FUNNY CAR POINTS LEADER CAPPS RIDING THAT WAVE INTO ATLANTA
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
Contact: Judy Stropus
COMMERCE, Ga. (May 3, 2006) - Funny Car points leader Ron Capps just keeps riding that killer wave he's been surfing since the beginning of the 2006 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. As the NHRA circus heads to the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals this weekend at Atlanta Dragway, Capps is enjoying a 122-point lead over 13-time champ John Force, a record of five final-round appearances in six events, including three wins, and a season round win-loss tally of 20-3.
For the driver of the Brut Dodge Stratus R/T, with support from Torco Race Fuels, who missed out on winning his first Funny Car championship by eight points in 2005, this season is looking like it could be the one. But Capps is not one to count those chickens just yet.
While he's never won at Atlanta Dragway, he does have three runner-up finishes - two in Funny Car (2000, 2001) and one in Top Fuel (1995).
"Atlanta is a place where I've done real well in the past," he says."It's always a place I'm happy to go to. That being said, now we're going to get to these tracks where conditions are going to be a little bit warmer and there will be some more humidity than we've seen. You've heard people say in the past that championships are won in the summer months.
"Some of the conditions we're going to see coming up here in the next few races, especially Atlanta, are going to be tough, and we're in a two-race swing on top of that.
"I'm very excited, but I'm apprehensive. We need to stay focused and try to keep what we have going on. It's real easy to drink your own bath water, so to speak, when you start reading your own press and getting excited. You have to remember it's a long year. You don't want to get too excited. I've said this before, it's like a football player running wide open and is going to score a touchdown and starts dancing around before he gets to the end zone and drops the ball. You just don't want to do that, especially in this game.
"Atlanta is the home of POWERade and Coca-Cola. A lot of companies are close to Atlanta, so you get a lot of the corporate people coming out. I think it's important that we put on the best show we can for them and I think right now the fans are getting their money's worth, both on TV and in person when we come to their area. I know for sure that every year we go to Atlanta
they pack the grandstands. I'm sure it will be the same this year."
RON CAPPS QUICK FACTS:
* Leading 2006 Funny Car point standings after six events, by 122 over John Force
* Has three wins, two runner-up finishes, one semifinal finish in 2006 so far
* Quallified No. 2 at 2005 Summit Racing Nationals, lost in semis to Robert Hight
* Had three wins, four runner-up finishes in 2005 (St. Louis was his first win for DSR in '05), won at Chicago 2 at Route 66 Raceway and Las Vegas 2
* 2005 Funny Car championship runner-up, eight points short of title
* Qualified No. 1 once in 2005, in Dallas; first time since Brainerd 2000
* A perennial fan favorite, Capps has driven and won in both Top Fuel and Funny Cars since he began his pro NHRA career in 1995
* His best season points finishes were seconds in Funny Car in 1998, 2000 and 2005
* He has 20 event wins in 42 final rounds to his credit (19 national event wins in Funny Car, one in Top Fuel)
* His career best elapsed time (established during an event) is 4.694 seconds, set in 2005 in Dallas
* His career best speed is 329.02 mph (Chicago 2, '05)
* Age 40 (June 20, 1965); born and raised in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
* Lives in Carlsbad, Calif., with wife Shelley and daughter Taylor (9) and son Caden (3)
* Is the subject, along with son Caden and the Brut racing crew, of a number of Brut ads appearing in mainstream magazines, such as People, Sports Illustrated, etc.
* New to Don Schumacher Racing in 2005 after eight years with Don Prudhomme.
* Has tested for IROC Series and competed in Skip Barber Formula Ford, Dirt Late Models and Go-Karts
SCHEDULE:
Friday, May 5, professional qualifying sessions are at 3:30 and 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 6, pro qualifying continues at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 7, pre-race ceremonies are 10 a.m. Final eliminations begin at 11 a.m.
TELEVISION:
Saturday, May 6, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 9 p.m. (ET).
Sunday May 7, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise NHRA 2Day, a 30-minute weekly news magazine show, at 11:30 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, May 7, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise three hours of final eliminations at 7 p.m. (ET).
