BRISTOL, TN – June 20, 2022 – (Motor Sports NEwsWire) – Ron Capps tied Tony Schumacher for the most NHRA wins in Bristol Dragway history, picking up his sixth Funny Car win at the track on Sunday with his Father’s Day triumph at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.
Justin Ashley (Top Fuel), Aaron Stanfield (Pro Stock) and Jerry Savoie (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won at the ninth of 22 races during the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.
Capps powered to the quickest run during every round of eliminations on Sunday in Bristol, including a pass of 3.984-seconds at 324.36 seconds in the final round in his 11,000-horsepower NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra to defeat Tim Wilkerson. It also marks the first win in Funny Car for the new GR Supra. Capps advanced to the final round with impressive victories against Paul Lee, No. 1 qualifier Robert Hight and defending event winner Alexis DeJoria. In the final, he made the only three-second run in eliminations on Sunday to earn his second this season and a remarkable 70th in the defending world champ’s outstanding career.
“It’s an amazing thing and I’m living the dream,” Capps said. “Today felt different because we worked really hard at this one, and we knew that win for Toyota was out there. Everyone wanted to get that first one in the Supra and I’m blessed we got to do it. To run 3.98 in the final was unbelievable. This is a very demanding track every time we come here, and you can’t take your mind off it for a second. These wins, where you have to earn it, it really means quite a bit more, it seems like it.”
Tim Wilkerson reached the final for the first time this season by getting past Jack Wyatt, Chad Green, and John Force. Matt Hagan maintained the points lead in the class.
In Top Fuel, Ashley rolled to his second straight final round and finished the job on Sunday in Thunder Valley, going 3.813 at 325.30 in his 11,000-horsepower Phillips Connect powered by Vita C Shot dragster to defeat Shawn Langdon. It gives Ashley his second win this season and the fourth in his career, and his first victory at Bristol was a meaningful one with his father in attendance. Ashley, who qualified 14th but responded on raceday, got past Josh Hart, Doug Foley, and four-time defending world champ Steve Torrence to reach the finals before picking up the victory on Father’s Day.
“Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there, who make dreams like this possible,” Ashley said. “I…
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