Don Schumacher Racing delivered clean sweep at NHRA Summit Nationals
Winning a race is always gratifying, but none more so than when the victory allows you to pull onto an equal level with a legendary motorsports figure.
Following a weekend where his NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger ran in the three-second zone with each pass down Summit Motorsports Park located outside of Cleveland, Ron Capps pulled into an 11th place tie on the all-time wins list with mentor and childhood hero Don Prudhomme. He attained the feat with career victory No. 49 at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio.
Joining Capps on the winner's podium was teammate Shawn Langdon (Top Fuel), as well as Jason Line (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle).
Just being alongside Prudhomme in drag racing history leaves the current point leader in awe of the experience.
"That's crazy, for nine years he was my boss and mentor, and just to have those memories of traveling together, learning the lessons from him, and then to look over at him and realize I drive for him is a feeling I cannot explain.
"Then for the last 11 years, to drive for Don Schumacher is incredible, he's a man with a big heart who helps more people than you can imagine. He gives everything he's got to drag racing."
Capps and Langdon combined to give Schumacher career win No. 251 with their Sunday triumphs.
Capps concluded the NHRA's Eastern Swing, which began the first week in June with winning three of the four events, qualifying No. 1 three times and winning 14 of 16 possible rounds of competition.
Courtney Force, who won earlier this season in Houston, Texas, left the starting line ahead of Capps and held him off until the last few inches of the 1000-foot race course. Her .05 starting line advantage was consumed by Capps' winning with a 3.956-second run at 317.49 mph with a little over a foot left before the finish line.
"I knew she would be tough in the final round, and I had better be on my game," said Capps, who has five victories this season. "No matter how good of a car you have, and I have a great one here, you have to have great teamwork. Sometimes I am there as a driver and can save us, more times than not, it is the car.
"How about [crew chief] Rahn Tobler and my crew? To make this car run three-seconds on every run is as good as it gets, especially in this heat. I know how hot it is sitting in that car."
Langdon, who has won more rounds in the last two races than he had up until the 11th race of the season, closed out the four consecutive weekends of racing with back-to-back wins.
Langdon, a former series champion in all three levels of NHRA drag racing, beat J.R. Todd in the final round, 3.846s to 3.937s.
“This is unbelievable,” Langdon said. “From where we started in the beginning of the year with this team all the changes that we made through the first couple of races, the test sessions, this is what we worked for.
"Phil (Shuler) and Todd (Okuhara) (Langdon’s crew chiefs), they kind of had to take a step back, and we started to progress the car, but we just weren’t getting the luck on Sunday. We kept the mentality that we have got to ride the waves. Drag racing is very streaky, you’re going to have the highs and the lows, but you have to not get down from the lows and not just soak in all the highs."
Line made the most of his playoff-clinching weekend by claiming his seventh victory of the season by taking out No. 1 qualifier and teammate Greg Anderson in the finals. The victory extended the KB Racing domination of the Pro Stock division to 12 straight victories, a clean sweep of the class by the three-car team.
Line won with a 6.678s, 208.42 mph pass, his slowest of the weekend.
“This is the most relaxed I have ever been in since I started racing,” Line said. “It is nice to be able not to be in a panic when you go back to the shop. You can think about things a little more.”
Krawiec has certainly had easier elimination days aboard his Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson. He scored his third victory of the season despite losing brakes on his bike and running off the end of the strip in the last two rounds.
Krawiec beat teammate Andrew Hines in an all-Harley-Davidson final round.
“It’s been an interesting day for me to say the least,” Krawiec said. “I knew going into (Sunday) it was going to be some really good, tight racing. I figure if it’s about 95 degrees out here and we can’t go to the beach I will just bring the beach to me. I managed to get that win light and get it sorted out.”
The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series takes a weekend off next weekend after completing a four race in a row stretch.
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Bobby Bennett is the Publisher/Editor of CompetitionPlus.com, a leading independent online drag racing magazine, since 1999. For the latest in dragster news worldwide, visit www.competitionplus.com or follow on Twitter @competitionplus
