Two-Time NHRA Funny Car Champion Ron Capps entered the 2022 US Nationals with high expectations and sentiment. A recent interview with NHRA.com quoted the pilot of the NAPA Toyota Supra as saying
“We cruised around every campground with the Wally, and people were so excited to get their pictures with it and with our team,” Capps said. “It was so much fun. There were so many pictures floating around that next week, and I think that Sunday night made a lot of people’s weekends.” (NHRA)
Capps' appreciation for the US National event was similar to what other drivers have been feeling in the recent weeks as the annual stop in Indy approached.
Friday at the track included amateur, semi-pro, and professional racing. A 5pm concert kicked off qualifying for the top-tiers of the national drag racing scene. In Ron's first pass of the weekend under the lights he scraped the wall near the end of the run. His team was forced to assess potential damages. Upon review, the car was going to survive and the team was more let down that they lost an opportunity to run the fastest qualifying effort.
Saturday's pass was more impressive. After a morning of rain, the NHRA's greatest teams had the opportunity to restart with a fresh mind. Capps ran a 3.881 ET at 326.56 MPH. He told reporters after the run that he wasn't surprised, and he wasn't phased or hurt after the contact with the wall.
As of the posting of this article, Capps sits P4 in the 2022 US Nationals provisional qualifying order.