Capps returns to St. Louis to add to his win record
With a win at Gateway already on his resume, Ron Capps looks to extend his record at the Illinois facility located just outside of St. Louis.
Courtesy: NHRA Media Relations
Madison, Illinois-Ron Capps returns to Gateway Int’l Raceway for this weekend's 14th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals as the top Funny Car winner at this track located outside of
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"More than that for me is that I won the inaugural race there (in 1997) and it also was my very first Funny Car win. For many years that race was held in temperatures of over 100 degrees, and the humidity was very high. And we've always said that it takes a big team effort to win a race like that because you really have to come together as a team. The driver has to do his job and the crew chief has to be on his game to get the car down the track in those conditions.
"In 2007, when we won our last race in
"We ended up winning the race with (assistant crew chief) Ronnie Thompson on the phone talking to Ace after every run while Ace was in the hospital in
"So, for many reasons this race has become special to me. I believe that championships have been won on these hot and humid tracks. Having the Countdown now takes away from that a little bit, but I still think that a team can show what it's made of at races like the ones we run in St. Louis."
Capps also won at Gateway in 2005 and was runner-up last year to Del Worsham after qualifying No. 1.