NHRA Sonoma Nationals Event Highlights:
- Four-time event champion (1997, 2010, 2011, 2013)
- Four-time runner-up (2002, 2005, 2016, 2018)
- Two-time No. 1 qualifier (1998, 2021)
2023 NHRA Sonoma Nationals Event Recap:
Qualified third; Semifinal finish (defeated Tim Gibbons in E1, Robert Hight in E2; defeated by Chad Green in E3)
Last Event (Seattle):
Qualified second; First round exit (defeated by Gary Densham in E1)
2024 Statistics:
11 races; one runner-up finish
Career Statistics:
640 races; 76 wins, 37 No. 1 qualifiers
Noteworthy:
- As a native of central California’s San Luis Obispo, Capps considers Sonoma Raceway to be a home track
- Capps will run a special ‘Cost of Courage’ decal on his car this weekend as a way to help raise awareness for the nonprofit organization, which supports Northern California veterans in need
Fan Events:
- Wednesday, 4 – 7 p.m., Autograph session featuring Ron Capps and Antron Brown at Russian River Brewing Co. (700 Mitchell Lane, Windsor). Both the NAPA AutoCare Toyota GR Supra and Brown’s Matco Tools Top Fuel dragster will be on display
- Friday, 3 – 4 p.m., Sonoma Raceway ‘Kids Only’ autograph session under the main grandstands
- Saturday, 10 – 10:30 a.m., Team Toyota autograph session at the Toyota midway display
Quotable:
“Well this is definitely a different Sonoma week than we’ve had in years past, that’s for sure. Qualified No. 2 in Seattle and really turned the corner and proud to see Guido (crew chief Dean Antonelli) and the guys get our performance where they’re wanting it, especially at this point in the season, and then to have that accident on Sunday was just unfortunate. We’re going to have to replace that car, but the cool thing is, the car that we had as a spare upstairs that we’re going to run in Sonoma has pretty darn good credentials. We won the championship with it in 2022, it was back-to-back world championships, and then the races we won last year, including in Indy, was with that same chassis. We’re very familiar with it and it’s definitely not a bad car to have as a backup, so we’re going to bring that down in Sonoma. Conditions are looking like they’re going to be awesome. Weather is looking fantastic – not too hot, which is great for the race cars as well as the fans.
“This is a home track for me. I grew up closest to Sonoma and have had great success in years past. I sure would like to be drinking that wine in the winner’s circle on Sunday. Haven’t done that in a while but our team is pretty pumped to get our NAPA GR Supra back in the winner’s circle.”
ABM Communications PR
