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Ron Capps returns to Phoenix for 30th anniversary of first NHRA start

Former NHRA champion Ron Capps has been a staple within the Funny Car ranks for three decades, and this weekend’s 39th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals at Firebird Motorsports Park will celebrate the 30-year anniversary of his first NHRA start.
03 Apr 2024
Posted by NHRA.com staff
Feature
Ron Capps

Former NHRA champion Ron Capps has been a staple within the Funny Car ranks for three decades, and this weekend’s 39th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals at Firebird Motorsports Park will celebrate the 30-year anniversary of his first NHRA start.

Ironically, Capps’ career didn’t begin in Funny Car. Capps’ rookie season was in Top Fuel, driving for Roger Primm, with his debut coming at Firebird Motorsports Park in 1995.

“I just remember Roger Primm taking a chance on me,” Capps said. “I was brought up and picked over a pretty big list of much more creditable and experienced drivers, and I was thrown in. I hadn’t made a full run yet, and Steve Gibbs had signed my license in Bakersfield, and it exploded a supercharger, and I did all the right stuff to get off the track. So, he signed the license because I did that and not really because I made a great run.

“Fast forward, we get a brand-new car and show up in Phoenix, and I still hadn’t made a full run when we showed up Sunday morning. We qualified somewhere between 10-16, and we had Joe Amato first round. I was pretty nervous all night Saturday and remember he smoked the tires. It was a heck of a way to start to beat the legendary Joe Amato in my first round of competition.”

After his first year in the Top Fuel dragster, Capps hopped over to the Funny Car field, where he has collected 75 of his 76 career wins, including three at Firebird Motorsports Park. He’ll try to add another this weekend in his NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra, and Capps is thrilled to return this weekend to Phoenix, which has had an incredible history for nearly four decades.

“Phoenix has that old vibe again,” Capps said. “For me, I went there early on as a crew guy working on Blaine and Alan [Johnson’s] car, so I’ve gone there for years and for me, it’s been a family destination race for us. I’ve got a lot of memories from there as a crew guy growing up but then fast forward to family trips to Phoenix. For me, it’s a semi-home track and a lot of good memories. I’ve had wins there, so I’m looking forward to getting back there.”

To purchase tickets to the final NHRA Arizona Nationals, fans can visit www.NHRA.com/tickets. Children 12 and under are free in general-admission areas with the purchase of an adult ticket.