Ron Capps, driver of the NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra, is set to compete at the historic 65th Annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, March 28–30. Coming off a challenging weekend at the NHRA Arizona Nationals, Capps is eager to turn his momentum around at what he considers his home track.
A four-time winner of the prestigious Winternationals (1998, 2009, 2016, 2021) and two-time top qualifier (2021, 2022), Capps is no stranger to success in Pomona. Additionally, he has appeared in the final round of this event six other times, underscoring his consistency at this iconic dragstrip.
Last weekend in Phoenix, Capps experienced a violent crash during first-round eliminations, resulting in extensive damage to his primary car. Undeterred, the NAPA Auto Care team swiftly prepared a backup vehicle and is already finalizing a third car, showcasing the resilience and preparedness that defines their program.
“As everyone saw, we had an unfortunate incident in Phoenix on Sunday. We had a great race car, won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday, qualified well, and unfortunately, had an accident on Sunday during eliminations. That car that we had been running, which was a brand-new car that we started running toward the end of last year, is pretty much in the scrapyard now,” shared Capps. “Our NAPA Auto Care team spent most of this week getting our back up car ready. One of the many great things about our team is that we’re very well prepared. Had we won that round and had to get back up for second round with the quick turnaround for live TV, we had a backup car that was ready to go. They’re now preparing a third car, so it’s been busy with three West Coast races, including this back-to-back one after Phoenix.”
Capps has a deep connection to In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, a place he views as home due to his lifelong ties to California. He returns this weekend determined to achieve his fourth Pomona 1 final-round appearance in the last five years.
“We’re heading to Pomona, one of the most historic tracks, and the Winternationals is one of the most historic races on the tour,” Capps continued. “We’re hoping to have a great ending to a busy and hectic week after destroying one car. What was really cool was the number of calls and notes and messages that we received from our partners and sponsors who were wanting to help beyond what they already do to support our team.
“An incident like this happens and as a single-car team, it’s not easy, but to get the amount of support we got during the week with people offering to help, you can’t explain how cool that is. We’ve got a great team, a great back up car, and we’re going to what I consider to be a home track. So, looking forward to getting up to Pomona and seeing all of the fans, and hopefully, ending the two-week span with another Wally.”
Fans will have the opportunity to meet Ron Capps during the Team Toyota autograph session on Saturday from 10:30 to 11:00 a.m. at the Toyota midway display.
With 76 career victories and 37 No. 1 qualifiers across 651 races, Capps is confident and ready to chase another Wally at one of the NHRA’s most storied events.
This story was originally published on March 26, 2025.
The post Ron Capps Ready to Bounce Back at 65th Annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals first appeared on Drag Illustrated.