Top Funny Car Racer Ron Capps Returns to Brainerd for NHRA 75th Anniversary

Ron Capps returns to Brainerd International Raceway this weekend leading Funny Car points and targeting an eighth victory, as the 13th stop of NHRA’s 2026 season shapes the championship picture.

The three-time champion is the winningest active driver at Brainerd with seven wins, most recently in 2023, complementing three victories already this season in Phoenix, Charlotte, and Norwalk.

Capps cites the consistency of his 12,000-horsepower NAPA Auto Care Funny Car as decisive, with repeatable performance underpinning lane-choice strategy and round-by-round execution.

The timing matters. Brainerd precedes the U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis, where points-and-a-half increase jeopardy for any misstep and magnify the value of banking results now.

This weekend also forms part of NHRA’s 75th anniversary celebrations, with Capps honored on the Top 75 Drivers list alongside Tony Schumacher, Cruz Pedregon, and Greg Anderson.

Brainerd’s atmosphere remains distinctive. The famed Zoo campground and loyal grandstands deliver energy that lifts teams, with Capps expecting hundreds of NAPA guests and the added pressure that follows.

The Funny Car field is compressed this year, with several crews peaking around Brainerd and Indianapolis. Execution on setup windows and staging discipline increasingly decides qualifying position and raceday trajectory.

Kalitta arrives as a major threat, carrying three victories this season, including back-to-back wins at Sonoma and Seattle, while teammate Shawn Langdon leads Top Fuel with four wins.

Leah Pruett, rookie Maddi Gordon, Antron Brown, and NHRA legend Tony Stewart also headline the watchlist for Brainerd, broadening the competitive baseline across nitro categories.

Alongside the nitro show, the schedule features the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and the Right Trailers Outlaw Street category, plus pre-race ceremonies and the SealMaster Track Walk.

Fans gain close-up pit access between rounds, with autograph sessions, interactive Manufacturers Midway displays, merchandise, and family activities shaping one of the tour’s most open paddocks.

Qualifying runs span Friday and Saturday, before final eliminations on Sunday afternoon. Live eliminations air on FS1 at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Elsewhere, team programs such as SCAG Racing and Elite Motorsports add depth to the Brainerd weekend across multiple classes.

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Nicholas Rivera

Nicholas Rivera delivers NHRA Top Fuel and Funny Car news, including eliminator-round results and reaction-time stats. He brings track-side interviews, contender profiles, and championship-point breakdowns straight from drag-racing’s biggest national events.