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Race report

Capps wins third title of season for NAPA Auto Parts

Ron Capps

Ron Capps

NHRA

Brainerd, Minn. - Event titles had been celebrated 189 times with Don Schumacher Racing drivers since 1970, but regardless of what happened in the final round Sunday at Brainerd International Raceway a big move in the NHRA standings overshadowed a DSR appearance in the Minnesota winner's circle.

Ron Capps
Ron Capps

Photo by: NHRA

Although Ron Capps and the NAPA Auto Parts team were able to celebrate their third NHRA Funny Car title of the season and push the DSR total to 190, what was most stunning was the team nearly written off in April moved to first place in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Funny Car standings.

Capps, who seeks the first world championship of his long career, is atop the Full Throttle standings for the first time in 75 NHRA events dating to the summer of 2009 after an event near Seattle.

In the second round, Capps beat teammate Johnny Gray and that combined with Robert Hight's first-round loss enabled Capps to take the points lead from Hight.

In Top Fuel, Antron Brown lost to Morgan Lucas in the championship round but wrestled the points lead away from teammate Spencer Massey when Brown won and Massey was upset in the first round.

Also in Funny Car, Matt Hagan has fought back to get within 19 points of moving into the top-10 with one event remaining - the Aug. 29-Sept. 3 U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis - before the field is determined for the Countdown to the Championship.

Hagan took the Mopar/Aaron's Dream Machine Dodge Charger R/T to the semifinals where he lost to Capps. The result follows to championship round appearances.

The following are DSR results from the NHRA Nationals at Brainerd:

TOP FUEL
Event winner: Morgan Lucas, Morgan Lucas Racing
No. 1 qualifier: Tony Schumacher DSR, 3.791 sec., 323.97 mph

Antron Brown, Matco Tools dragster
SUNDAY ELIMINATIONS
First round: BROWN (3.851 sec., 305.29) def. Bob Vandergriff (3.844, 325.22)
Second round: BROWN (3.811, 322.65) def. David Grubnic (3.844, 313.58)
Semifinals: BROWN (3.812, 320.05) def. Doug Kalitta (3.828, 321.96)
Final: Morgan Lucas (3.819, 316.90) def. BROWN (3.831, 313.80)

FRIDAY QUALIFYING
Session 1: 3.829 sec., 320.81 mph
Session 2: 3.791, 323.74
SATURDAY QUALIFYING
Session 3: 6.091, 105.34
Session 4: 3.832, 321.73

Tony Schumacher, U.S. Army dragster
Qualified: No. 1
First round: SCHUMACHER (3.797 sec., 325.69 mph) def. Terry McMillen (5.960, 110.96)
Second round: SCHUMACHER (3.821, 322.96) def. Khalid alBalooshi (3.826, 322.65)
Semifinals: Morgan Lucas (3.812, 323.19) def. SCHUMACHER (3.819, 322.92)

FRIDAY QUALIFYING
Session 1: 3.847 sec., 318.99 mph
Session 2: 3.791, 323.97
SATURDAY QUALIFYING
Session 3: 3.802, 326.16* track record

Session 4: 3.832, 326.00

Spencer Massey, Prestone/FRAM dragster

SUNDAY ELIMINATIONS
First round: Bruce Litton (3.884, 304.74) def. MASSEY (5.037, 138.10)

FRIDAY QUALIFYING
Session 1: 3.837 sec., 319.14 mph
Session 2: 4.240, 195.82
SATURDAY QUALIFYING
Session 3: 3.794, 323.12
Session 4: 3.950, 300.26

NHRA FULL THROTTLE TOP FUEL STANDINGS

(Unofficial through Aug. 19, Brainerd, Minn.; 16 of 23 events; DSR drivers in CAPS)
1. ANTRON BROWN, 1,335
2. SPENCER MASSEY, 1,277
3. TONY SCHUMACHER, 1,196
4. Steve Torrence, 1,139
5. Doug Kalitta, 971
6. Morgan Lucas, 945
7. Shawn Langdon, 874
8. David Grubnic, 809
9. Brandon Bernstein, 800
10. Bob Vandergriff Jr., 664

FUNNY CAR
Event winner: Ron Capps, DSR
No. 1 qualifier: Jack Beckman, DSR 4.018 sec. (track record), 314.61 mph

Ron Capps, NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger R/T

Qualified: No. 5

SUNDAY ELIMINATIONS First round: CAPPS (4.079 sec., 313.08) def. Courtney Force (4.628, 182.18)
Second round: CAPPS (4.112, 307.79) def. Johnny Gray (4.199, 297.55)
Semifinals: CAPPS (4.105, 303.71) def. Matt Hagan (4.290, 242.41)
Final: CAPPS (4.134, 304.05) def. John Force (6.633, 116.35)

FRIDAY QUALIFYING
Session 1: 4.138 sec., 302.41 mph

Session 2: 4.779, 165.86
SATURDAY QUALIFYING
Session 3: 4.085, 306.53
Session 4: 4.062, 311.92

Matt Hagan, Mopar/Aaron's Dream Machine Dodge Charger R/T

Qualified: No. 8
SUNDAY ELIMINATIONS
First round: HAGAN (4.097 sec., 308.14 mph) def. Jeff Arend (4.109, 309.13)
Second round: HAGAN (4.106, 305.70) def. Jack Beckman (4.278, 233.88)
Semifinals: Ron Capps (4.105, 303.71) def. HAGAN (4.290, 242.41)

FRIDAY QUALIFYING
Session 1: 4.152 sec., 293.60 mph
Session 2: 4.087, 304.94
SATURDAY QUALIFYING
Session 3: 4.103, 304.60
Session 4: 6.904, 99.21

Jack Beckman, Valvoline NextGen Dodge Charger R/T\ SUNDAY ELIMINATIONS
First round: BECKMAN (4.045 sec., 313.58 mph) def. Dale Creasy Jr. (broke)
Second round: Matt Hagan (4.106, 305.70) def. BECKMAN (4.278, 233.88)

FRIDAY QUALIFYING
Session 1: 4.242 sec., 249.67 mph
Session 2: 4.073, 310.48
SATURDAY QUALIFYING
Session 3: 4.074, 311.13
Session 4: 4.018, 314.61

Johnny Gray, NTB/Service Central Dodge Charger R/T

Qualified: No. 4
SUNDAY ELIMINATIONS
First round: GRAY (4.653 sec., 224.58) def. Jim Head (4.913, 214.69)
Second round: Ron Capps (4.112, 307.44) def. GRAY (4.199, 297.55)

FRIDAY QUALIFYING
Session 1: 4.907 sec., 159.44 mph
Session 2: 4.098, 311.20
SATURDAY QUALIFYING
Session 3: 4.084, 314.46
Session 4: 4.055, 316.75

NHRA Full Throttle Funny Car standings
(Unofficial through Aug. 19, Brainerd, Minn.; 16 of 23 events; DSR drivers in CAPS)

1. RON CAPPS, 1,228
2. Robert Hight, 1,175
3. JACK BECKMAN, 1,068
4. JOHNNY GRAY, 999
5. Mike Neff, 988
6. Courtney Force, 883
7. Cruz Pedregon, 861
8. John Force, 842
9. Jeff Arend, 781
10. Bob Tasca III, 770
11. MATT HAGAN, 751

Next full throttle event

Aug. 29-Sept. 3, U.S. Nationals, Indianapolis

Source: Don Schumacher Racing

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