Seattle: Capps loses in quarterfinals

SEATTLE, July 30, 2000 - Ron Capps and the U.S. Tobacco Co. Camaro Funny Car team advanced to the quarterfinals of Sunday's Prolong Northwest Nationals at Seattle International Raceway.

Capps used his quickest run of the weekend on the tricky SIR asphalt - 5.049 seconds at 291.01 mph - to dismiss first-round foe Louis Sweet and set up a match against NHRA Funny Car leader Jerry Toliver in the quarterfinals.

In that race, the clutch combination that worked so well against Sweet turned sour against Toliver. "We felt pretty confident against Toliver," said Capps. "Unfortunately the car smoked the tires and what made it worse was watching him run a 5.12 next to us.

"This was a tough track to get down. You can't take any of these drivers lightly and you can't expect to beat them if you set up the car to run a 5.20. It's easy to say in hindsight we should have done this or should have done that," Capps continued. "We expected to run a low 5.0 or a high 4.90. Instead, it went up in smoke. We struggled quite a bit in qualifying so we didn't have lane choice in that first round."

Capps stopped the clocks in 8.636 seconds at 94.97 mph to Toliver's 5.120 at 291.45.

Capps' 5.086-second best in qualifying had him starting from the No.11 position.

He remained fourth in points with 839, nine behind Tony Pedregon.

The action now shifts to Sears Point Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., for the Autolite Nationals, Friday through Sunday.

"At least we don't have to wait too long to get back into action," Capps concluded.

Qualified: No. 11, 5.086 seconds at 286.92 mph.

First round: Capps, 5.049 at 291.01 def. Louis Sweet; Quarterfinal: Jerry Toliver def. Capps.

Pro Winners:

Top Fuel - Tony Schumacher
Funny Car - Whit Bazemore
Pro Stock - Kurt Johnson

Next Event: Autolite Nationals, Sonoma, Calif., Aug. 4-6

TV Schedule: Qualifying, Aug. 5, 10 p.m.-midnight (ET); Eliminations, Aug. 6, 9:30-11:30 p.m. (ET).

ESPN2, Qualifying, July 29, 10:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. (ET); Eliminations, July 30, 7-9 p.m. (ET)

Top Fuel - Tony Schumacher      Top Fuel - Joe Amato
Funny Car - Whit Bazemore           Funny Car - Scotty Cannon
Pro Stock - Kurt Johnson            Pro Stock - Darrell Alderman

Top Fuel - Tony Schumacher      Top Fuel - Joe Amato
Funny Car - Whit Bazemore           Funny Car - Scotty Cannon
Pro Stock - Darrell Alderman            Pro Stock - Kurt Johnson

Top Fuel - Joe Amato Top Fuel - Tony Schumacher

Funny Car - Whit Bazemore Funny Car - Scott Cannon

Pro Stock - Darrell Alderman Pro Stock - Kurt Johnson

TIRE SMOKE, TOLIVER END CAPPS' DAY IN QUARTERFINALS AT SIR

SEATTLE, July 30, 2000 - Ron Capps and the U.S. Tobacco Co. Camaro Funny Car team advanced to the quarterfinals of Sunday's Prolong Northwest Nationals at Seattle International Raceway.

Capps used his quickest run of the weekend on the tricky SIR asphalt - 5.049 seconds at 291.01 mph - to dismiss first-round foe Louis Sweet and set up a match against NHRA Funny Car leader Jerry Toliver in the quarterfinals.

In that race, the clutch combination that worked so well against Sweet turned sour against Toliver. "We felt pretty confident against Toliver," said Capps. "Unfortunately the car smoked the tires and what made it worse was watching him run a 5.12 next to us.

"This was a tough track to get down. You can't take any of these drivers lightly and you can't expect to beat them if you set up the car to run a 5.20. It's easy to say in hindsight we should have done this or should have done that," Capps continued. "We expected to run a low 5.0 or a high 4.90. Instead, it went up in smoke. We struggled quite a bit in qualifying so we didn't have lane choice in that first round."

