Ron Capps Motorsports Pre-Race Report: Reading

Pep Boys NHRA Nationals
Event 15 of 20
Countdown Event 1 of 6
Maple Grove Raceway
Mohnton, Pa.
Sept. 13 – 15, 2024

RON CAPPS
Driver of the NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra

Countdown to the Championship Ranking: 5th

NHRA Reading Nationals Event Highlights:
2017 event champion
Three-time runner-up (1999, 2000, 2016)
2019 No. 1 qualifier
2023 NHRA Reading Nationals Event Recap:
Qualified second; Semifinal finish (defeated Dave Richards in E1, John Force in E2; defeated by Robert Hight in E3)

Last Event (Indianapolis):
Qualified seventh; Event runner-up (defeated J.R. Todd in E1, Buddy Hull in E2, Jack Beckman in E3; defeated by Austin Prock in E4)

2024 Statistics:
14 races; three runner-up finishes

Career Statistics:
643 races; 76 wins, 37 No. 1 qualifiers

Noteworthy:
Capps, a 30-year nitro veteran, begins the 2024 NHRA Countdown to the Championship from the No. 5 seed
Capps is a three-time Funny Car world champ. His most recent title from 2022 made him the first Funny Car driver in 20 years to win two consecutive championships
Capps finished fourth in the 2023 end-of-season rankings
Capps is seeking a fourth Funny Car championship and second overall for his third-year Ron Capps Motorsports team. The owner-driver is on track to finish in the Top 10 for the 20th consecutive season in 2024
The RCM team could hit two major milestones in Reading:
With 99 round wins, Ron Capps Motorsports will be looking to capture its 100th round win as an organization on Sunday in Maple Grove
The team has been to the final round 19 times since RCM made its debut in 2022, and could see their 20th final round appearance this weekend
Capps owns both ends of the Maple Grove Raceway Funny Car track records:
E.T.: 3.837 seconds (2019)
Speed: 339.28 mph (2019); Capps’ speed is also an overall facility record (includes Top Fuel), and is the second-fastest run in NHRA history
Quotable:
“We can officially close the door on the regular season and here we are once again looking at six races for pretty much everything you’ve worked for, and that is an NHRA world championship. The Countdown to the Championship is not for the faint of heart. You only have six races to be at your very best with little room for any mistakes, and I really feel like our NAPA Auto Care team kind of hit our stride this summer going into Sonoma. Getting to a final round there and then with everything going on at the U.S. Nationals and to gut out another final round there on Monday, was pretty much what we needed to get ready for the playoffs.

“We’re heading to a race track that’s fast. A lot of really great memories from Reading – setting the Maple Grove speed record in 2019 and having the success we’ve had. We have an unbelievable number of NAPA guests joining us out there this year, so I couldn’t think of a better place to kick off the Countdown with a win than in Reading.”

About Ron Capps Motorsports
Established in 2021, Ron Capps Motorsports is a single-car NHRA Funny Car team owned and operated by three-time world champion Ron Capps. Headquartered in Brownsburg, Ind., the team made its on-track debut in 2022 and competes on the 20-race NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series circuit thanks to the support of NAPA Auto Parts, Toyota, GearWrench, and Mobil 1.

Capps, who serves as both the owner and driver of his namesake operation, is the second-winningest Funny Car pilot in NHRA history with 75 wins in the category. His 76 overall wins (1 Top Fuel) rank sixth amongst NHRA’s four premier classes. The 2024 NHRA season marks Capps’ 30th year competing in the sport’s professional ranks.