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Capps Finishes Third in Electrifying Four-Wide Nationals Final in Las Vegas
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By NAPA
Chase Elliott and the No. 9 link hidden, please login to view team qualified ninth for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway. The 28-year-old driver finished stage one in ninth and stage two in third as his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 showed speed on the long run. In the final stage, Elliott continued to battle inside the top 10 and advanced to third before the checkered flag waved. With the third-place result, the Dawsonville, Georgia, native took over the driver points standings lead by eight markers over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson. It was Elliott’s second consecutive top-five effort, seventh of the season and 100th of his young Cup career. Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team earned a ninth-place starting position for Sunday’s inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway. The 28-year-old driver initially lost some ground to the leaders upon the drop of the green flag and was scored in 11th at the time of the first caution of the race on lap five. Under the yellow, Elliott reported that his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 was loose. Staying out, he lined up 11th for the restart on lap 10 and made his way back up to ninth by lap 41. As a long run ensued Elliott continued to gain ground, advancing to seventh before an incident brought out the caution. He relayed that he “overbuilt the right rear.” Once pit road opened, crew chief Alan Gustafson called Elliott in for four fresh tires and fuel. A fast stop gained the driver of the No. 9 a position on pit road, however two cars did not pit which put him eighth for the lap-59 restart. When the green-and-white checkered flag waved to end stage two, Elliott was scored in the ninth position.
During the stage break the team opted not to visit pit road, placing Elliott as the fifth driver to choose his lane to start the second stage. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native took the green flag from the inside of row two on lap 78. He continued to battle inside the top five until another caution slowed the race at lap 81. Staying out once again, Elliott lined up in the second row for the lap-87 restart. Getting loose, he dropped to seventh but found his way back inside the top five prior to lap 100. Showing speed on the long run, Elliott advanced to third on lap 130 and took over the second position less than 20 laps later. He set his sights on the leader and began reeling in the No. 12 of Ryan Blaney as green flag stops got under way. Elliott paced the field for one lap after Blaney made his way to pit road before he followed suit on lap 173. After pitting for four tires and fuel, Elliott returned to the track in 18th and was up to seventh as the pit cycle continued. When the caution came out on lap 182, the teams that still needed to pit made their stops. This put Elliott third in the running order. Once the race was back under way, he held his own inside the top five, finishing the stage in the third position.
Under the stage-ending caution, Elliott pitted for four tires and fuel. He lined up sixth to start the final stage on lap 219. Just one lap later, an incident brought out the caution. Elliott chose the outside of row four for the lap-228 restart. From there, the 2020 Cup Series champion maneuvered his way to fourth before the yellow flag was displayed on lap 260. Providing feedback to his crew that the NAPA Chevy was a little tight, the team made an air-pressure adjustment during its four-tire pit stop. Elliott was fifth to choose his lane, opting for the outside of row four for the restart on lap 267. He progressed to fifth by lap 272 and continued to climb, advancing to third before the checkered flag waved.
The result was Elliott’s second consecutive top-five effort, seventh of the season and 100th of his young Cup career. With the third-place result, the Dawsonville, Georgia, native took over the driver points standings lead by eight markers over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson.
“Our balance was just right, and I thought all day we had really good long run pace,” Elliott said. “I just really struggled to get going on restarts and just was really loose and just felt like I couldn’t attack like I needed to and just lost a lot of ground. Could make good pace there at the end of a run with our NAPA Chevy, just needed to be a little closer I think to keep the pressure on and keep things rolling. Anyway, I was proud of the effort and felt like we had a really good car and were right there in the fight.”
Start / Finish: 9 / 3
Points Standing / Total: 1st / 591 pts. (+8)
Next Race: Sunday, June 23, New Hampshire Motor Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 2:30 p.m. ET on USA, PRN or SiriusXM
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By NAPA
Ron Capps’ bid for a third consecutive Funny Car win at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals came to an end in a close second-round race Sunday afternoon at Bristol Dragway. Capps qualified third in his NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra before falling in the quarterfinals to J.R. Todd. The overall weekend performance showed Capps and his Dean ‘Guido’ Antonelli-led team that the drastic changes they made in the early part of the season are paying off as the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series heads into the hot summer races. Capps leaves Bristol No. 6 in the point standings after eight of 20 races on the 2024 schedule.
Capps was one of several drivers who struggled to find traction in the first qualifying session on Friday, but crew chief Dean ‘Guido’ Antonelli got the NAPA Auto Care entry back on track for the second session. Capps laid down a 3.976-second pass at 320.74 MPH to move up from ninth to third, while also earning a bonus point for making the third-best pass of the session. Capps maintained the No. 3 spot through two more qualifying sessions on Saturday.
The NAPA team’s strong performance carried over into the first round of eliminations on Sunday morning when Capps got a big starting line advantage over opponent Buddy Hull and maintained the lead with a winning 3.962-second pass at 323.12 MPH to Hull’s 4.176 E.T. In a second-round battle with fellow Toyota driver J.R. Todd, Capps ran quicker to the 60-foot and 330-foot marks, but he started to lose ground and finished second behind Todd. Capps ran a 4.001 E.T. at 316.45, while Todd recorded a 3.977 E.T. at 319.75.
