Capps on Wrong End of Good Race at Sonoma Quarterfinals

California native Ron Capps posted a strong showing at the NHRA Sonoma Nationals, highlighted by his fifth career Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge victory on Saturday and a season-best speed in Sunday eliminations. Coming off a runner-up finish at Seattle, the veteran driver of the NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra Funny Car qualified No. 7 and came out swinging on race day before falling just short in a close quarterfinal battle with rookie Spencer Hyde. With just two events left in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series regular season, Capps and his NAPA Auto Care team are building momentum at the right time.

Capps’ qualifying effort started with a 3.927-second pass at 330.96 mph, which put him No. 4, then he lost traction in Friday’s second qualifying session. In the third session on Saturday, which also counted as the first round of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Funny Car Challenge, Capps left on rookie Spencer Hyde to win on a holeshot, with Capps’ 3.908 E.T. at 330.31 mph edging out Hyde’s 3.902 E.T. The pass also moved Capps into the top half of the field in the No. 7 spot. In the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge final round, Capps left together with Matt Hagan but pulled ahead to win with a consistent 3.904-second run at 324.20 mph. It was Capps’ fifth career Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge win and his second of the season. He also solidified his No. 7 qualifying position.

On race day, Capps in his Dean ‘Guido’ Antonelli-tuned hot rod lined up next to Chad Green in the opening round of eliminations. Capps moved first by one thousandth of a second and never looked back, powering to a 3.854-second blast at a season-best 337.41 mph to beat Green’s 3.907 E.T. That set up a quarterfinal rematch with Hyde. Capps was first off the line again and he raced to a 3.886 E.T. at 333.25 mph pass, but Hyde was a tick quicker with his winning 3.872-second pass.

“We went up there and ran exactly what Guido wanted to run,” said Capps, the 2024 event runner-up. “There’s a lot of times you’ll go, ‘We missed the clutch setup here’ or ‘I let the car move left or right there’ and you know why you lost and what not to do next time. In this case, we just went up there and ran what we wanted to run, and Spencer just ran quicker. All you can do is tip your hat to Jim Head, Spencer, and their team.”

The ever-competitive Capps never likes to lose, but the experienced driver and team owner knows he’s still in a good position as the NHRA regular season winds down.

“When you lose like that, it’s still hard to be upset,” Capps said. “When you smoke the tires and lose, it’s hard to go to the next race, but we’ve got a great car. We’re going to Night Under Fire next weekend and then we’re going to Brainerd, where I’ve had pretty good success in the past. I think Guido and the NAPA guys are hitting their stride at the right time.”

An upcoming off weekend on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series schedule will give Capps and the NAPA Auto Care Funny Car team the opportunity to compete in Summit Motorsports Park’s fan-favorite 48th annual Night Under Fire match race on Aug. 1. Capps will then continue chasing points at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, Aug. 15-17, at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minn.

Start / Finish: No. 7 / def. in quarterfinals
Points Standing / Total: No. 4 / 782 pts. (-177)

Next Race: Aug. 15-17, Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, Brainerd, MN
How to Watch or Listen: FS1, NHRA.TV

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