NHRA News: Capps to compete in Skip Barber road race at Mid-Ohio (8/25/2004)

Capps to compete in Skip Barber road race at Mid-Ohio

8/25/2004

Ron Capps

Skoal Racing Funny Car driver Ron Capps has accomplished many things on the quarter-mile from race wins to victories in the lucrative Skoal Showdown bonus event. The popular veteran driver has also strapped in behind the wheel of an IROC car and competed at the famed Chili Bowl sprint car event in Tulsa, Okla. This weekend, the 14-time NHRA winner will compete in the Skip Barber Formula Dodge Race Series at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.

Rounds 9 and 10 of the Skip Barber Midwest Race Series will take place Aug. 27-29; one week before Capps competes in the 50th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park, drag racing's marquee event on the 23-race NHRA POWERade Series schedule.

Capps, who practiced his turning skills on the famed Mid-Ohio road course Aug. 23, will compete against both aspiring open-wheel drivers and your everyday motorsports enthusiast. Between 40 and 80 drivers usually compete in the Skip Barber Racing events.

Capps (in car) and Top Fuel driver Doug Kalitta
have experience in IROC and Sprint cars.

Qualifying will take place on Saturday with the race Sunday. Competitors use a rolling start and the races last between 20-35 minutes in duration. The three groups of competitors are Champion, Expert, and Sportsmen.

"I tested at Mid-Ohio on Monday and it went great," Capps said. "Watching guys like Mario Andretti and Bobby Rahal race at Mid-Ohio and finally getting to go there and drive these Formula cars was a blast. Mid-Ohio is one of the most prestigious road-race tracks anywhere. Driving there was a dream for me. Driving these cars you come to appreciate the concentration it takes the F-1 and Indy car drivers. There's so much going on in the racecar and I'm really excited to compete against these open-wheel drivers."

Capps will be competing in an R/T 2000. The car, which has the appearance of a small Indy car, uses a Ricardo five-speed sequential gearbox, dual-element rear and single-element front wings, and composite bodywork. Dodge's 2.0-liter SOHC 4-cylinder is modified for racing in three areas: oil system (hybrid dry sump), engine control unit (primarily ignition timing) and breathing (custom racing headers). The R/T 2002 reaches a top speed of 135 mph and will corner up to 1.4g and brake at nearly 1.5gs.

Capps' Don Prudhomme-owned green Skoal Racing Funny Car is powered by a motor that produces 6,000 horsepower and reaches speeds in excess of 320 mph, while covering the drag strip in less than five seconds. When he launches, his Chevy flopper accelerates at 5gs and when Capps pulls the parachutes to slow the racecar, it engages a negative 6gs.

In its 29th season of competition, the Skip Barber Formula Dodge Race Series is the largest open-wheel amateur championship in North America. The series operates four different regional championships – East, Midwest, South and West.

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