DINWIDDIE, Va. — Three-time Funny Car champion Ron Capps snapped a 33-race winless streak when he won two weeks ago at Bristol (Tenn.) Dragway.
Capps and the rest of the stars of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series return to racing this weekend at the fifth annual American Rebel Light Virginia NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park for another weekend of action-packed racing.
Capps wheeled his 12,000-horsepower NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra Funny Car to the winner’s circle for the first time since 2023 two weeks ago in Bristol, providing a much-needed boost to the team. Capps hopes the win the carry some momentum into Richmond as the summer heats up for NHRA teams.
The stop in Richmond is the third event in a busy four-race June, meaning Capps could be rolling at an ideal time in the loaded Funny Car ranks.
“Coming off a win like we did at Bristol where we saw conditions change so rapidly, it always goes back to me bragging about the NAPA team with (crew chief) Dean “Guido” Antonelli and being able to adapt quickly,” Capps said.
“Coming up to an event that has all three qualifying runs on Saturday and then the race on Sunday, it’s looking like it’s going to be a great show for the fans. And one thing about the VMP facility, when they redid the track, they really did it right. It’s one of the best track surfaces on tour and with the conditions we’re expecting to see this weekend, it’s going to test every team. We feel great, but you can never count anything out with the Funny Car class with it being as tough as it is right now.”
Also scheduled for the weekend will be the popular Mission #2Fast2Tasty. With his win in Bristol, Capps will rematch with semifinalist Dave Richards while Bristol runner-up Paul Lee will take on Daniel Wilkerson.
Sweeping the weekend won’t be easy, as the Funny Car class continues to be a highly competitive class with six different winners earning race wins through eight races.
Leading the points is reigning Funny Car world champion Prock. However, he suffered back-to-back first round loses in Epping and Bristol. Phoenix winner Paul Lee sits second in points while Prock’s John Force Racing teammate Jack Beckman is third after his two wins this season.
“We’ve talked time and time again about this point in the season, where we’ve got a lot of races back-to-back, it’s hot out, hotter track temperatures, trickier conditions for the drivers and crew chiefs to navigate,” Capps said. “With our upcoming race this weekend in Richmond, it’s looking like it’s going to be very warm and that bodes well for our team.”
