This past weekend of NHRA drag racing started strong for the
Mopar teams as Ron Capps set an NHRA Funny Car class record for ET and speed –
and it ended just as well with a Charger versus Charger final round that
crowned Johnny Gray the class champion of the 43rd annual Toyota NHRA
SuperNationals.
After the four rounds of qualifying, Ron Capps held onto the
top spot with his record-setting 3.964 at 320.89 miles per hour while Johnny Gray
qualified 3rd, Matt Hagan qualified 5th and Jack Beckman
qualified 9th.
In the first round, all four of the Dodge Charger Funny Car
entries won as Matt Hagan took down Tony Pedregon’s Toyota Camry, Ron Capps
beat Bob Bode’s Chevrolet Impala, Johnny Gray beat Jim Head’s Toyota Solara and
Jack Beckman beat the DHL Toyota Camry driven by Jeff Arend.No Toyota products made it out of the first
round of the event that sported their company name.
In round two, Johnny Gray took down series legend John Force
in a race where Force pulled the early lead off of the starting line but
daughter Courtney Force knocked Mopar race Matt Hagan on what proved to be a
very, very close race.The other two
Dodge Charger funny cars, piloted by Ron Capps and Jack Beckman, were forced to
go head to head in a race where Capps grabbed the early lead and never looked
back.
This set up a pair of final four shootouts between top
qualifier Ron Capps and Traxxas Mustang driver Courtney Force while Johnny Gray
went to battle with Auto Club Mustang driver Robert Hight.In the first race, Capps took the lead at the
starting line and narrowly beat the daughter of John Force.In the other pairing, Johnny Gray took the
holeshot lead over Robert Hight and although Hight ran a quicker time, the
starting line advantage gave the win to Grey.
In the finals, Ron Capps pulled the big holeshot over Johnny
Gray but just past the 60 foot mark, Capp’s record-setting Dodge Charger smoked
the tires and handed the easy win to Gray in the NTB Charger.
On the year, Ron Capps is second in the season points
standings (trailing leader Robert Hight by 157 points) while Johnny Gray’s win
moved him up to the 4th position – 299 points behind leader Hight.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
This past weekend of NHRA drag racing started strong for the