Ron Capps Qualifies No. 1, Advances to Quarterfinals at Inaugural NHRA Nationals at The Rock

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. (Sept. 27, 2026) – Making his first appearance at Rockingham Dragway in nearly 30 years, three-time world champion Ron Capps and the NAPA Auto Care Funny Car team enjoyed a quality weekend at the NHRA Nationals at The Rock, qualifying No. 1 and advancing to the quarterfinals of the second of six races in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship.

By qualifying No. 1 for the fourth time this season with an impressive pass of 3.870-seconds at 330.40 mph, Capps and crew chief Dean ‘Guido’ Antonelli earned a first-round bye and made the second-quickest run of the session with a 3.892 at 334.08. That set up a massive quarterfinal showdown with points leader and fellow multi-time world champion Matt Hagan. Aboard the SKF-branded NAPA Auto Care Funny Car, Capps left first with an .048 reaction time but slowed to a 4.035 at 309.07, as Hagan chased him down with a run of 3.941 at 328.23 to advance. Still, there were plenty of positives for the veteran racer, who picked up six bonus points throughout qualifying, which tied for the most in the category, after making a series of standout runs.

Capps and his NAPA Auto Car Funny Car team have two quarterfinal finishes to start the Countdown to the Championship playoffs, placing them tied for third with J.R. Todd leaving Rockingham. With four races left in the 2026 campaign, Capps will look to make up significant ground starting next week at a key playoff stop in St. Louis as he continues to chase his fourth series title.

“It was obviously a great weekend,” Capps said. “We lost a close race, but we’ve said it all weekend, if you want to win a championship you’re going to have to want those type of matchups. With Hagan being in the points lead, you want to try to take them out early, but unfortunately that was our worst run of the weekend.

“We just felt like we could go back up and repeat what we’d done, but that’s just the way it goes. It wasn’t bad – we didn’t go out the first round the first two races, but quarterfinal finishes aren’t going to win a championship. However, if we can get a couple wins or more the next few races, we’ll be in good shape. This was a great weekend with great fans, and it just made for an ideal weekend for everybody to be back at Rockingham. We get to take a breath the next couple days, but with NAPA Auto Parts being the sponsor of the Midwest Nationals, there’s going to be a lot of cool stuff next weekend.”

Capps and the NAPA Auto Car Funny Car team return to action in five days at World Wide Technology Raceway in St. Louis, looking to win the NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals to close out a stretch of three straight races to open the Countdown to the Championship.

Qualified: No. 1 (3.870 E.T. at 330.40 MPH)

Elimination Round Results:
E1: 3.892 E.T. at 334.08 MPH (Bye run)
E2: 4.035 E.T. at 309.07 MPH defeated by Matt Hagan 3.941 E.T. at 328.23 MPH