Ron Capps Earns Funny Car Win At Bainerd International

Ron Capps earned his third Funny Car win of the season by racing to the victory Sunday at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway over teammate and points leader Matt Hagan.

Spencer Massey (Top Fuel) and Mike Edwards (Pro Stock) were also winners in their respective categories at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event in Brainerd.

Capps, driving his NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger, defeated his Don Schumacher Racing partner Hagan with a run of 4.063 seconds at 312.28 mph to the losing pass of 4.095 at 312.78 in the tightly contested championship round. Capps rebounded to win for the 41st time in his career after failing to qualify for the previous event in Seattle. His team also overcame an engine explosion during qualifying on Saturday in Brainerd that forced the team to use a backup Funny Car body for eliminations.

“That is the nature of our sport and for sure the Funny Car division,” said Capps who earned the 11th Funny Car win by Don Schumacher Racing in 2013. “It is a fun class but that final round just epitomizes how tight our category is right now. You have to be on your absolute best and I wasn’t today as a driver but Rahn (Tobler, crew chief) made up for it and man, wow, what a weekend.”

With the win, Capps was able to secure his entry into the Funny Car field for the Countdown to the Championship, also moving to second in the points standings. Capps joined Hagan, who was previously qualified for the six-race playoffs, as well as Johnny Gray, Cruz Pedregon, John and Courtney Force as drivers who all earned berths during the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals. Defending world champion Jack Beckman also earned the seventh slot in the Traxxas Shootout.

Massey piloted his Battery Extender/Schumacher Electric dragster to a fourth win this season in Top Fuel when he powered to the victory over Clay Millican. The win for Massey, who moved to second in points, was well deserved after an engine fire in the first round of eliminations forced the team to replace many components on the car prior to the second round. Massey overcame the difficulties and in the finals posted a winning pass of 3.811 at 322.11 to Millican’s 3.856 at 320.66, giving Massey his first career NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series win at Brainerd International Raceway.

“We just hadn’t had any luck here,” Massey said. “I won in Top Alcohol Dragster (1998), but this is a completely different category and I’ve always lost in the first round. I wanted to see that win light come on for the first time in Brainerd. I would’ve been happy no matter what happened in the second round because we got that round win, but we obviously wanted to keep going on.”

With his run to the finals, Millican and his Parts Plus dragster team were able to secure a position in the Countdown to the Championship along with GEICO/Lucas Oil dragster pilot Morgan Lucas.

In Pro Stock, points leader Edwards recorded his first win at Brainerd International Raceway and his fifth of the season with the victory over V. Gaines in the finals in his Interstate Batteries/I am Second Chevy Camaro. Edwards defeated Gaines with a run of 6.629 at 208.68 to the trailing run of 6.665 at 208.84.

“Finally getting a win here is pretty special,” Edwards stated. “I’m not sure, but I don’t think that I’ve ever gotten past the second round here before. We weren’t really that fast this weekend, but we managed to stick around, and I’m so proud of my guys because they really stepped it up. We had ignition problems during qualifying and really didn’t know if we had it fixed or not before today’s eliminations. We swapped ignition systems, engines, and we swapped everything. But it worked out, so we’re happy.”

The field for the Pro Stock racers in the Countdown to the Championship was filled as Rodger Brogdon earned the final available position on Sunday.

The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series returns to action with the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis Aug. 28-Sept. 2.

NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series
Brainerd International Raceway – Brainerd, MN
Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals – Aug. 18, 2013

TOP FUEL
1. Spencer Massey; 2. Clay Millican; 3. Khalid alBalooshi; 4. Shawn Langdon; 5. David Grubnic; 6. Tony Schumacher; 7. Doug Kalitta; 8. Steve Torrence; 9. Brittany Force; 10. Brandon Bernstein; 11. Tommy Johnson Jr.; 12. Terry McMillen; 13. Morgan Lucas; 14. Bob Vandergriff; 15. Antron Brown; 16. T.J. Zizzo.

FUNNY CAR
1. Ron Capps; 2. Matt Hagan; 3. Johnny Gray; 4. Tim Wilkerson; 5. John Force; 6. Courtney Force; 7. Jack Beckman; 8. Robert Hight; 9. Bob Tasca III; 10. Tony Pedregon; 11. Alexis DeJoria; 12. Del Worsham; 13. Chad Head; 14. Bob Bode; 15. Cruz Pedregon; 16. Jeff Arend.

PRO STOCK
1. Mike Edwards; 2. V. Gaines; 3. Greg Anderson; 4. Vincent Nobile; 5. Allen Johnson; 6. V. Gaines; 7. Jason Line; 8. Mark Martino; 9. Erica Enders-Stevens; 10. Jeg Coughlin; 11. Shane Gray; 12. Greg Stanfield; 13. Deric Kramer; 14. Chris McGaha; 15. Rodger Brogdon; 16. Steve Kent.

Final Results

Top Fuel — Spencer Massey, 3.811 seconds, 322.11 mph def. Clay Millican, 3.856 seconds, 320.66 mph.

Funny Car — Ron Capps, Dodge Charger, 4.063, 312.28 def. Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.095, 312.78.
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Pro Stock — Mike Edwards, Chevy Camaro, 6.629, 208.68 def. V. Gaines, Dodge Avenger, 6.665, 208.84.

