,” he said.
As he saw the rear of the car bounce into the air, Capps said, “Oh, my God, look at that. That’ll make the highlight reel. That’s crazy. Obviously RevChem is a great partner – thanks to our great partners. So all the NAPA people, but Carlyle Tools especially, we got a good group with us, and a lot of friends flew in for this race. I’m sorry to make you nervous like that.”
