Capps qualifies NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge seventh, shows off NHRA drag racing to a 'Little' ESPN personality

Capps qualifies NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge seventh, 

shows off NHRA drag racing to a 'Little' ESPN personality

LAS VEGAS - RIS - You never know who you'll see in Ron Capps' NAPA AUTO PARTS pits.

Capps spent time visiting with ESPN motorsports reporter Jamie Little before his last qualifying session Saturday for the NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Capps and Little, who lives in Las Vegas, have been friends since 2004 when they were sponsored by Oakley.

It was the first trip to an NHRA national event for Little and her 8-month-son Carter and Capps provided a guided tour of the NAPA pit area and racecar transporters.

Capps would have liked to treat them to a better on-track showing.

Although ranked second in points and winner of this year's second of three events, the NAPA AUTO PARTS team could only muster a seventh-place qualifying effort that pairs Capps against longtime friend Del Worsham in Sunday's first round of eliminations that begin at 11 a.m.

"On Sunday morning, I don't care how our weekend is going, we can be No. 16, No. 1 or No. 7 but I'll still wake up with the same confidence that we're going to win when it plays out," Capps said.

"It's very unlike our car to put a cylinder out on a run but it's happened three times now. I can tell (crew chief Rahn) Tobler already is making big changes for tomorrow. There's something he's chasing and sometimes it's something really small in the tune-up but it can have a great effect on the run.

"We're changing the ignition and everything for tomorrow. That's how Rahn is."

Capps recalls the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge qualified fifth when it won the event title on Feb. 24 near Phoenix

And he enjoyed his guests

"It's great having Jamie Little here. We've known each other for a long time. For her to spend her day off out here was very cool. She got a taste of what NHRA drag racing is as a fan and then came down and watched our NAPA guys get the car ready for the last run.

"I know that she'll go back to her job working on the NASCAR side and X Games and tell them what her first NHRA drag race was like. She is so well respected in her field and when she tells those people how mind-blowing her day at the NHRA drags was it will open a lot of eyes."

Little clearly enjoyed the visit.

"It's amazing when I look back considering I've covered about everything in racing that this is my first time at a drag race. The main reason is because of my conflict with covering NASCAR. But I have the weekend off, and we decided to come out.

"This reminds me of Supercross where I started; there's a big pit area, fans can walk through and watch them work on the bikes and cars. It's like the roots of racing. I like the up-close and personal feel. I've been told it's such a family atmosphere here."

Little, who recently released the book "Essential Car Care for Women," will be a great spokesperson for NHRA drag racing.

The following are qualifying results and other notes:

FUNNY CAR
No. 1 qualifier: Robert Hight/John Force Racing, 4.053 sec., 315.19 mph (Friday night)

Ron Capps, NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger R/T Qualifying position: No. 7  First-round opponent: Del Worsham  FRIDAY  Session 1: 4.212 sec., 296.70 mph  Session 2: 4.133, 302.55  SATURDAY  Session 3: 4.708, 177.65  Session 4: 4.909, 162.67

THIS WEEK AT LAS VEGAS
WHAT: 14th annual NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals
Capps qualifies NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge seventh,
shows off NHRA drag racing to a 'Little' ESPN personality

ON ESPN2:
Sunday: Championship eliminations, 11 p.m. (ET)

WEATHER.COM FORECAST
Sunday: High 86; 20 percent chance of rain

NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series
(Unofficial through Las Vegas qualifying; DSR drivers in CAPS)

FUNNY CAR
1. JOHNNY GRAY, 281
2. RON CAPPS, 277
3. Courtney Force, 255
4. MATT HAGAN, 244
5. Cruz Pedregon, 218
6. Del Worsham, 203
7. Robert Hight, 200
8. Bob Tasca III, 187
9. JACK BECKMAN, 186
10. John Force, 177
Event winners: Courtney Force, RON CAPPS, JOHNNY GRAY.
About NAPA AUTO PARTS  NAPA was founded in 1925 to meet America's growing need for a worldclass auto parts distribution system. By providing excellent customer service for more than 80 years, NAPA has become the industry leader.  NAPA's strength is unrivaled, with over 6,000 NAPA AUTO PARTS stores, 64 Distribution Centers, more than 14,000 NAPA AutoCare, AutoCare Collision and Truck Service repair facilities and over 400,000 parts in inventory every day and the convenience of 24-hour shopping with NAPAonline.com. NAPA AUTO PARTS stores provide friendly, personalized service. Our highly trained and experienced professionals are here to help you get the job done. With our huge in-stock inventory, NAPA provides the parts you need when you need them.   For your automotive repair needs, NAPA AutoCare and AutoCare Collision and Truck Service Centers can handle everything from preventive maintenance to major repairs. Technicians at NAPA AutoCare Centers have access to the most extensive training in the automotive industry. Qualifying repairs are backed by the NAPA AutoCare "Peace of Mind" Warranty, providing our customers with 12-months/12,000 miles of worry-free protection on qualifying parts and labor. Wherever you may travel, our warranty is honored at all NAPA AutoCare Center locations across the country.


About Don Schumacher Racing  Don Schumacher Racing, headquartered in Brownsburg, Ind., starts 2013 with seven professional NHRA teams. In Top Fuel, the 2012 NHRA Top Fuel world champion Matco Tools dragster driven by Antron Brown and the U.S. Army dragster driven by seven-time world champion Tony Schumacher and the Battery Extender Powered by Schumacher dragster driven by Spencer Massey; and in Funny Car, 2012 NHRA world champion Jack Beckman in the Valvoline/MTS Mail for Wounded Warriors Dodge Charger R/T, 2011 world champion Matt Hagan in the Magneti Marelli Mopar/Rocky Dodge, the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge of Ron Capps and the Pitch Energy Dodge of Johnny Gray.

DSR has won 200 NHRA national event titles and 11 world championships.

Follow Don Schumacher Racing at ShoeRacing.com, on Twitter at @shoeracing and Facebook.com/shoeracing.