“I’m so proud of Guido and our NAPA Auto Care team to go out there and compete like we did, to qualify as well as we did, and not only that, but to do it in completely different conditions like we did,” said Capps, the winningest Funny Car driver at Bristol with seven victories. “We qualified well in the Friday night conditions that we didn’t think we’d see the rest of the weekend. We went out and made a great run in the first round and got lane choice against a really good team, our Toyota teammate J.R. Todd and his team, in the quarterfinals. The fans got their money’s worth. It was a great side-by-side race, but we came up a little bit short. We’ve got a string of hot, summer races coming up and it gives me such confidence knowing Guido’s got a combination for that. I’m just so proud of these guys.”
The next stop for Capps and the Ron Capps Motorsports Funny Car team will come in two weeks at the Virginia NHRA Nationals, June 22-23, at Virginia Motorsports Park outside Richmond.
Start / Finish: No. 3 / def. in quarterfinals
Points Standing / Total: No. 6 / 360 pts. (-220)
Next Race: June 22-23, Virginia NHRA Nationals
How to Watch or Listen: FS1,
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By NAPA
For the second event in a row,
link hidden, please login to view Toyota GR Supra driver Ron Capps found himself facing Matt Hagan in what was billed as NHRA’s Funny Car Marquee Matchup of race day. During the Route 66 Nationals near Joliet, Illinois, Capps fell to Hagan, but on Sunday at the NHRA New England Nationals, Capps was able to avenge the loss as he powered past his former DSR teammate to advance to the quarterfinals at New England Dragway. After struggling to make it down the track during Friday’s two qualifying sessions, the NAPA Auto Care team led by Dean ‘Guido’ Antonelli, sent Capps’ machine straight down the groove in 4.036 seconds at 319.37 MPH in the heat of the day on Saturday. They then closed out qualifying by matching their Q3 E.T., settling into the No. 12 spot to set up a first-round rematch with Hagan. Against the No. 5 qualifier, Capps powered to a 4.045-second pass to defeat Hagan’s 4.185-second effort. Capps drew Daniel Wilkerson in the quarterfinals, and while he was the first to stand on the throttle, his machine lost traction early into the run while his opponent made a full pull in the opposite lane to advance.
“We’ve talked about the rejuvenation of this NAPA Auto Care tune-up and what Guido has been working on with our team,” explained the third-year team owner-driver and three time Funny Car world champ. “The end game is another championship at the end of our season. We didn’t get down the track Friday night, so we weren’t able to capitalize on those primetime conditions to get us in the top half but so proud of what Guido and the team did on Saturday in those hot, difficult conditions when it went down the track both times. We’re going to see those same conditions coming up at these next few races and throughout the summer.
“We have the performance. Guido is working hard to get us where we’re used to being, consistency-wise and that’s what gave us two championships two years in a row. We’re going to get that back, but unfortunately, just a little overpowering the track in the quarterfinals here today. Luckily, we’re back to back and we don’t have to wait long to get back on track.”
The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series heads south to Bristol, Tenn. in a few days for the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway, June 7 – 9, where Capps returns as the winningest driver in the facility’s history with seven Bristol wins.
Start / Finish: No. 12 / def. in Quarterfinals
Points Standing / Total: No. 7 / 360 pts. (-220)
Next Race: June 7-9, NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals
How to Watch or Listen: FS1,
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By NAPA
Chase Elliott and the No. 9 link hidden, please login to view team qualified fifth for the Coca-Cola 600. The 28-year-old driver made his 300th NASCAR Cup Series start on Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. After finishing the first stage in the 11th position, Elliott improved to seventh to end stage two. During the third stage of the scheduled 400-lap event, weather entered the area and ultimately brought an early end to the Coca-Cola 600. Elliott and the No. 9 team were scored with a seventh-place result. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native is fourth in the Cup Series driver points standings, 17 markers behind the leader. Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team qualified fifth for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The 28-year-old driver took the green flag – making his 300th NASCAR Cup Series start – and continued to run inside the top 10 in the opening laps of the race. Prior to the first set of green-flag pit stops, Elliott reported that the NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 was loose. On lap 43, crew chief Alan Gustafson called Elliott to pit road for four tires, fuel and air-pressure and chassis adjustments. He cycled back to 11th by lap 51 and re-entered the top 10 on lap 83. The Hendrick Motorsports driver advanced one more position before the caution flag was displayed for an on-track incident on lap 87. Under the yellow flag, Elliott visited pit road for four tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment. A fast stop by the NAPA crew gained Elliott two positions on pit road, putting him seventh for the lap-94 restart. When the green-and-white checkered flag waved to end stage one at lap 100, the driver of the No. 9 Chevy was scored with an 11th-place finish.
