Countdown to the Championship standing: 2nd
Bristol Event Highlights:
- Five-time event champion (2001, 2006, 2012, 2017, 2018)
- 2015 event runner-up
- 2016 No. 1 qualifier
2020 Bristol Recap: N/A, canceled due to COVID-19
2019 Bristol Recap: Qualified seventh; Semifinish finish (defeated Blake Alexander in E1, Shawn Langdon in E2; defeated by Bob Tasca in E3)
Last Event (Dallas): Qualified second; Event champion (defeated Jack Wyatt in E1, Paul Lee in E2, Cruz Pedregon in E3, Matt Hagan in E4)
Career Statistics: 583 races; 68 wins (one Top Fuel); 29 No. 1 qualifiers
Noteworthy:
- Ron Capps enters the race weekend ranked No. 2 in the standings
- After defeating teammate Matt Hagan in the finals at the most recent event (Dallas) Capps narrowed the gap to 33 points, or less than two rounds
- With five Bristol Dragway triumphs, Capps returns to Thunder Valley as the winningest Funny Car driver in Bristol history
Quotable: “There have been a lot of changes to the NHRA schedule over the last year-and-a-half, and the really nice thing about getting back to somewhat of a normal schedule this year was having certain races fall in different times of the year than we’re used to. We had the Winternationals in July, and we won it with friends and family there which was unbelievable, so having Bristol in October and during the Countdown, is a very welcome sight. I’ve been very lucky to win there several times in the past and have had great success there, and now for it to be a Countdown event in a time when I really feel like our NAPA team has hit its stride is great.
“Obviously, we’re on a very good high coming off that win from the FallNationals. Looking at weather conditions, we’re going to see a Bristol Dragway track that’s probably going to have track records fall that have been there for years. We haven’t seen conditions like what we expect to see this weekend, and when you get those cooler temperatures in Thunder Valley, you better hang on tight because it’s going to be a lot of fun. That’s why I love racing with ‘Guido’ (Dean Antonelli) and John Medlen and our NAPA AutoCare team. They excel in all conditions and that gives me great confidence as a driver. I can’t wait to see our Bristol fans this weekend. We missed them last year and I know they’re ready for us to be back in town.” |
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