NHRA News: Capps rides pole to first road course win (8/28/2004)

Capps rides pole to first road course win

By Rob Geiger, NHRA.com
8/28/2004

"It's unlike anything I've ever driven but it's such a racecar feeling in there."
– Ron Capps

Competing on a road course for the first time in his driving career, Funny Car driver Ron Capps won Saturday's Skip Barber Formula Dodge race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. Capps qualified on the pole with a 2:06.072-second lap around the 15-turn, 2.4-mile layout and led all 15 laps of his race to take the trophy. Adding drama to Capps' remarkable feat is the fact qualifying took place in the rain.

Due to his success in the event, Capps – who has driven IROC, Busch, Sprint, and Midget cars in addition to his time in Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars – earned a spot in Sunday's official points race where he'll compete against the top touring pros on the Formula Dodge circuit.

"It was gnarly out there," said Capps, a 39-year-old from San Luis Obispo, Calif. "The guy that qualified No. 2 [touring pro Mike Distaulo, who had a 2:06.575 time] was filling my rearview mirrors the whole time. He actually passed me on one corner and led for a second but I got him right back on the next turn and then held on for dear life.

Capps prepares for action.
Photo by Ashlei Newkirk

"The rain really made it uncomfortable for me. Prior to the race I'd only had about four hours of seat time and only a little bit of that was with rain tires on, but I just drove by feel and it worked out. It was quite a thrill and, let me tell you, it wears you out. I need to go back to my 4.7-second Funny Car and get some rest."

Racing what amounts to slightly scaled-down Indy cars, Capps and 18 other drivers used a standard 20-minute open session to try their best to record a good elapsed time around the rolling hills and tight turns of Mid-Ohio. A transponder in each vehicle marks time to the ten-thousandths of a second. When the qualifying session ended, Capps found himself on top.

"I think we were all a little surprised," Capps said. "But the other drivers were very, very cool throughout this deal. They all came over to talk and I found out all these guys are big fans of the drags. They all keep up with what we're doing. They all knew the U.S. Nationals are next weekend."

Capps, who drives the Skoal Funny Car for legend Don "the Snake" Prudhomme, also had some unexpected support among the spectators.

The ultimate prize – the checkered flag.
Photo by Ashlei Newkirk

"I have to thank the guys at the Columbus Dispatch newspaper," he said. "I guess they did a little story on me racing up here this weekend and since we're just about an hour north of Columbus, a lot of the fans that are into drag racing and come to National Trail Raceway every year when we're there came up to cheer me on today. It was awesome."

Saturday's race was an open event with no series points up for grabs. Sunday's event will be a little more intense as Capps will face the best drivers on a circuit that routinely graduates its best pilots to Formula 1, Champ car, and the Indy Racing League.

"I'm gonna race like I'm Mario Andretti," Capps said. "Marco Andretti, Michael's son, is the points leader in one of these divisions. I won't be racing him but all the guys I will be racing have that level of expertise. This will be serious stuff and I hope I can hold my own. That's the plan.

"I'm still learning every lap. There is so much going on in there. You have a five-speed transmission with a sequential gearbox and there are so many hills and turns that you're constantly going up and down through the gears. It's unlike anything else I've ever driven but it's such a racecar feeling in there. It's incredible."

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