Capps stopped the clocks in 8.636 seconds at 94.97 mph to Toliver's 5.120 at 291.45.

Capps' 5.086-second best in qualifying had him starting from the No.11 position.

He remained fourth in points with 839, nine behind Tony Pedregon.

The action now shifts to Sears Point Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., for the Autolite Nationals, Friday through Sunday.

"At least we don't have to wait too long to get back into action," Capps concluded.

Qualified: No. 11, 5.086 seconds at 286.92 mph.

First round: Capps, 5.049 at 291.01 def. Louis Sweet; Quarterfinal: Jerry Toliver def. Capps.

Pro Winners:

Top Fuel - Tony Schumacher Funny Car - Whit Bazemore Pro Stock - Kurt Johnson

Next Event: Autolite Nationals, Sonoma, Calif., Aug. 4-6

TV Schedule: Qualifying, Aug. 5, 10 p.m.-midnight (ET); Eliminations, Aug. 6, 9:30-11:30 p.m. (ET).

ESPN2, Qualifying, July 29, 10:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. (ET); Eliminations, July 30, 7-9 p.m. (ET)

Top Fuel - Tony Schumacher      Top Fuel - Joe Amato
Funny Car - Whit Bazemore           Funny Car - Scotty Cannon
Pro Stock - Kurt Johnson            Pro Stock - Darrell Alderman

Top Fuel - Tony Schumacher      Top Fuel - Joe Amato
Funny Car - Whit Bazemore           Funny Car - Scotty Cannon
Pro Stock - Darrell Alderman            Pro Stock - Kurt Johnson

Top Fuel - Joe Amato Top Fuel - Tony Schumacher

Funny Car - Whit Bazemore Funny Car - Scott Cannon

Pro Stock - Darrell Alderman Pro Stock - Kurt Johnson

Don Prudhomme Racing Report

TIRE SMOKE, TOLIVER END CAPPS' DAY IN QUARTERFINALS AT SIR

SEATTLE, July 30, 2000 - Ron Capps and the U.S. Tobacco Co. Camaro Funny Car team advanced to the quarterfinals of Sunday's Prolong Northwest Nationals at Seattle International Raceway.

Capps used his quickest run of the weekend on the tricky SIR asphalt - 5.049 seconds at 291.01 mph - to dismiss first-round foe Louis Sweet and set up a match against NHRA Funny Car leader Jerry Toliver in the quarterfinals.

In that race, the clutch combination that worked so well against Sweet turned sour against Toliver. "We felt pretty confident against Toliver," said Capps. "Unfortunately the car smoked the tires and what made it worse was watching him run a 5.12 next to us.

"This was a tough track to get down. You can't take any of these drivers lightly and you can't expect to beat them if you set up the car to run a 5.20. It's easy to say in hindsight we should have done this or should have done that," Capps continued. "We expected to run a low 5.0 or a high 4.90. Instead, it went up in smoke. We struggled quite a bit in qualifying so we didn't have lane choice in that first round."

Capps stopped the clocks in 8.636 seconds at 94.97 mph to Toliver's 5.120 at 291.45.

Capps' 5.086-second best in qualifying had him starting from the No.11 position.

He remained fourth in points with 839, nine behind Tony Pedregon.

The action now shifts to Sears Point Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., for the Autolite Nationals, Friday through Sunday.

"At least we don't have to wait too long to get back into action," Capps concluded.

Qualified: No. 11, 5.086 seconds at 286.92 mph.

First round: Capps, 5.049 at 291.01 def. Louis Sweet; Quarterfinal: Jerry Toliver def. Capps.

Pro Winners:

Top Fuel - Gary Scelzi Funny Car - John Force Pro Stock - Richie Stevens

Next Event: Autolite Nationals, Sonoma, Calif., Aug. 4-6

TV Schedule: Qualifying, Aug. 5, 10 p.m.-midnight (ET); Eliminations, Aug. 6, 9:30-11:30 p.m. (ET).