Ron Capps and the NAPA Auto Care Funny Car team earned their fifth No. 1 qualifier of the season Saturday at the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals, securing the top spot for the final race of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season. The three-time world champion locked in the pole position on the strength of his first qualifying attempt Friday afternoon, when he piloted his high-performance hot rod to a 3.894-second pass at 331.53 mph at the iconic In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.
With crew chief Dean “Guido” Antonelli expertly tuning his 12,000-horsepower machine, Capps laid down the quickest run of Friday’s opening session. Inclement weather brought qualifying to an early end that afternoon, leaving Capps’ Friday performance at the top of the ladder heading into Saturday.
Capps admitted on Friday evening that he wasn’t convinced the number would hold up once qualifying resumed. As the remaining Funny Car competitors took their shots Saturday, however, the NAPA Auto Care team watched its position withstand one challenge after another.
“It was surprising for me and I’m sure it was for Guido,” said Capps. “We were watching together and we kept looking at each other with our mouths open every time cars did not go down in today’s session. We definitely thought when Alexis (DeJoria) threw out her number (a 3.904), we really thought there would be several better runs to follow. We were both shocked. And when Guido is that shocked, it’s really something no one expected.
“In the final session, we just sat at the back of the pack, and it was cool, as a fan, to just listen as people got bumped out. Then we got down to the last pair, and it was just us or Cruz (Pedregon). He easily could have knocked us off. We were in the right lane and not many people got down in Funny Car. Three different times, Guido got back into the box, changing the ignition timing map, and lo and behold, it went right through that spot where everyone was having issues. I’m sure he’s very happy with that, in case we get put in that lane at some point tomorrow. I’m still shocked that we remained on top with an .89, but very happy.”
Saturday’s qualifying also provided a special moment for fans as Capps lined up alongside fellow Funny Car competitor Paul Lee for a nostalgic tribute to one of drag racing’s most iconic rivalries. The two drivers took to the track in recreations of the legendary 1976 paint schemes of Don “The Snake” Prudhomme and Tom “The Mongoose” McEwen, bringing a memorable piece of NHRA history back to life.
Capps’ fifth No. 1 qualifier of the 2026 season marks the 42nd of his career. He will face Jim Campbell in the opening round of eliminations on Sunday. Starting from the top qualifying spot puts the NAPA Auto Care team in a strong position to close out the season with another competitive showing and make a final push in the championship standings.
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