Ron Capps turned 60 in June.
While most athletes his age have long ago opted for retirement, Capps is set to sign a multi-year contract extension with longtime sponsor NAPA Auto Parts while expanding the drag racing team he owns into a second car and division.
Not that the Carlsbad resident and three-time Funny Car champion drag racer hasn’t thought about his future lately.
In March, Capps walked away from a horrifying accident in Phoenix that destroyed his new, $250,000 Toyota Supra Funny Car as it was approaching its top speed of more than 300 mph.
And recently, the versatile Capps was uninjured in an accident during a benefit All-Star midget race on an oval in Indianapolis.
In between, Capps scored the 77th event win in his Funny Car career to move closer to third place in the 2025 National Hot Rod Association Funny Car point standings.
“There was some second-guessing as to what we’re doing after the crash at Phoenix,” said Capps. “There were a lot of thoughts after the crash. I thought of the crash that ended John Force’s career. I’ll have to see from here.”
Capps is the second most successful driver in Funny Car history, trailing only Force. He has 76 event wins in the division. In addition to three national championships, he has placed second five times and last year finished third despite not winning a race for the first season in his career. His victory three weeks ago at Bristol, Tenn., almost assured Capps of a spot in the 2025 playoffs — an event where he usually is in title contention right up to the season finale at Pomona.
But the crash four months ago left an impression, not to mention a hole in the pocketbook.
“It was a brand new car with the latest in technology,” said Capps. “The day before, we won a four-car special event for the semifinalist from the previous week. It was a great car.”
Halfway down the run, the car exploded, sending the body flying in pieces. The car veered violently from the right lane to the left and crashed nose-first into the left lane’s outside retaining wall. Capps’ only saving grace was that momentum carried the car down the track rather than stopping him.
“I knew when the explosion happened (that) I was in trouble,” he said. “I lost control and the car shot left. It was at a high rate of speed. I couldn’t believe I got out of the car on my own. I thought it was going to be lights out. … I braved that one. It could have been a lot worse. I don’t want to do that one again.”
Capps took a deeper look into what he is doing and where he is at in a career that stretches back four decades to when he originally drove for Don “The Snake” Prudhomme.
“I was a kid,” said Capps. “Nothing bothered me or gave me second thoughts. I drove from one race to the next. I didn’t pay attention to diet. Force used to say he lived to race on donuts and coffee.
“As a driver, I think I’m as good as used to be. But I’m different. I have found myself thinking more big-picture things than when I drove for Prudhomme. I drive smarter now. Over last few decades, as a hired driver, worked harder over the winter. Still have same mentality. I hate losing.”
Nothing was left of the new car after the Phoenix crash. The following week, his crew pulled a three-year-old car out of storage, put it back together and had Capps posting the top qualifying speeds for the first three runs.
“Financially, we’re still catching up from the loss of that car,” said Capps. “Nothing was left, it was bad. But after winning at Bristol, we reached the semifinals at Ohio. Now the tour is at Seattle and Sonoma, two of Capps’ favorite and more successful venues.
Capps will add a second car next year — a Top Fuel dragster driven by 21-year-old Maddi Gordon, who recently became the 100th woman to win a race in NHRA history. But he is also looking toward the end of his run as a driver. His contract extension with NAPA will last between two for four years, keeping him with the same sponsor for more than two decades.
Beyond that?
“I know the time is coming,” said Capps. “Most my driving is behind me.”