Funny Car Veteran Ron Capps returns to Firebird Motorsports Park for 30th Anniversary of First NHRA Start

PHOENIX, AZ – April 3, 2024 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – Former NHRA champion Ron Capps has been a staple within the Funny Car ranks for three decades and this weekend’s 39th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals at Firebird Motorsports Park will celebrate the 30-year anniversary of his first NHRA start.

Ironically, Capps’ career didn’t begin in Funny Car. Capps’ rookie season was in Top Fuel, driving for Roger Primm, with his debut coming at Firebird Motorsports Park in 1995.

“I just remember Roger Primm taking a chance on me,” Capps said. “I was brought up and picked over a pretty big list of much more creditable and experienced drivers and I was thrown in. I hadn’t made a full run yet and Steve Gibbs had signed my license in Bakersfield and it exploded a supercharger and I did all the right stuff to get off the track. So, he signed the license because I did that and not really because I made a great run.

“Fast forward, we get a brand-new car and show up in Phoenix and I still hadn’t made a full run when we showed up Sunday morning. We qualified somewhere between 10-16 and we had Joe Amato first round. I was pretty nervous all night Saturday and remember he smoked the tires. It was a heck of a way to start to beat the legendary Joe Amato in my first round of competition.”

After his first year in the Top Fuel dragster, Capps hopped over to the Funny Car field where he has collected 75 of his 76 career wins, including three at Firebird Motorsports Park. He’ll try to add another this weekend in his 11,000-horsepower NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra and Capps is thrilled to return this weekend to Phoenix, which has had an incredible history for nearly four decades.

“Phoenix has that old vibe again,” Capps said. “For me, I went there early on as a crew guy working on Blaine and Alan (Johnson’s) car so I’ve gone there for years and for me, it’s been a family destination race for us. I’ve got a lot of memories from there as a crew guy growing up but then fast forward to family trips to Phoenix. For me, it’s a semi-home track and a lot of good memories. I’ve had wins there so I’m looking forward to getting back there.”

Justin Ashley (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car) and Camrie Caruso (Pro Stock) all collected Wally trophies in Phoenix in 2023. This year’s race will again be broadcast on FS1, including a special NHRA in 30: Pomona Finals show at 10 p.m. ET on Saturday and Arizona Nationals eliminations at…