Ron Capps Rallies from Fiery Explosion to Win NHRA Funny Car Trophy at Phoenix

Capps Rallies from Explosion to Win NHRA at Phoenix MARC GEWERTZ The Firebird Motorsports Park dragstrip at Chandler, Arizona, was blistering hot enough already all weekend, with the surface temperature soaring to as high as 150 degrees. But it got even hotter for Ron Capps during final eliminations at the NHRA’s FMP Arizona Nationals. The Funny Car owner-driver escaped unscathed Sunday after his engine exploded in a ball of flames after the finish line in his quarterfinal victory against Daniel Wilkerson.

His NAPA Auto Care entry wiggled a bit, then blew up, cracked the body, and flattened the headers against the right-side guard wall. Shortly afterward he exited the car on his own power, Capps questioned whether the costly round-win was worth it. By the end of the day, he decided it was.

Capps earned his 78th career triumph, defeating 2025 Phoenix winner Paul Lee in the semifinals and Spencer Hyde in the final. Hyde was seeking his first victory in three final-round appearances. It was Capps’ fourth victory at Phoenix, where he also has been runner-up five times.

Lee, last year’s winner here, graciously waited for the struggling Capps team to repair the car and get to the starting line. And Capps—after extra help from several rival teams—won their semifinal face-off. In his 165th final round, Capps beat Hyde to inch closer to the 1,000th round-win plateau.