When Ron Capps and Matt Hagan made a side-by-side run in the first qualifying session Friday, both Don Schumacher Racing Funny Cars had the same problem. Capps’ NAPA Auto Parts Dodge had its parachute come out a few moments after he left the starting line. Then, basically a second later, Hagan’s parachute on his Diehard Charger also came out.
When Ron Capps and Matt Hagan made a side-by-side run in the first qualifying session Friday, both Don Schumacher Racing Funny Cars had the same problem. Capps’ NAPA Auto Parts Dodge had its parachute come out a few moments after he left the starting line. Then, basically a second later, Hagan’s parachute on his Diehard Charger also came out.

Despite the chute issues, Hagan clocked a 4.31-second pass and Capps came in at 4.66 seconds. Initially, it was thought the chutes deploying on both cars was a result of something going wrong with the automatic shutoff device on the cars.

Dan Olson, NHRA director of Top Fuel and Funny Car racing, went to the Capps and Hagan camps to investigate the problem, and ruled out the automatic shutoff device being at fault in both cases.

The deployment of the parachutes were just two freaky separate incidents.