Latest news with #RonCapps
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Ron Capps Shares His Passion for Racing—and Hawaii
Ron Capps, one of the most recognized names in NHRA drag racing, has enjoyed a long and successful career fueled by speed, passion, and a strong connection to his sponsors and fans. A key part of that journey has been his relationship with NAPA Auto Parts, which has backed him for many years. 'NAPA has been with me through so many chapters of my racing life,' Capps says. 'They're more than a sponsor—they're family.' he told John Veneri in an interview on Living808. In 2021, Capps took a bold step and launched his own team, Ron Capps Motorsports. 'Starting my own team was a dream come true,' he shares. 'It's been a lot of work, but incredibly rewarding.' His website, details the team's accomplishments and the vision that drives them forward. Beyond the track, Capps has formed a deep bond with Hawaii. 'I've been coming to the islands for over a decade,' he says. 'Whether it's making appearances at NAPA stores or visiting local tracks, I've always felt the aloha spirit from fans here.' As for racing, Capps describes the thrill of hitting speeds over 330 mph as 'something you never quite get used to—it's an adrenaline rush every time.' Preparation is key, both mentally and physically. 'Staying focused, staying fit, and respecting the car—that's how you stay safe and competitive.' Looking ahead, Capps is focused on climbing the NHRA standings and adding more championships to his resume. 'I still have goals I want to chase, records to break. And I hope to keep sharing that journey with fans—especially in Hawaii.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Fox Sports
01-04-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
'Literally just a bomb going off': Inside the cockpit of a 290-mph crash
Ron Capps Special to Ron Capps is second all time in NHRA history with 75 Funny Car wins. The 2025 season marks Capps' 31st year competing in the sport's professional ranks. This is a first-person account of his fiery crash at Arizona on March 23 in which he walked away unscathed. It was a regular Sunday morning. I started to get suited up and strapped in the car, and nothing was any different. That weekend of the Arizona Nationals, we qualified really well. We had a great race car through qualifying, so I felt pretty confident. You get up there and do the burnout, back up — the crew is checking everything out to make sure the car is good. We ran over 320 mph in qualifying, so I felt pretty confident that the car was going to repeat that and at least go 330 or something similar. I stepped on the gas and everything was normal. FOX Sports had what they call the visor cam on me, so I guess it's good and bad for the fans that they were able to watch it after the fact — they got a feeling of what I went through. I've been through these explosions and fires before in a Funny Car, having driven them for almost 30 years. On this run, the car was about half-track, and at that point we were going about 290 mph — and then it was so quick and so sudden this time, that it was literally just a bomb going off before I knew it. I kind of felt daylight, so I knew the body had been blown off the car, but the car was on fire, and the fire — since I sit behind the engine — was pretty strong in my face and around my arms. I knew the car was out of control. I didn't know where my opponent was on the track. I knew I was ahead of them at the point of the explosion, but I wasn't sure where he was. I didn't want to get into him or get in his way in his lane, but it escalated quickly. My first thought was back to John Force's accident last year, which was close to taking his life. We were the next car behind him when that accident happened in Virginia, so I had a firsthand look. As soon as I realized during this crash what was going on with my car, it started veering very hard to the left and I had no brakes or no steering and I was just picturing Force's wreck in my brain, like this is going to be bad. I knew I was going to the wall pretty hard and before the impact, I just kind of told myself to brace, and I didn't honestly think I'd be awake at the angle and the speed I was going after the hit. So once the hit happened, I was shocked that I was still awake. I naturally tried to get back on the brakes, they weren't working very well, but the car finally came to a stop. The safety crew team was already at my car before it came to a rest. I didn't know at the time but when I tried to get out, I couldn't get my left leg up to hop out of cage, and I wanted to get out pretty quickly to wave to the cameras because I know my mom watches the broadcast live from home and my wife and my kids were in the grandstands, so something like that when I've seen those accidents from behind you don't know whether the driver is hurt or killed, you just don't know. So that's the first thing I was trying to do, is let him know I'm okay. Once I got out of the car, the safety crew put the fire out and they brought me back over to look at the carnage. A piece of the engine had come through the side cockpit area down by my feet and that's what was holding my left leg up. So watching the replay on TV that night and on social media, I could see myself trying to get out and my leg being caught, so I was pretty lucky that my leg wasn't injured on top of everything else. ----- When it comes to crashes as a Funny Car driver, it's not I'm gonna have an accident or I'm gonna be on fire — it's just how many times. It is just such a violent sport. They are the most exhilarating race cars in the world to drive. They're exciting for fans to watch, but when you sit behind the engine like that — that's part of the allure that, when I was a kid, made me want to be a Funny Car driver — seeing these drivers who were heroes of mine that would be on fire and then hop out of the car like no problem. So it's a good and bad thing about driving a Funny Car. If you Google my name, I always tell people the first three or four things that pop up are big explosions. But this was definitely the worst accident for sure that I've had in my 30 years of driving a Funny Car. Again, with Force's accident last year and this one — they were very eerily similar