Defending Funny Car champion Ron Capps shares his experiences as a first-year driver/owner in the NHRA in exclusive column for Autoweek.
Much like the offseason, the first two race weeks in business as a team owner/driver in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series have been eye-opening.
Any new business owner can attest. Going into the first week, I thought I knew how much I was going to have to tackle as an owner. Honestly, I don’t think we could have scripted the first race weekend much better.
Well, maybe a tiny bit better.
Ron Capps is third in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Funny Car standings after two race weekends.
JERRY FOSS NHRA/NATIONAL DRAGSTE
In the season-opener at Pomona, we came short about 12 inches from beating Robert Hight and making it a perfect week, let alone a perfect start of my run as being an owner/driver. We were No. 1 qualifier. We ran great in qualifying. I was seeded at No. 1 and went all the way to the final round, only to come up short by about a foot. At the same time, we ran top speed of the meet in the final. That was a great start.
And we didn’t hurt any parts. It was just a dream weekend.
As far as off the track, there were a few little things I think I missed, but really some of the little things I missed were things the fans wouldn’t even notice.
Part of the responsibilities of pulling off a racing operation as a team owner is the hospitality for the sponsors and some of the fans. So, little things like that, we were having to tackle. I had to worry about shirts for the team, and uniforms, pants, little things, and I was involved with a lot of that. People asked before the season if that sort of stuff would affect my driving. It didn’t seem to, which I was very happy with in Pomona.
Fast forward to Phoenix and the Arizona Nationals. We had a few hiccups getting set up, as far as in the pit area and hospitality. There were tiny little fires that you hear about as an owner. But it’s great to have good people around you. Our team manager Paul Mecca said, “You worry about the car, and I’ll tackle this.”
It sure was nice to finally be able to get in the car for qualifying.
While there were little things off the track at Phoenix that the fans wouldn’t even have noticed, we did have our first sort of hiccup on the track with a backfire in Q2 that hurt the car body pretty good. It was a pretty big explosion. I was just thinking to myself that morning how good things had been going. We hadn’t hurt any parts up to that point, and as a drag racer you don’t want to ever say to yourself how good things are going. The nitromethane in these cars will humble you in a heartbeat.
And it did.
John Force got the better of us at Phoenix.
MARC GEWERTZ/NHRA
The explosion happened on the first run of the day in qualifying Saturday. We brought out our backup body, put it on, the crew found the problem, and they put the car together. We only had two hours before the next run. Then, we went out and improved our qualifying and ended up No. 6, and the car ran great.
Ending strong in qualifying always helps you sleep better on a Saturday night before a race day.
Fortunately, we’re good for bodies. In testing at Phoenix a few weeks ago, we brought out an old body, just in case. If things go wrong in testing, you don’t want to hurt a brand new body. So, when we hurt that body in qualifying at Phoenix, we just put on that last year’s body we ran in testing. That one has got a few scratches, and the windshield is a little beat up, but it doesn’t affect my vision. The windshield is how I know which body it is.
When we went back out for qualifying, and dropped second body on, I looked through the windshield and said, ‘Oh, it’s this one.’
My crew chiefs—Guido Antonelli and John Medlen—are very good, not only at running with the best of the them, but they’re very, very good on parts. We don’t hurt a lot of parts.
I can tell you, if you want to put any parts under the most duress—and that goes for oil, batteries, and just about any part you can think of—if you want to put a part through the most stress, you run nitro through it. It will absolutely test any car-related part more than anything on the planet.
At Pomona, when we were debriefing, I realized for a split second that I am the owner. But, honestly, I’ve always approached things that no matter what, the owner can say whatever he wants. The ones who really make things happen are the crew chiefs. You live and die by how well they make a change and adapt to conditions. And if they’re good on parts, they’re going to make you look like a hero.
I’ll still pack my chute like I did before I was the team owner.
MARC GEWERTZ/NHRA
I still get in and out of the car like I’ve always done. I pack my chute the way I’ve always done, talk to the fans, and once in a while I glance up and see “Ron Capps Motorsports” on the awning—and that reminds you that you’re the boss. Other than that, I’ve felt like it was just like last year.
Sorry, Guys
At Phoenix, we ran against John Force in the second round, I had one of my worst reaction times, and we lost. The strange part is, I felt like I hit the light, which is what the drivers call it. I felt I had a good reaction time when I left the starting line, and I lost a hole shot to John.
When I got to the other end and looked at the time slip, I was shocked. There’s times when you know you didn’t hit it as good as you wanted to, but this one just didn’t feel like that.
It was a little strange having to walk in and apologize to the guys. That was strange because now I’m the owner, as well. You feel like you failed everybody when you have a great race car, and then you don’t do your job as a driver. That was my first lesson, I guess. As an owner/driver, it’s all on me. Whatever happened, I can’t let it happen again.
“That was my first lesson, I guess. As an owner/driver, it’s all on me.”
Was it all the the other stuff going on in my mind? I don’t know. I don’t think so, because I’ve been pretty good about it, but it’s quite possible. I just have to make sure I address that and fix it.
The unfortunate part is that after Phoenix, we have wait two weeks before our next event at Gainesville, March 10-13. You wish it were a back-to-back race so you can get back at it.
At least for me I get to race at the historic March Meet drag race weekend in Bakersfield, California (March 3-6) and drive a Fuel Altered. And even though it’s not my car, it’s going to nice to behind the wheel of something and just put Phoenix behind me.
Keyword: Being an NHRA Team Owner/Driver Means Sometimes Having to Say You're Sorry