Capps Debuts Promising New Car at NHRA Nevada Nationals

While a close first-round loss at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway brought Ron Capps’ race day to an early end Sunday at the NHRA Nevada Nationals, the three-time world champion left Las Vegas more energized than ever about the future of Ron Capps Motorsports. Debuting a brand-new Carlyle Tools Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Capps impressed right out of the gate with multiple 3.91-second runs in his Dean “Guido” Antonelli-led team heading into the 2025 season finale and beyond. Capps, who leaves the Nevada Nationals fourth in the Funny Car points standings, will shift his focus from the track to the SEMA Show, where he and future Ron Capps Motorsports Top Fuel driver Maddi Gordon will unveil Gordon’s 2026 primary sponsor.

Capps’ brand-new Carlyle Tools Toyota GR Supra was among the quickest cars in Friday qualifying, lighting up the boards with a 3.919-second pass at 329.91 mph in Q2 to jump to fourth. After striking the tires early in the run on his third qualifying attempt, Capps in his Dean ‘Guido’ Antonelli-tuned machine powered to a strong 3.965-second pass to close out qualifying in the fourth session. Capps ended up No. 6 on the final qualifying sheet, putting him in the top half of the field for Sunday eliminations.

In NHRA’s Marquee Matchup against Chad Green on Sunday, Capps delivered a smooth 3.917-second effort at 329.91 mph – the third-quickest run of the round – but it wasn’t enough to turn on the win light. Green left first and won with a 3.921 E.T., ending Capps’ weekend earlier than expected.

“This is such a big race with how much it affects the championship and where people finish,” Capps said. “On one hand, we showed up with a brand-new car, and I mean brand-new. It went 3.91 on its first run down the track in qualifying, and then we ran that 3.91 again first round, so Guido’s real happy with the car. Unfortunately, we lost a close race, but I feel great about going to Pomona and so does Guido. We can really start to push it E.T. wise at Pomona.”

The Las Vegas event marked the final appearance of the season for the Carlyle Tools paint scheme, which debuted at the season-opening Gatornationals and was part of a three-race campaign celebrating Carlyle’s refreshed brand identity targeting the next generation of technicians.

Capps’ weekend at the NHRA Nevada Nationals may have ended early, but his time in Las Vegas is far from over. He’s rolling right into the SEMA Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center, where Capps and future Ron Capps Motorsports Top Fuel driver Maddi Gordon will make a major announcement. Scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 4 at 10:40 a.m. PT, the announcement will offer details regarding the organization’s upcoming expansion into a two-car team. Fans can watch the announcement live on the Ron Capps Motorsports Facebook page.

“We wanted to show up at SEMA with a Wally, but we’re going to have a great, huge day for Ron Capps Motorsports on Tuesday,” Capps said. “We get to finally make an announcement revealing Maddi’s Top Fuel sponsor for 2026. We’re excited about it, and it’s going to be awesome to do it at SEMA on the opening morning with all the media that’s going to be there. We can finally get that off our chest and start building on next year.”

After the SEMA Show, Capps will wrap up his fourth season as a team owner at the NHRA Mission Foods Series season finale, the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals, Nov. 14-16, at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Pomona, Calif.

Start / Finish: No. 6 / def. in first round
Points Standing / Total: 4th / 2,370 pts.

Next Race: Nov. 14-16, NHRA Finals, Pomona, Calif.
How to Watch or Listen: FS1, NHRA.TV

NAPA Racing:@NAPARacing
Ron Capps: @RonCapps28
Ron Capps Motorsports: @TeamRonCapps