when you play the two side-by-side, how the impact and the angle and speed were. It's ironic because in the offseason, NHRA had a big meeting with all the teams about making the head padding in the cockpit a little bit better, different ways to do things to make things a little bit safer, and our team went above and beyond that and re-did our seats and cockpit padding. Ironically, my daughter works for a dentist and she just had a mouthguard made for me a couple of months ago, and she's been on my case about wearing it. I forgot to wear it a couple of times recently. Before this run, I actually forgot to put it in and I already had my helmet on, so it took me about five minutes to get it through my helmet to my mouth — otherwise I wouldn't have worn it and I probably would have broken my teeth. A lot of things were very, very lucky, but that was definitely the worst crash of my career. ----- The dangers of drag racing are what makes our sport so exciting. It's why the grandstands are packed. It's why people turn the TV on. They want to see side-by-side 330-mph runs. My sponsors and our partners don't want to sponsor a daredevil, they want to sponsor an exciting motorsport. Anytime we post something on social media with a visor cam or any in-car camera, it's just amazing how many people, when they feel like they're going 330 themselves, get immersed in this sport. You have to remember: we go 0 to 100 mph in less than one second from a standing stop and 0 to 330 mph in 3.8 seconds with more G-Forces than anything on planet Earth except a fighter pilot — more than a space shuttle pilot — and then negative 8 or nine Gs when the parachutes pops. On this crash, we'll get the black box reading and I'm sure it was upwards of 30 or 40 Gs on impact to the wall. It's an exciting sport and things do happen like John Force's accident, like my accident, and I believe I'm alive because of the accidents that happened previously. I really think the advancements and gained knowledge on why these things happened can keep it from happening again. I know for sure I was walking around Pomona and racing again this past weekend because of the increased safety we had as a result of Force's accident. I truly believe the sooner you can get back in the car following a bad crash, the better. I had to wait a week after this crash, and I've tried not to watch the replay, but it's all over the place, and when I do see it, you kinda grit your teeth because it's ugly to watch, especially when it's yourself. The sooner you can get back in the cockpit, for me anyway, and just get that out of your head, because it doesn't happen very often. But I am very lucky, that's for sure. 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Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Drag Racer Ron Capps Walks Away From Explosion, Fiery Crash
Read the full story on Backfire News Professional drag racer Ron Capps suffered a scary explosion and fiery crash as he raced at the NHRA Arizona Nationals over the weekend. It was an unexpected turn of events which thankfully ended with Capps climbing out of the car under his own power, relatively unharmed by the violent collision with the an interview with Fox Sports after the horrific crash, Capps seemed shaken as he said he thought of John Force and his crash once his car exploded, then veered left towards the wall. In fact, he didn't expect to remain conscious after the collision, but thankfully he did and appears to be just fine. Because his wife and kids were at the race, and his parents were watching on TV, Capps said he wanted to get out and wave to the cameras as quickly as he could. His heart is in the right place. He said that unlike his crash last summer in Seattle, this time around there was zero indication the car was in trouble. He blamed the 2024 incident on himself, saying the mechanicals were struggling and making noises but he insisted on racing anyway. But he admitted he had no idea what happened this time, simply saying 'it was quick.' Considering he crossed the finish line at 230 mph, things do tend to move rapidly at that kind of speed. Racing, whether it's on a drag strip, road course, off-road trail, etc. is dangerous and risky. By its nature, drivers are pushing the envelope, so when things go wrong they can slide off the rails in a hurry. We know drivers understand this, but sometimes we think the fans might become a little forgetful. Capps credited the many safety innovations made after other NHRA race crashes for the fact he was okay and walking under his own power after this high-speed collision. We're just happy we're not covering a fatality. Image via NHRA/YouTube
Fox News
23-03-2025
- Automotive
- Fox News
NHRA star Ron Capps' funny car explodes, crashes during Arizona Nationals
National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) funny car driver Ron Capps was involved in a scary crash during the Arizona Nationals on Sunday. Capps' vehicle came off the starting line fast and in the blink of an eye, the top of his car exploded. He careened across the dividing line and into the left guard wall. Capps was able to get out of his vehicle under his own power. The NHRA said he was examined by the on-site medical team before he was released. "It was an unfortunate first round, & we are thankful that @RonCapps28 was able to get out & walk away," Ron Capps Motorsports wrote on X. "The @NHRA Safety Safari was right there, & the safety equipment & chassis did its job. Thanks to our awesome sponsors like @theNAPAnetwork and Toyota we will be in Pomona!" Capps has 75 wins in a funny car and has made 151 final rounds. He had three wins and was a runner-up four times during the 2023 season. In 2024, he reached the final round in four events but failed to secure a victory. So far this season, he reached the final round in Gainesville, Florida, in the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals. Capps finished third in the funny car standings last year. He was behind champion Austin Prock and John Force, who suffered his own scary crash back in June. Force has been back at the track this season to root for his family members and drivers as he deals with a traumatic brain injury stemming from the crash. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