Final Round-By-Round

TOP FUEL
ROUND ONE — Steve Torrence, 3.802, 323.43 def. Tommy Johnson Jr., 3.866, 318.17; Shawn Langdon, 3.794, 298.01 def. Bob Vandergriff, 4.184, 202.27; Clay Millican, 3.830, 322.50 def. Terry McMillen, 3.896, 314.02; Spencer Massey, 3.791, 319.67 def. Brittany Force, 3.823, 317.72; Khalid alBalooshi, 3.807, 321.96 def. T.J. Zizzo, 4.342, 191.46; David Grubnic, 3.794, 324.98 def. Morgan Lucas, 4.104, 245.76; Doug Kalitta, 3.821, 318.77 def. Antron Brown, 4.290, 200.14; Tony Schumacher, 3.796, 325.22 def. Brandon Bernstein, 3.825, 319.14;

QUARTERFINALS — alBalooshi, 3.850, 302.89 def. Kalitta, 3.827, 321.12; Langdon, 3.787, 321.65 def. Grubnic, 3.780, 324.75; Millican, 3.824, 322.27 def. Torrence, foul; Massey, 3.799, 322.04 def. Schumacher, 3.813, 320.36;

SEMIFINALS — Massey, 3.820, 323.50 def. alBalooshi, 3.831, 320.89; Millican, 3.819, 321.50 def. Langdon, 4.307, 216.51;

FINAL — Massey, 3.811, 322.11 def. Millican, 3.856, 320.66.

FUNNY CAR
ROUND ONE — Tim Wilkerson, Ford Mustang, 5.348, 139.20 def. Jeff Arend, Dodge Charger, broke; Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.055, 310.41 def. Chad Head, Toyota Camry, 4.970, 157.96; Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.073, 311.63 def. Bob Bode, Chevy Impala, 5.242, 143.34; Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.068, 314.02 def. Tony Pedregon, Camry, 4.153, 281.42; John Force, Mustang, 4.027, 319.45 def. Alexis DeJoria, Camry, 4.164, 265.01; Johnny Gray, Charger, 4.097, 295.85 def. Cruz Pedregon, Camry, 6.079, 111.15; Courtney Force, Mustang, 4.094, 317.42 def. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.114, 308.00; Ron Capps, Charger, 4.054, 311.70 def. Del Worsham, Camry, 4.696, 187.81;

QUARTERFINALS — Hagan, 4.056, 311.70 def. C. Force, 4.093, 312.06; Capps, 4.073, 309.77 def. Beckman, 4.102, 309.70; Wilkerson, 4.079, 311.41 def. Hight, 4.113, 298.01; Gray, 4.099, 308.57 def. J. Force, 4.061, 314.24;

SEMIFINALS — Capps, 4.116, 304.87 def. Wilkerson, 5.215, 142.70; Hagan, 4.097, 311.34 def. Gray, 4.119, 305.08;

FINAL — Capps, 4.063, 312.28 def. Hagan, 4.095, 312.78.

PRO STOCK
ROUND ONE — Mark Martino, Pontiac GXP, 6.647, 207.88 def. Jeg Coughlin, Dodge Avenger, 6.644, 207.40; Jason Line, Chevy Camaro, 6.621, 209.56 def. Shane Gray, Camaro, foul; Larry Morgan, Ford Mustang, 6.647, 207.94 def. Erica Enders-Stevens, Camaro, 6.631, 208.46; Allen Johnson, Avenger, 6.643, 208.49 def. Rodger Brogdon, Camaro, foul; Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.604, 209.33 def. Deric Kramer, Avenger, foul; Vincent Nobile, Avenger, 6.619, 208.55 def. Chris McGaha, Avenger, 6.741, 206.35; V. Gaines, Avenger, 6.629, 208.97 def. Steve Kent, Camaro, 9.654, 94.90; Mike Edwards, Camaro, 6.601, 208.88 def. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, foul;

QUARTERFINALS — Morgan, 6.741, 193.45 def. Gaines, 6.623, 203.26; Nobile, 6.636, 207.78 def. Martino, 6.684, 207.69; Anderson, 6.608, 208.14 def. Line, 6.623, 208.52; Edwards, 6.619, 208.26 def. Johnson, 6.622, 208.62;

SEMIFINALS — Edwards, 6.630, 208.71 def. Nobile, 8.414, 106.89; Gaines, 6.632, 208.65 def. Anderson, 6.604, 209.46;

FINAL — Edwards, 6.629, 208.68 def. Gaines, 6.665, 208.84.

Point Standings

Top Fuel
1. Shawn Langdon, 1,370; 2. Spencer Massey, 1,249; 3. Tony Schumacher, 1,199; 4. Doug Kalitta, 1,009; 5. Khalid alBalooshi, 1,002; 6. Antron Brown, 994; 7. Clay Millican, 928; 8. Morgan Lucas, 917; 9. Steve Torrence, 794; 10. Bob Vandergriff, 789.

Funny Car
1. Matt Hagan, 1,253; 2. Ron Capps, 1,129; 3. (tie) Johnny Gray, 1,066; Cruz Pedregon, 1,066; 5.John Force, 1,054; 6. Courtney Force, 1,039; 7. Jack Beckman, 1,015; 8. Tim Wilkerson, 952; 9. Bob Tasca III, 906; 10. Robert Hight, 902.

Pro Stock
1. Mike Edwards, 1,540; 2. Allen Johnson, 1,390; 3. Jeg Coughlin, 1,275; 4. Vincent Nobile, 1,113; 5. Shane Gray, 1,031; 6. Jason Line, 1,008; 7. Greg Anderson, 977; 8. V. Gaines, 879; 9. Erica Enders-Stevens, 779; 10. Rodger Brogdon, 724.