During the stage break, Elliott brought the NAPA Chevy to pit road for four tires and fuel. With varying pit strategies by teams, he took the green flag for stage two from the 14th position on lap 111. After initially losing some track position, the Dawsonville, Georgia, native maneuvered his way back inside the top 15 by lap 116. He reached the 14th position before green-flag pit stops got under way. Gustafson kept Elliott out on the track longer than much of the field before having him come to pit road from the second position on lap 153. When the caution flag came out less than 10 laps later, Elliott was scored in the 22nd position. With Elliott having fresher tires than most due to the team’s strategy during green-flag stops, he stayed out on the track and lined up fourth for the restart on lap 165. From there, he advanced his position and powered to the lead on lap 168. Elliott paced the field for two laps before Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron worked his way by on lap 170. The race was slowed at lap 172 for an on-track incident. Again, the No. 9 team opted not to pit. Elliott restarted from the front row on lap 177 and was scored in the seventh spot when another caution came out on lap 197, which ultimately ended the second stage.
After pitting for four tires and fuel, Elliott lined up fourth to start the third stage on lap 207. He maintained a top-10 running position early in the stage, racing in seventh at the time of a caution on lap 229. Elliott brought the NAPA Chevrolet to the attention of the No. 9 crew for fuel and four tires. Restarting from the third row on lap 236, he continued to race inside the top-eight running order. With weather in the area, the race fell under caution for precipitation before it was red flagged for lightning. The rain cleared the area, but the air remained too humid for the track to dry. Consequently, officials were forced to call the race with 249 laps completed. Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA team were credited with a seventh-place result.
Start / Finish: 5 / 7
Points Standing / Total: 4th / 475 pts. (-17)
Next Race: Sunday, June 2, WWT Raceway
How to Watch or Listen: 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN or SiriusXM
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By NAPA
Chase Elliott and the No. 9 link hidden, please login to view team qualified ninth for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway. Elliott finished stage one in 10th and followed that up with an 11th-place result in stage two. The 28-year-old driver lined up fourth for an overtime restart in the final stage, driving to a third-place finish. It was Elliott’s second consecutive top-five result and his fifth top-five in the last six Cup Series races. The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion ranks third in the points standings, just 55 markers behind the leader. Chase Elliott started ninth in Sunday’s rain-delayed NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway and was scored in the 14th position on lap 10 when he reported that his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 was tight. As the run went on, he radioed that his Chevy’s handling was coming to him. Elliott was in 15th when green-flag pit stops started near lap 30. Crew chief Alan Gustafson called the driver of the No. 9 to pit road on lap 33 for four tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment. He was back inside the top 15 once the field cycled through pit stops. By lap 62, he found his way to 10th where he remained to end stage one on lap 80.
After pitting for four tires and fuel during the stage break, Elliott took the green flag for stage two from the ninth position on lap 89. A chaotic restart shuffled the 28-year-old driver back to 15th, but as the run went on, he made up ground and climbed to 12th by lap 113. As green-flag pit stops were drawing near, Gustafson asked Elliott for feedback on the NAPA Chevrolet. After receiving positive comments from his driver, Gustafson radioed for Elliott to visit pit road on lap 119 for four tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment. Once the pit cycle was complete, Elliott was back up to 12th and continued to close in on the cars ahead of him. By lap 143, he re-entered the top 10. He battled hard to remain in the 10th position, but another car just barely beat him to the line to finish stage two, relegating Elliott to 11th.
Under the stage-ending caution, Elliott reported that he really liked his NAPA Chevy’s balance. He brought the No. 9 Chevrolet to the attention of his pit crew for fuel and four fresh tires. A fast stop gained Elliott three spots on pit road. He started the final stage from the eighth position on lap 173. The early portion of the stage was plagued with cautions, with Elliott and the No. 9 team opting not to pit during the first few yellow flags. When the caution came out again on lap 198, Elliott pitted from the ninth position for four tires and fuel. Varying pit strategies put Elliott in the 20th position as the field lined up for the choose cone. He took the outside lane for the restart on lap 205 and powered his way back inside the top 15 on lap 208. Elliott continued his climb forward, reaching 10th less than 10 laps later. As the long green-flag run went on, he gained two more positions. Elliott was in eighth after a caution came out on lap 261, which sent the race into overtime. When pit road opened, Gustafson called Elliott in for right-side tires and fuel. Elliott was the fourth car off pit road, with the top nine cars all taking two tires. The 2020 Cup Series champion lined up on the outside of the second row for the overtime restart. He battled intensely in the final two laps to take the checkered flag in the third position.
The finish was Elliott’s second consecutive top-five finish and his fifth top-five in the last six Cup Series races. The Hendrick Motorsports driver leaves Kansas Speedway third in the Cup Series points standings, just 55 markers behind the leader.
Start / Finish: 9 / 3
Points Standing / Total: 3rd / 412 pts. (-55)
Next Race: Sunday, May 12, Darlington Raceway
How to Watch or Listen: 3:00 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN or SiriusXM
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