SATELLITE:
Friday, May 5, 9-9:30 p.m. (ET) SBS 6 / 2K (11749.5 MHz, vertical)
Saturday, May 6, 8:30-9 p.m. (ET) SBS 6 / 2K (11749.5 MHz, vertical)
Sunday, May 7, 9:30-10 p.m. (ET) SBS 6 / 2K (11749.5 MHz, vertical)
***
Contact: Judy Stropus
COMMERCE, Ga. (May 3, 2006) - Funny Car points leader Ron Capps just keeps riding that killer wave he's been surfing since the beginning of the 2006 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. As the NHRA circus heads to the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals this weekend at Atlanta Dragway, Capps is enjoying a 122-point lead over 13-time champ John Force, a record of five final-round appearances in six events, including three wins, and a season round win-loss tally of 20-3.
For the driver of the Brut Dodge Stratus R/T, with support from Torco Race Fuels, who missed out on winning his first Funny Car championship by eight points in 2005, this season is looking like it could be the one. But Capps is not one to count those chickens just yet.
While he's never won at Atlanta Dragway, he does have three runner-up finishes - two in Funny Car (2000, 2001) and one in Top Fuel (1995).
"Atlanta is a place where I've done real well in the past," he says."It's always a place I'm happy to go to. That being said, now we're going to get to these tracks where conditions are going to be a little bit warmer and there will be some more humidity than we've seen. You've heard people say in the past that championships are won in the summer months.
"Some of the conditions we're going to see coming up here in the next few races, especially Atlanta, are going to be tough, and we're in a two-race swing on top of that.
"I'm very excited, but I'm apprehensive. We need to stay focused and try to keep what we have going on. It's real easy to drink your own bath water, so to speak, when you start reading your own press and getting excited. You have to remember it's a long year. You don't want to get too excited. I've said this before, it's like a football player running wide open and is going to score a touchdown and starts dancing around before he gets to the end zone and drops the ball. You just don't want to do that, especially in this game.
"Atlanta is the home of POWERade and Coca-Cola. A lot of companies are close to Atlanta, so you get a lot of the corporate people coming out. I think it's important that we put on the best show we can for them and I think right now the fans are getting their money's worth, both on TV and in person when we come to their area. I know for sure that every year we go to Atlanta
they pack the grandstands. I'm sure it will be the same this year."
RON CAPPS QUICK FACTS:
* Leading 2006 Funny Car point standings after six events, by 122 over John Force
* Has three wins, two runner-up finishes, one semifinal finish in 2006 so far
* Quallified No. 2 at 2005 Summit Racing Nationals, lost in semis to Robert Hight
* Had three wins, four runner-up finishes in 2005 (St. Louis was his first win for DSR in '05), won at Chicago 2 at Route 66 Raceway and Las Vegas 2
* 2005 Funny Car championship runner-up, eight points short of title
* Qualified No. 1 once in 2005, in Dallas; first time since Brainerd 2000
* A perennial fan favorite, Capps has driven and won in both Top Fuel and Funny Cars since he began his pro NHRA career in 1995
* His best season points finishes were seconds in Funny Car in 1998, 2000 and 2005
* He has 20 event wins in 42 final rounds to his credit (19 national event wins in Funny Car, one in Top Fuel)
* His career best elapsed time (established during an event) is 4.694 seconds, set in 2005 in Dallas
* His career best speed is 329.02 mph (Chicago 2, '05)
* Age 40 (June 20, 1965); born and raised in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
* Lives in Carlsbad, Calif., with wife Shelley and daughter Taylor (9) and son Caden (3)
* Is the subject, along with son Caden and the Brut racing crew, of a number of Brut ads appearing in mainstream magazines, such as People, Sports Illustrated, etc.
* New to Don Schumacher Racing in 2005 after eight years with Don Prudhomme.
* Has tested for IROC Series and competed in Skip Barber Formula Ford, Dirt Late Models and Go-Karts
SCHEDULE:
Friday, May 5, professional qualifying sessions are at 3:30 and 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 6, pro qualifying continues at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 7, pre-race ceremonies are 10 a.m. Final eliminations begin at 11 a.m.
TELEVISION:
Saturday, May 6, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 9 p.m. (ET).
Sunday May 7, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise NHRA 2Day, a 30-minute weekly news magazine show, at 11:30 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, May 7, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise three hours of final eliminations at 7 p.m. (ET).
SATELLITE:
Friday, May 5, 9-9:30 p.m. (ET) SBS 6 / 2K (11749.5 MHz, vertical)
Saturday, May 6, 8:30-9 p.m. (ET) SBS 6 / 2K (11749.5 MHz, vertical)
Sunday, May 7, 9:30-10 p.m. (ET) SBS 6 / 2K (11749.5 MHz, vertical)
***
posted by David @ 11:11 PM
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