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Ron Capps Battles to Semifinal at Texas NHRA FallNationals
Highlights
- Ron Capps reached semifinals at Texas NHRA FallNationals.
- Blower explosion occurred during Saturday’s qualifying run.
- Capps safely controlled car despite body flying off chassis.
- Team quickly switched to backup car for final qualifying.
- Capps lost semifinal to J.R. Todd with 3.933-second pass.
- Next event: Mopar NHRA Nevada Nationals from October 30-November 1.
Ron Capps advances to the semifinals at the Texas Motorplex, closing an eventful Texas NHRA FallNationals with measured execution after a dramatic Saturday incident.
The NAPA Auto Care team manages risk and performance across changing conditions, preserving momentum ahead of the season’s penultimate round in Las Vegas.
Friday qualifying establishes a baseline. Dean “Guido” Antonelli sets a tidy tune-up for 3.922 seconds at 330.11 mph, despite follow-up tire smoke leaving Capps provisionally 13th.
Saturday’s second act delivers the weekend’s inflection point. A blower explosion past the stripe strips the body and briefly unloads the rear tires.
Capps keeps the chassis straight, avoids the wall, and stops cleanly. Remarkably, the clock shows 3.899 at 324.61 mph, his best qualifying number of the weekend.
Capps contains a high-speed blower failure, keeping the car off the wall after the body detaches near the finish.
The crew pivots immediately. Within NHRA procedures, the team rolls out the backup car, completing a composed shakedown at 3.965 seconds and 327.44 mph to close qualifying.
That response stabilizes the program after the incident, validating the team’s preparation and Antonelli’s measured approach to power application and clutch management.
Eliminations begin from eighth. Against ninth-seeded Chad Green, both leave within two-thousandths, but Green smokes the tires. Capps converts with a clean, efficient early increment.
The quarterfinal against Jack Beckman is decisive. Capps posts 3.917 at 332.67 mph as Beckman loses traction, underlining a car that now tracks straight and repeats.
The backup car runs 3.965 in final qualifying, confirming the team’s turnaround after the explosion.
The semifinal is settled on execution. Capps delivers 3.933, but J.R. Todd answers with 3.912, a narrow but firm measure that ends the NAPA Auto Care run.
The outcome reflects a pragmatic setup window. Antonelli favors repeatable, safe power after Saturday, trading ultimate edge for reliability as track grip evolves.
The weekend context is broad. The Dallas bill also features standout runs elsewhere, including a strong Top Fuel charge as highlighted by Jordan Vandergriff’s semifinal appearance.
Preparation proves pivotal. The group’s response aligns with their recent form since St. Louis, consistent with the trajectory seen at the Midwest Nationals.
Semifinal outcome: Capps 3.933, Todd 3.912 — the decisive margin late on Sunday.
Looking ahead, Las Vegas presents another traction-sensitive challenge. The crew’s learnings on parts turnover and clutch wear should translate to cooler desert conditions.
Event cadence and strategy tighten now. Insights from the pre-event Dallas preview largely hold true, with lane choice and early increment speed proving decisive.
Next, Capps targets the Mopar NHRA Nevada Nationals at The Strip, October 30 through November 1, aiming to convert stability into late-round opportunity.
Next stop: Mopar NHRA Nevada Nationals at The Strip, October 30–November 1.
Visual Summary
🟦
CAUGHT IN THE BLAST
Capps survives explosion, fights into semifinals
3.899s
Best Qualifying Pass
324.61 mph
Best Qualifying Pass
324.61 mph
3.933s
Semifinal Battle
vs. J.R. Todd
Semifinal Battle
vs. J.R. Todd
💥
Blower Explodes at 330+ mph
Blower Explodes at 330+ mph
Swift backup car, still in the fight
Next Up: Las Vegas Showdown
Oct 30 – Nov 1
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.
